Content
( Effective Fall 2026)
Core updates from past curriculum can be found here.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Overall Curriculum Structure
The MCRP degree program requires completion of 48 graduate credit hours, encompassing the following two components:
- 24 credit hours of required core courses
- 24 credit hours in a completion track
The course work requirements for the MCRP degree program are described below:
Prerequisite
Students who are admitted to the MCRP degree program will have completed a bachelor’s degree in any of a wide variety of undergraduate majors.
Required Core Courses
Core courses required for all students in the MCRP degree program include the following:
| CRPL 800 Introduction to Planning | 3 |
| CRPL 804 Legal Aspects of Planning | 3 |
| CRPL 830 Planning with GIS | 3 |
| CRPL 840 Planning Methods and Analysis | 3 |
| CRPL 860 Planning and Design in the Built Environment | 3 |
| CRPL 863 Land Use and Transportation Planning | 3 |
| CRPL 870 Environmental Planning and Policy | 3 |
| CRPL 990 Planning Studio | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 24 |
Completion Track
The completion track in the MCRP degree program consists of two components: (1) one of four culminating educational experiences—(a) a master’s thesis, (b) a professional project, (c) a comprehensive written and oral examination; or (d) the capstone studio—and (2) elective courses.
| a. Master’s thesis and oral examination: (Option A) | c. Comprehensive examination: (Option B) | ||
| CRPL 899 Master’s Thesis | 6 | Comprehensive Examination | 0 |
| Elective Courses | 18 | Elective Courses | 24 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 24 | Total Credit Hours: | 24 |
| b. Professional project: (Option B) | d. Capstone Studio: (Option B) | ||
| CRPL 894 Professional Project | 6 | CRPL 991 Capstone Studio | 3 |
| Elective Courses | 18 | Elective Courses | 21 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 24 | Total Credit Hours: | 24 |
Option A Requirement: 8 credit hours of graduate only courses excluding Thesis Option B Requirement: 15 credit hours of graduate only courses | |||
Typical Course Sequence
The recommended overall sequence of core courses and electives for students pursuing the 48-credit-hour MCRP degree program on a full-time basis is illustrated as follows:
| First Year: Fall Semester | First Year: Spring Semester | ||||||
CRPL 800 CRPL 830 CRPL 840 Electives | 3 3 3 3 | CRPL 804 CRPL 860 CRPL 863 Electives | 3 3 3 3 | CRPL 900 CRPL 990 Electives and/or Thesis or Professional Project | 3 3
6 | Electives and Capstone Studio, Thesis or Professional Project | 12 |
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | Total Credit Hours | 12 | Total Credit Hours | 12 | Total Credit Hours | 12 |
Students may pursue the MCRP degree program on a part-time basis, with fewer than 12 credit hours per semester; however, all of the graduate credit hours required for the MCRP degree, as for any master’s degree at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, must be completed within five consecutive calendar years of the first course completed in the degree program.
Students are permitted to begin course work in the MCRP degree program at the beginning of the fall semester, spring semester, or any of the summer sessions. | |||||||