Address: West Chester University of Pennsylvania Department of Geography and Planning College of Business and Public Management Fifth Floor Business and Public Management Center 50 Sharpless Street West Chester, PA 19383
Phone: 610-436-2343
Name: Dr. Gary Coutu Position: Department Chair Email:GCoutu@wcupa.edu
Name: Heather MacQueen Position: Department Secretary Email:HMacQueen@wcupa.edu
Urban & Environmental planners shape our communities and regions to create sustainable,
equitable, and healthy places. With tools such as geographic information systems,
3D modeling, and data analytics, planners engage with communities to make good decisions
about the use of land and other resources. Students are prepared to pursue careers
in economic development, land use management, environmental protection, disaster resilience,
sustainable development, and more. Graduates of the planning programs are employed
by a number of different types of organizations including local, county and state
governments, land conservancies, real estate firms, consulting firms, and data analytics
and software development companies.
B.S. in Urban and Environmental Planning
In this major you will learn about the urban and regional planning profession and
develop basic skills in planning analysis in the areas of land use, natural resource
protection, housing, transportation and urban design.
Applied Community and Environmental Sustainability (ACES)
This minor centers on the application of the sustainability principles of economic
vitality, environmental integrity, and social equity to communities and landscapes.
The flexible and applied focus of the program combines well with other majors. Students
learn practical applications of sustainability principles to local, regional, and
global communities and environments.
This minor program builds on a sequence of statistical and computer courses and provides
students with the spatial analysis skills applied to business-oriented data and questions.
It is designed for students in business programs but may be taken by others. Course
work focuses on developing expertise with GIS.
This minor explores the fundamental concepts and skills of geographic information
systems (GIS) as a tool for data management, spatial analysis, and geo-visualization.
Students will explore the foundations of spatial data, database management, modeling,
cloud-based applications, and the production and analysis of cartographic outputs
for research and community engagement.
This minor appeals to students of many majors as they can select courses to complete
this minor that are flexible to their interests and compliment their major.
The Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) prepares students to enter the workforce
as professional planners and thereby meet the growing demand for urban and regional
planners in the region.
Accelerated B.S. to Master of Urban & Regional Planning
Accelerated programs allow undergraduate students with at least a junior standing
to begin taking graduate coursework towards the completion of a master’s degree in
Urban and Regional Planning. This can expedite the time to completion of the master’s
degree and decrease the overall combined credits necessary to complete the undergraduate
and graduate degrees. While pursuing their undergraduate degree, students pay undergraduate
tuition for up to 12 graduate credits. There are currently three accelerated programs
available in urban and regional planning.
The Certificate in Real Estate is a 12-credit (4 course) Certificate with two required
courses and two electives. The program offers a broad exposure to the practice of
real estate and focused understanding in a chosen area of specialization within the
real estate industry. Upon successful completion of the two required courses you will
qualify to take the Pennsylvania Real Estate Salesperson exam. Pennsylvania requires
residential real estate salespersons to pass the Real Estate Salesperson exam to be
licensed.
Urban and Regional Planning is a creative way to influence the future of regions,
cities and neighborhoods. Professional planners use a variety of tools and techniques
to design communities that are equitable and sustainable.
Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies
have become prominent workplace tools used widely in public and private sectors. This
certificate program will provide graduate-level instruction on their use.
