The regular MS program in SNRE is a two-year 42 credit hour program, while the MUP program in URP is a two-year 48 credit hour program. The dual degree program is a 75-credit hour program designed for completion normally in 3 years (i.e., six full-time semesters of study, averaging 12.5 credit hours per semester). For the dual degree, students take the required 42 credit hours in SNRE and 48 credit hours in URP. The degree requirements of both the MS-NRE and MUP degrees are satisfied, with 15 credits double counted. In completing this coursework, students must accumulate a minimum of 30 UP credit hours and 25 NRE credit hours. Finally, students must complete all of the core required courses and the “concentration” (URP) or “field of study” (NRE) required courses for each of the two programs.
Core or concentration/field of study required courses may include courses that double count for the two programs, depending on the particulars of a given student’s program of study, as long as the total credit hour requirements are met. In URP, dual degree students usually choose a concentration in land use and environmental planning, physical planning and design, or housing, community and economic development, although they are not limited to those concentrations. Similarly, dual degree students in SNRE have typically chosen the sustainable systems or environmental policy and planning fields of study, although they are not limited to those fields of study. The dual degree is not tied to a specific concentration or field of study definition, which allows for these to change while preserving the dual degree; the formal linkage is at the level of the degrees (MUP and MS in NRE).
Both degree programs require an integrative, applied experience beyond traditional classroom instruction: In SNRE this is the opus requirement (typically a MS thesis or group Project) while in URP this is an integrative field experience. Allowing students to complete one, or the other, of these capstone requirements is a key part of the dual degree that makes its completion in three years feasible. The opus requirement for SNRE (NRE 700/701) may satisfy the integrative field experience requirement for URP (UP 634, 631, or 733/734), if the student has satisfied the first-year core program requirements for URP (UP 503, 504, 505, 510, 513, and 540) before undertaking the opus and if the opus project addresses a planning-related topic. Conversely, the integrative field experience requirement for URP may satisfy the opus requirement for SNRE if the student has satisfied the core program requirements for SNRE (NRE 509, 510, and 580) before undertaking the integrative field experience project and if the integrative field experience project addresses an environmentally related topic.
School of Natural Resources and Environment Requirements
  • A student must complete 42 credit hours, of which a minimum of 25 hours must be in graduate NRE courses, and no more than 6 may be in individual study-type course (e.g., NRE 600).
  • The student must complete all core courses, unless the requirement is waived by the faculty advisor and field of study coordinator, with approval from Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
  • All 42 credit hours must be taken on a graded basis, if taught for a grade. The student must earn an overall grade point average of “B” (3.0 on the 4.0 Rackham scale) or better while enrolled in the Program.
  • The student must complete a minimum of 4 hours of courses outside of SNRE (i.e., cognates), which may be fulfilled by UP courses.
  • In addition to the cognate requirement, the core program requirements include:
    • NRE 509 Natural Systems Core – 4 credit hours
    • NRE 510 Social Systems Core – 3 credit hours
    • NRE 538 Natural Resources Statistics (or equivalent) – 4 credit hours
    • NRE 580 Environmental Assessment – 3 credit hours
    • NRE 700/701 Master’s Project, Thesis or Practicum – 6 credits at most
    • Field of study requirements (varies) 6-15 credits

    The Field of Study requirements typically consist of three foundational and techniques courses, averaging in total 9 or 15 credit hours.

Taubman College Requirements
A student must complete a minimum of 48 approved credit hours, of which a minimum of 30 hours must be in graduate-level urban planning (UP) courses, and no more than 8 hours may be counted from among individual study-type courses (i.e., UP 680, 681, 682, 683, 690, 692 or 694).
The student must complete all core courses, unless the requirement is waived by the faculty member who teaches the core course. Normally the only two courses from which students are waived are UP 503 (introductory statistics) and UP 510 (public/micro economics), both of which may be satisfied by undergraduate coursework taken prior to matriculation in URP or by graduate coursework taken with another UM graduate program.
All 48 credit hours must be taken on a graded basis, if taught for a grade. The student must earn an overall grade point average of “B” (3.0 on the 4.0 Rackham scale) or better while enrolled in the Program. The student must complete a minimum of 4 hours of courses outside of URP (i.e., cognates), which may be fulfilled by NRE courses.

In addition to the cognate requirement, the core program requirements include:

  • UP 503 Statistics (can be waived, see above) – 3 credit hours
  • UP 510 Public Economics (can be waived, see above) – 3 credit hours
  • UP 504 Quantitative Methods – 3 credit hours
  • UP 505 Fundamentals of Planning Practice – 3 credit hours
  • UP 513 Legal Aspects of the Planning Process – 3 credit hours
  • UP 540 Planning Theory – 3 credit hours
  • UP 610 Fiscal Planning and Management – 2 or 3 credit hours
  • UP 634 Integrative Field Experience, or UP 631 Land Use and Physical Planning Studio, or UP 733/734 Thesis/ Professional Project – 6 credit hours

The Concentration requirements typically consist of one or two foundational courses and one or two techniques courses, averaging in total 9 to 12 credit hours.