Objectives

The dual master’s degree program in City and Regional Planning and Civil Engineering (Transportation Systems Engineering (TSE)) prepares students for careers influencing public policy and private investment in transportation systems. Such systems, including urban, suburban, exurban and rural highways, railways, public transit, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, rights-of-way, ports, terminals, parking and intermodal linkages involve design and policy coordination that benefits from both engineering and planning. Graduates from this program become instrumental in bringing perspectives from one profession into the lexicon and tools of the other profession.

Program Advisors

Catherine Ross, City and Regional Planning >
Jiawen Yang, City and Regional Planning >
Randy Guensler, Civil and Environmental Engineering >
Michael Meyer, Civil and Environmental Engineering >

Admission

Students wishing to enroll in the dual degree program must apply separately and be admitted independently to each program. For prospective students not yet enrolled in either program, an application should be submitted to each program separately. Admission into either the School of City and Regional Planning or the Civil Engineering Program does not guarantee a student admission into the dual degree program. Students currently pursuing either the MS/MSCE or the MCRP and seeking admission to the dual degree program should apply directly to the other program, providing that program with a copy of the student’s full original application to the first program together with a copy of the students Georgia Tech transcript. The program graduate advisors will forward applications on file in response to a request from a student. These materials will be reviewed during the regular admissions schedule in place in the relevant program.

It is strongly recommended that students apply to the dual degree program before beginning studies in program, or if not, than no later than the end of their first semester of study in the first program.

Documentation and Process

Students will submit application for admission into the dual degree program to the Program Director in City and Regional Planning. After review by the admission committee, the applicant will be notified about his/her acceptance into the program. Admission into the program is heavily influenced by the committee’s perception of the student’s ability to successfully fulfill program requirements. A student whose performance is judged to be inadequate after being admitted into the dual degree program may be dropped from the program on recommendation to the City and Regional Planning Dual Degree Admission Committee and its Civil Engineering counterpart.

Course Requirements

Students earning both the MCRP degree and a M.S. degree with a major in Civil Engineering or M.S. in Civil Engineering (Transportation Systems Engineering) are expected to meet all requirements of each degree, including all core, specialization and studio requirements, with five conditions:

• Students may count up to twelve (12) credit hours of Civil and Environmental Engineering courses as electives toward the MCRP degree
• Students may count up to six (6) credit hours of planning courses as electives toward the MS/MSCE degree
• Students must complete the standard twelve (12) credit hour transportation specialization under the MCRP degree
• Students must complete the standard transportation systems engineering specialization requirements under the MS/MSCE
• Students enrolled in the dual degree program must complete research in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a thesis in City Planning that is supervised by a committee comprised by faculty of both programs. This involves taking at least six (6) 35 credit hours of CP7000 (Master’s Thesis), and at least six (6) credit hours of CEE8900 (Special Problems).

All students must complete a minimum combined requirement of at least sixty-seven (67) credit hours. Both degrees are awarded simultaneously.

Typical Program of Study

The scheduling for the dual degree in Transportation and City and Regional Planning has been carefully designed to allow students to complete the degree in two years of intensive coursework. That schedule is indicated below. If a student chooses to slow down the pace of working toward the dual degree, s/he should contact the Program Director in City and Regional Planning and the coordinator of Transportation master’s program to ensure that courses are taken in the proper sequence.