Community & Regional Planning

Community & Regional Planning
Degree Opportunities
Program Description
The 48 credit hour Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) graduate degree is a program of choice for students who come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, but are connected in their desire to impact our environment, society and communities in positive ways through sustainable practices and planning efforts.
Planning is a dynamic profession that helps communities create sustainable, attractive, healthful, efficient, and supportive places for present and future generations to inhabit and enjoy. Planners serve in a variety of roles that positively impact the physical, environmental, social, and economic vitality of the communities in which they are working. Among the functional areas in which planners focus their professional skills are land use, economic development, transportation, housing, human services, and various aspects of the physical and natural environment. Today’s professional planners are adaptive, engaged, and collaborative—using knowledge and skills that are developed in UNL’s Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) program.UNL’s MCRP program is the only planning degree program in Nebraska.
Nationally accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, the program has a respected tradition of educating and
graduating students who can facilitate positive change in the communities in which they are working. Students in the MCRP program reflect the diversity of the field of planning, entering the program at various points in their academic and personal lives with diverse academic backgrounds and professional experiences. The MCRP program includes required core courses, as well as sufficient elective credit hours to enable students to develop specialized skills and interests within the field of planning. These skills are in high demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, the job outlook for planners over the next decade is excellent, with a job growth prospect of 11% (much faster than average) and an attractive median pay (2019) of $74,350 per year.
Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)
The Master of Community and Regional Planning graduate program is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB), which ensures a high quality of urban planning education among accredited degree programs. The MCRP degree program at UNL has been continuously accredited by the PAB since 1972.
Featured Work
Hazard Mitigation Planning
Natural hazards, such as severe winter storms, flooding, and tornadoes play a major role in how cities develop and plan. It is because of their natural and inevitable occurrence that there is very little we can do to control them; and all communities are vulnerable to a list of natural and man-made hazards, especially that of flooding and severe storms. The hazards listed in these attached student plans have the potential to threaten the safety of residents, to damage or destroy both public and private property, to cause environmental degradation, and to disrupt the local economy and overall quality of life.
Mitigation planning is defined as having the potential to produce long-term and recurring benefits by breaking the repetitive cycle of disaster associated loss, as defined by these communities. It is largely assumed that investment in mitigation strategies will greatly reduce the demand for post-disaster assistance (i.e. emergency response, repair, recovery, and reconstruction). However, the benefits of mitigation planning go beyond reducing hazard vulnerability. See how these mitigation plans compare and differ. Is your community prepared?

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