2023-2024 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainable Urban and Regional Planning
The certification program in sustainable urban and regional planning is housed within the Department of Geography and Sustainable Planning (gvsu.edu/geography). This applied program offers practical tools and strategies to students interested in smart urban development, land-use planning, transportation, green architecture and design, and applications of geographic techniques in planning and urban development. Open for all majors.
Program coordinator: Professor Jeroen Wagendorp, Ph.D., Department of Geography and Sustainable Planning.
Reasons to Study Sustainable Urban and Regional Planning
The certificate in sustainable urban and regional planning gives students additional expertise and opportunities for applying geographic understandings and skills in the wider community.
Students who enter the certificate program
- gain an understanding of planning terms and concepts, which equips them to enter conversation about local planning and zoning, and qualifies them for internship and jobs;
- build a strong foundation in the history and theory of planning and a depth of understanding that informs their analyses of local issues;
- participate in regional and state planning conferences and are exposed to frequent guest speakers, giving them contact with real-world practitioners in the field of planning; and
- connect with a broad community of alumni in planning related fields, people our undergraduates come to know on a first name basis, offering our graduates a ready-made network for career advice.
Students who have graduated from GVSU with the sustainable urban and regional planning certificate have found employment in economic development, housing, real estate, transportation planning, watershed management, land-use planning, and environmental planning.
Requirements for a Certificate in Sustainable Urban and Regional Planning
Students who seek a certificate in sustainable urban and regional planning are required to complete GPY 111 and GPY/PNH 209, courses that should be taken first and in order. GPY 209 is followed by three or more courses for a minimum of nine credit hours from the electives listed as follows.
Required Courses
- GPY 111 - Cities, Towns, and Villages (3 credits)
- GPY/PNH 209 - Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning (3 credits)
Elective Courses
- GPY 101 - Sustainability and Place (1 credit)
- GPY 314/PNH 313 - Land Use Planning (3 credits)
- GPY 312 - Urban and Regional Environmental Planning (3 credits)
- GPY 316 - Introduction to Transportation Planning (3 credits)
- GPY/PNH 324 - Urbanization (3 credits)
- GPY/MKT 365 - GIS for Economic and Business Decision-making (3 credits)
- GPY 381/PNH 380 - Special Topics in Public and Nonprofit Administration (1 to 3 credits)
- GPY/ECO 385 - GIS in Urban and Regional Analysis (3 credits)
- GPY 410 - Landscape Analysis and Green Infrastructure (3 credits)
- GPY 496 - Field Research Project (3 credits)