Accelerated BA/BS Geography and MUEP Urban and Environmental Planning | School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning

Eligibility

Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all courses taken at ASU; minimum of 3.5 GPA in all geography courses.

Minimum 75 credit hours toward BA or BS degree at the time of application.

Completed 90 credits of undergraduate study before enrolling in any accelerated course that will be included in BA or BS program of study

Completed GPH 111 Introduction to Physical Geography, GPH 112 Introduction to Physical Geography lab, and GIS 205 Geographic Information Science I.

Fast facts

accelerated programs save time since a bachelor’s and master’s degree can be obtained in as little as 5 years*

accelerated programs save students money since students are saving time by sharing credits between the undergraduate and graduate program (less time = less tuition paid)

Students with the New American University Dean’s, Provost’s, President’s or National Scholar scholarship who complete their undergraduate program in less than 8 semesters can apply any remaining awards to an ASU on-ground graduate program**

Placement data of Master’s program graduates:

Department of Labor Salary Range for students with a Master’s degree vs. Undergraduate degree Waived application requirements for accelerated applicants:

*Completion time may vary by program, check with your school/dept’s advisors

**Always consult with financial aid to ensure eligibility

Timeline – From Application to Student:

Freshman – First Semester of Junior Year:

Direct questions to your undergraduate academic advisors.

Junior Year (January – February):

Graduate advisor checks your eligibility and will send you information and instructions for the Preliminary Application.
Meet with undergraduate advisor to plan coursework for senior year.

Junior Year (January 1- March 15):

Submit Preliminary Application by March 15
Graduate Programs Director reviews applications; if Preliminary Application is approved, Graduate Programs Advisor will contact you with the next steps.

Senior Year (June 1/Summer before graduate year):

Formally apply for Graduate Admission for the upcoming Fall semester (your graduate year).
Graduate Advisor reviews processes admission decision; Graduate Advisor will contact you with next steps.
Enroll in required graduate level courses for Fall of senior year.

Shared classes

The Master of Urban and Environmental Planning (MUEP) Accelerated Degree program allows students to fast track the Master’s program. Undergraduate students may take up to 18 credit hours of graduate coursework in their senior year.

	Senior Year	Graduate Year ¹
Fall	PUP 501: Planning History and Theory (3) PUP 520: Planning Practice, Ethics & Processes (3) PUP 571: Quantitative Methods for Planners (3)	PUP 642: Urban and Regional Economic Analysis (3) Approved Graduate Elective (3) Approved Graduate Elective (3) Approved Graduate Elective (3) Approved Graduate Elective (3)
Spring	PUP 576: GIS Workshop for Planners (3) PUP 579: Qualitative Methods for Planners (3) Approved Graduate Elective (3)	PUP 531: Planning & Development Control Law* PUP 542: Environmental Planning* PUP 544: Urban Land Use Planning Culminating Experience (choose one) PUP 580: Planning Workshop (5) or PUP 593: Applied Project (5) or PUP 599: Thesis (6)

¹ Students have the option to move their graduate year start term to summer, provided that all undergraduate degree requirements are met and the bachelor’s degree is conferred in spring. In this case, students may take up to 6.0 elective credits during the summer and reduce the course load in the graduate year. Students wishing to make this change must contact graduate advising at sgsup.gradadvising@asu.edu.

* Course has an undergraduate equivalent. In order to ensure that the class will count for credit towards MUEP, students must enroll in the 500+ section as indicated above.

Core and Other Requirements

The listed classes are required and cannot be waived or substituted, with the exception of PUP 542 and PUP 576.

PUP 542 may be waived for students who took PUP 442 as part of their ASU undergraduate coursework. Submit the Course Waiver form to check for waiver eligibility. A substitute course for PUP 542 must be chosen from the Approved Environmental Planning Courses list.

PUP 576 may be waived with ample GIS experience. A formal education (degree, certificate, minor) in GIS or specific ASU undergraduate coursework (GIS 211 and/or GIS 311) automatically qualifies students for the waiver. Any other circumstances (other coursework, internship, volunteer, or work experience) must be petitioned. Submit the Course Waiver form to check for waiver eligibility. A substitute course for PUP 576 must be chosen from the Approved Method Course list.

Electives

Any graduate level GCU, GIS, GPH, or PUP course may be taken as elective. Interdisciplinary courses may be taken, but must be approved by the department if they are not on the Approved MUEP Electives list. Submit the Petition for Transfer or Interdisciplinary Elective Courses form to request approval. Electives may be taken at any time; the outline above is a guideline for distributing enrollment equitably throughout four semesters. A maximum of 6.0 credits of 400-level coursework may be included on the plan of study but must be approved by the Associate Director of Planning.

Culminating Experience

Culminating experience options are a traditional capstone PUP 580 Planning Workshop (5.0 credits), a professional project PUP 593 Applied Project (5.0 credits), or a thesis PUP 599 Thesis (6.0 credits).

Students electing to do an Applied Project or Thesis must have their Applied Project Scoping Statement or Thesis Proposal signed by all committee members on file to proceed by the time they 1) have earned 75% of the credits required for the MUEP and 2) expect to enroll in their final semester, including the culminating experience credits. Students who do not meet these criteria must 1) change their Plan of Study degree requirements to PUP 580 Planning Workshop culminating experience and 2) enroll the next semester that it is offered.

Contact

Undergraduate

Beverly Davis
SGSUP.Advising@asu.edu
480-965-7533 (main office)

Graduate

Fernanda Quiroz
sgsup.gradadvising@asu.edu
480-965-7533 (main office)