Community and Regional Planning (B.S.)

Location(s): Brookings Main Campus

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Program Coordinator/Contact

Kimberly Johnson Maier, Instructor
Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences
109 Wecota Hall
605-688-4511

Program Information

The Community and Regional Planning major prepares students for careers in planning agencies where they can attain positions as city managers and community planners at the city, county, state or regional level. The program also qualifies graduates to hold positions in organizations such as housing agencies, community and neighborhood development corporations, economic development agencies, federal agencies and private development firms and foundations. The core requirements consist of such topics as planning theory and law, plan development, quantitative and qualitative skills, and values and ethnics. The City/Community Design, Environmental, and Land Use emphases give students the opportunities to cultivate specialized knowledge and skills in domains that range from social and political aspects of planning to technical areas based on engineering and design that best prepares them for more focused career pathways.

Course Delivery Format

The Community and Regional Planning program includes lectures, discussions, fieldwork, and travel, with limited online coursework.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Community and Regional Planning major, students will:

Acquire planning process methods by developing tools for stakeholder involvement and community engagement and working with diverse communities. They will acquire skills in governance and participation by appreciating the roles of officials, stakeholders, and community members in planned change.
Demonstrate foundational and specialized knowledge concerning the meaning of planning, planning theory, planning law, and human settlements and the history of planning.
Understand professional ethics and responsibility by learning the key issues of planning ethics and related questions of the ethics of public decision-making, research, and client representation.
Demonstrate the ability to conduct research by applying tools for assembling and analyzing ideas and information from prior practice and scholarship, and from primary and secondary sources.
Explore the future scenarios by understanding of the relationships between past, present, and future in planning domains, as well as the potential for methods of design, analysis, and intervention to influence the future. They also will demonstrate proficiency in global dimensions of planning by appreciating interactions, flows of people and materials, cultures, and differing approaches to planning across world regions.
Acquire the ability to create and implement plans using integrative tools sound plan formulation, adoption, and implementation and enforcement. They will create sustainability and environmental quality by appreciating natural resource and pollution control factors in planning, and understanding of how to create sustainable futures. They will understand growth and development by appreciating economic, social, and cultural factors in urban and regional growth and change.
Acquire leadership skills by learning how to use tools for attention, formation, strategic decision-making, team building, and organizational/community motivation.

Requirements for Community and Regional Planning Major: 120 Credits

Bachelor of Science

System General Education Requirements

Goal #1 Written Communication: SGR #1 Electives Credits: 6
Goal #2 Oral Communication: SGR #2 Elective Credits: 3
Goal #3 Social Sciences: SOC 100 - Introduction to Sociology (COM) [SGR #3, HSDC] Credits: 3 and SGR #3 Electives Credits: 3
Goal #4 Arts and Humanities: SGR #4 Elective Credits: 6
Goal #5 Mathematics: SGR #5 Electives Credits: 3
Goal #6 Natural Sciences: SGR #6 Elective Credits: 6

Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences Requirements

Upper division coursework Credits: 30

Major Requirements

ARCH 253 - Site Analysis and Surrounding Credits: 3
GEOG 372 - Introduction to GIS (COM) Credits: 2
GEOG 372L - Introduction to GIS Lab (COM) Credits: 1
GEOG 421 - Research Methods in Geography Credits: 3
GEOG 454 - Sustainable Communities Credits: 3 (Capstone)
GEOG 461 - Urban Geography Credits: 3
or SOC 440 - Urban Sociology (COM) Credits: 3
LA 252 - Site Planning Credits: 4
LA 342 - City Planning Credits: 3
PHIL 454 - Environmental Ethics (COM) Credits: 3
PLAN 471 - Principles of State, Regional and Community Planning Credits: 3
PLAN 472 - Techniques of State, Regional and Community Planning Credits: 3

Select one of the following

Select 15 credits from one of the following emphases. Credits: 15

Development Emphasis

Select from the following. Credits: 15

BLAW 433 - Real Estate (COM) Credits: 3
FCSE 332 - Housing in Family & Consumer Sciences Education Credits: 3
GEOG 351 - Economic Geography Credits: 3
GEOG 365 - Land Use and Planning Credits: 3
ID 318 - Building Codes and Regulations Credits: 3
LA 331 - Landscape Architecture Site Engineering Credits: 3
LA 351 - Community and Housing Design Credits: 4
NRM 300 - Laws and Policies in Natural Resource Management Credits: 3
NRM 321 - Park Interpretation Credits: 3

Environmental Emphasis

Select from the following. Credits: 15

AGEC / BLAW 462 - Environmental Law Credits: 3
AIS 430 - Indigenous Relationships to the Environment Credits: 3
CEE 225 - Principles of Environmental Science and Engineering Credits: 3
CM 460 - Sustainable Building Systems Concepts and Analysis Credits: 3
ECON 472 - Resource and Environmental Economics (COM) Credits: 3
EES 275 - Introduction to Environmental Science Credits: 3
GEOG 415 - Environmental Geography and Sustainability Credits: 3
LA 331 - Landscape Architecture Site Engineering Credits: 3
NRM 221 - Introduction to Conservation Planning and Management Credits: 3
NRM 300 - Laws and Policies in Natural Resource Management Credits: 3
SOC 245 - Environment and Society Credits: 3

Government Emphasis

Select from the following. Credits: 15

BLAW 433 - Real Estate (COM) Credits: 3
CEE 363 - Highway and Traffic Engineering Credits: 3
ECON 433 - Public Finance (COM) Credits: 3
GEOG 365 - Land Use and Planning Credits: 3
ID 318 - Building Codes and Regulations Credits: 3
LA 351 - Community and Housing Design Credits: 4
LMNO 301 - Fundraising and Resource Development Credits: 3
NRM 300 - Laws and Policies in Natural Resource Management Credits: 3
POLS 320 - Public Administration (COM) Credits: 3
POLS 337 - Constitutional Law: Government Powers Credits: 3
POLS 388 - Research Methods Credits: 3
POLS 434 - Interest Groups and Lobbying (COM) Credits: 3

Electives

Taken as needed to complete any additional degree requirements.

Total Required Credits: 120

Summary of Program Requirements

Bachelor of Science
System General Education Requirements*	30 Credit Hours
Major Requirements	46 Credit Hours
Electives**	44 Credit Hours

*System General Education Requirements for students pursuing a baccalaureate degree shall include a minimum of 30 credit hours. Some general education coursework may be counted for Major Requirements, Supporting Coursework, and Department Requirements.
**Taken as needed to complete any additional degree requirements.

Academic Advising Guide Sheet

The goal of the academic advising guide sheets and sample plans of study is to promote undergraduate student success by guiding all students to timely completion of an undergraduate degree. Students are not limited to the course sequence provided for their academic program. Instead, the sample plan of study is one possible path to completing your degree and is meant to be used as a guide for planning purposes in consultation with an academic advisor. The plans also help students prepare for meetings with their academic advisor and track their progress in their selected academic program.