USC Price School of Public Policy

MPL Curriculum

The strength of the program is the connection between theory and practice.

O'CarrollSusan O’Carroll, MPL ’81, Ph.D. ’89
President / Founder, Pareto Planning and Environmental Services

MPL CurriculumThe Master of Planning program requires 48 units of graduate coursework which is typically completed in a two-year period. All students pursuing the MPL degree will complete core courses that present basic theories, techniques and methods. Many students specialize in a wide array of specific topic areas, but the curriculum is structured to support five broad concentrations:

Specialization in Social Justice

The Sol Price School of Public Policy offers a specialization in social justice that focuses on understanding the set of factors that contribute to a broad range of disparities (or inequities) and the challenges that exist when managing, planning, and policy making among diverse populations.
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MPL Core Courses

The MPL core curriculum comprises eight lecture-seminar courses:

  • Intersectoral Leadership (PPD 500)
  • Economics for Policy, Planning and Development (PPD 501a)
  • Planning Theory (PPD 524)
  • Statistics and Arguing from Data (PPD 525)
  • Comparative International Development (PPD 526)
  • The Social Context of Planning (PPD 527)
  • The Legal Environment of Planning (PPD 529)
  • Planning History and Urban Form (PPD 533)

Concentrations

Students select a 16-unit concentration from the five available concentrations appropriate to their interests in the field. The concentration includes a four-unit gateway course, a four-unit methodology course, and eight other units.

Electives

In addition to elective units within the student’s concentration, MPL students complete eight additional elective units. These units may be taken as part of an international lab, from another concentration in planning, or from other related fields.