Sustainable Design, BS and Urban Planning, MUP
For the degrees of Bachelor of Science Major in Sustainable Design and Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning
The 4+1 program allows for students completing the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design degree to complete the Master of Urban Planning (MUP) on an accelerated timeline--BSSD and MUP degrees in five years. To be eligible to participate in the 4+1 program, the student should be a Junior BSSD major with a minimum 3.6 GPA. Junior BSSD majors who do not meet these requirements may apply to the program, but their applications will need to provide extraordinary evidence of preparedness for the MUP program in order to gain admission.
Students interested in the BSSD/MUP 4 + 1 program will need to plan their schedules well in advance of their Junior year to ensure they have taken the appropriate course work. By judicious selection of general education courses and major electives in their sophomore and junior years, students will be prepared to apply to the 4+1 program in their junior year.
Students admitted to the program will receive the B.S. degree after four years and the M.U.P. degree after one additional year.
For the degrees of Bachelor of Science Major in Sustainable Design and Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning
For additional details and requirements refer to the Sustainable Design Department website and the Graduate College Handbook.
Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design degree requirements
Minimum hours for graduation is 120, to include a minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework generally at the 300- and 400-level. These hours can be drawn from all elements of the degree.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | ||
| Composition I | 4 | |
| Advanced Composition (fulfilled by required course listed below) | 3 | |
| Humanities & the Arts (fulfilled by required courses listed below) | 6 | |
| Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Culture(s) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Non-Western Culture(s) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: US Minority Culture(s) (fulfilled by required course listed below) | 3 | |
| Natural Sciences and Technology | 6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (fulfilled by required courses listed below) | 6 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning I and II (fulfilled by required courses listed below) | 6 | |
| Language Other than English | 0-12 | |
| Total Hours (with Language requirement fulfilled, not counting UP/SD required courses) | 16 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| FAA 101 | Arts at Illinois | 1 |
| FAA 201 | Black Arts Today (Gen Ed: Humanities & the Arts & U.S. Minority Cultures) | 3 |
| LA 101 | Introduction to Landscape Arch | 2 |
| UP 136 | Urban Sustainability (Gen Ed: Social/Behavioral Sci) | 3 |
| ARCH 171 | Introduction to Design I | 3 |
| ARCH 172 | Introduction to Design II | 3 |
| ARTH 211 | Design History Survey (Gen Ed: Humanities & the Arts) | 3 |
| ARTD 225 | Design Drawing | 3 |
| or LA 280 | Design Communications I | |
| FAA 230 | Sustainable Design of the Built Environment | 3 |
| ARTD 451 | Ethics of a Designer in a Global Economy | 4 |
| ARCH 321 | Environment, Architecture, and Global Health | 3 |
| ARTD 326 | Sustainability & Manufacturing | 3 |
| FAA 330 | Making Sustainable Design | 5 |
| FAA 430 | Capstone Seminar | 3 |
| FAA 431 | Capstone Studio | 5 |
| Total Hours | 47 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Electives | ||
| All 16 hours of major electives are met with the full completion of the requirements below. | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| UP Coursework taken prior to Senior Year | ||
Students who follow this program will be eligible for a minor in Urban Studies and Planning regardless of their admission to the 4+1 program | ||
| UP 101 | Introduction to City Planning | 3 |
| UP 116 | Urban Informatics I (Gen Ed: Quant Reasoning I) | 3 |
| or STAT 100 | Statistics | |
| UP 210 | Environmental Economics (Gen Ed: Social/Behavioral Sci) | 3 |
| or ECON 102 | Microeconomic Principles | |
| or ACE 100 | Introduction to Applied Microeconomics | |
| UP 203 | Cities: Planning & Urban Life | 3 |
| or UP 204 | Chicago: Planning & Urban Life | |
| UP 312 | Communication for Planners (Gen Ed: Advanced Composition) | 4 |
| UP 316 | Urban Informatics II (Gen Ed: Quant Reasoning II) | 3 |
| Pick one: | 3-4 | |
| Watershed Ecology and Planning | ||
| Urban Ecology | ||
| GIS for Planners | ||
| Plng for Historic Preservation | ||
| Urban Transportation Planning | ||
| Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning | ||
| Sustainable Planning Workshop | ||
| Community Engagement in Planning | ||
| Planning with Climate Change | ||
| Special Topics in Planning (section LB, Public Transportation Planning, or section SK Food Systems Planning) | ||
| One additional course at the 400 level in the Department of Urban & Regional Planning (may also pick an additional course from pick one list above) | 3 | |
| Total | 25 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Year Courses | ||
A BSSD student admitted to the 4+1 program is expected to enroll in the first year MUP core courses in their senior year, although they are not yet admitted to the MUP program. Typically, a 4+1 student will take FAA 430 & FAA 431 (3 & 5 hours), as required by the BSSD program, plus at least four of the five first-year MUP core courses: | ||
| Select at least four courses from: | 16-20 | |
| Planning History and Theory | ||
| Physical Planning | ||
| Urban History and Theory | ||
| Urban and Regional Analysis | ||
| Law and Planning | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Free Electives | 12 | |
| Select approximately 12 credit hours with approval of advisor to complete degree requirements. | ||
Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning degree requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete any of the 500-level courses not completed in year four (UP 501, 503, 504, 505, 511) | 0-4 | |
| UP 510 | Plan Making | 4 |
| UP 591 | Capstone Seminar (enrollment required for two terms- 0 hours each for Thesis students or 4 in fall, 0 in spring for Non-Thesis students) | 0 or 4 |
| UP 598 | Master's Project (UP 598 for 4 total hours or UP 599 for 8 total hours) | 4 or 8 |
| or UP 599 | Thesis Research | |
| Once admitted to the MUP program, a 4+1 student must take 32 hours of graduate courses, 20 of which must be UP courses. These courses include the capstone requirement and master's project or thesis. Up to two MUP core courses may be included among the 32 hours. The 32 hours of graduate courses is a minimum requirement for the MUP degree; it cannot be reduced by UP 590 internship or course waivers. | 32 | |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 | |
Summary of Credits for the Joint BSSD/MUP Program
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BS in Sustainable Design | 120 | |
| General Education | 16 | |
| Major Requirements | 47 | |
| Major Electives | 0 | |
| Additional UP Course Requirements | 25 | |
| Senior Year Graduate Courses | 20 | |
| Free Electives | 12 | |
| A minimum of 40 credits at the 300 or 400 course level are required. | ||
| MUP in Urban Planning | 32 | |
| A minimum of 16 credits at the 500 course level are required, 12 must be in UP. | ||
For the degrees of Bachelor of Science Major in Sustainable Design and Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning
Sample Sequence
This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.
Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a third level of a language other than English. This may require up to three semesters of language depending on high school coursework or placement. For more information, see the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| FAA 101 | 1 | UP 136 | 3 |
| UP 101 | 3 | UP 116 | 3 |
| LA 101 | 2 | UP 203 | 3 |
| ARCH 171 | 3 | ARCH 172 | 3 |
| Composition I or Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 | Composition I or Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 |
| Free Electives | 2 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| FAA 230 | 3 | FAA 330 | 5 |
| ARTD 225 or LA 280 | 3 | UP 316 | 3 |
| ECON 102 | 3 | ARTH 211 | 3 |
| FAA 201 | 3 | Gen Ed: Natural Science & Technology | 3 |
| Gen Ed: NW Cultural Studies | 3 | ||
| 15 | 14 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| UP 312 | 4 | ARTD 326 | 3 |
| ARTD 451 | 4 | UP 4xx | 3 |
| ARCH 321 | 3 | Gen Ed: Natural Science & Technology | 3 |
| UP 4xx | 3 | Gen Ed: Western Cultural Studies | 3 |
| Free Elective | 1 | Free Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| FAA 430 | 3 | FAA 431 | 5 |
| UP 501 | 4 | UP 505 | 4 |
| UP 503 | 4 | UP 511 | 4 |
| UP 504 | 4 | Free Elective | 2 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fifth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| UP 510 | 4 | UP 599 or 598 | 0 or 4 |
| UP 591 | 0 or 4 | UP 591 | 0 |
| UP 598 or 599 | 4 | Other graduate coursework | 12 |
| Other graduate coursework | 8 | ||
| 20 | 12 | ||
| Total Hours 152 | |||
For the degrees of Bachelor of Science Major in Sustainable Design and Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning
Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design:
The Student Learning objectives (SLO) are:
- Students will have a deep level of understanding of the fundamentals of sustainability and their functional links to the built environment.
- Students will have a deep level of understanding of the fundamentals of design thinking and practice.
- Students will be proficient in applying basic principles of visual and material communication, including sketching, drafting, model-making, 2-d and 3-d design software and geographic information systems.
- Students will be able to combine design theory and practice with sustainability principles to address environmental issues at the product, building, neighborhood, city, landscape and global levels.
- Students will be comfortable working in multidisciplinary teams to solve complex design problems.
Master of Urban Planning:
Students who complete a degree in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning will be able to:
- Identify and understand the planners’ role in:
- advocating for racial and economic equity;
- planning for the needs of disadvantaged groups;
- expanding choice and opportunity;
- reducing inequities through critical evaluation of systems and institutions;
- planning for sustainable communities;
- reducing impacts of climate change; and
- creating equitable and climate‐adapted futures.
- Demonstrate planning proficiency in a global context in the areas of:
- history, theory, law and institutions;
- the evolution of the practice of planning; and
- urban and regional development.
- Build and put into practice a set of skills that are central to the planning profession, including skills specific to:
- communication, community engagement, and the planning process;
- research and critical thinking;
- mapping and data visualization; and
- data collection and analysis, and data analytics.
- Illustrate professional leadership values including collaborative skills and ethical behavior in research, client representation and decision-making.
-
- Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
- Plan Creation and Implementation
- Planning Process Methods
- Leadership
- Values and ethics
- Professional Ethics and Responsibility
- Governance and Participation
- Sustainability and Environmental Quality
- Growth and Development
- Social Justice
For the degrees of Bachelor of Science Major in Sustainable Design and Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning
Sustainable Design Department website
Sustainable Design faculty
Master of Urban Planning department website
Urban & Regional Planning faculty
Fine & Applied Arts catalog page
Fine & Applied Arts website