grad school questions

[jasmine]

hello all! i'm new to this community, and for my first post, i have questions to ask in regards to taking up my masters in environmental/urban planning.

my undergrad is in art and multimedia, and currently do a lot of store environments design, fixture design, and big box environmental designs in my profession. i have also worked freelance as an architectural model-maker and renderer, and i have been an animator and setting artist as well.

my question is, would my experience and education be helpful in pursuing my masters in planning? and am i required to have an undergraduate degree in planning or architecture in order to be accepted for grad school? i am very passionate about this field as being in phoenix, arizona (which is basically an urban sprawl mecca), i have been interested in the ins and outs of policy-making, processes, and what-not.

can anyone give me some advice in terms of how to prepare for essay questions, what to expect when in the program, and so on?

thank you very much in advance. any advice is highly appreciated.

 

[sisterceleste]

Planners write and write and write...If you are really a design person and want to stay a design person, become a landscape architect. Then Planners will hire you to draw up environmental designs for them. :c:

 

[Cardinal]

Planning programs vary so much that it is impossible to tell you what to expect. Your background, though, will certainly help you to pursue any number of specialties like urban design, landscape architecture, environmental planning, park planning....

 

[jasmine]

Planning programs vary so much that it is impossible to tell you what to expect. Your background, though, will certainly help you to pursue any number of specialties like urban design, landscape architecture, environmental planning, park planning....

thank you. i guess i just wanted to make sure that the path i'm about to choose has a relation to my original field.

 

[rmulrew]

Sounds like you'reinterested in the physical aspects of planning. Check out the Harvard Design School and the MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Both offer master in urban planning degree programs that are rooted in both the spatial and social aspects of plannig and design. Harvard even requests a portfolio as part of your application; the school prefers that its applicants have some background in a design field or course of study. Many planning schools are based in policy, but these are two notable exceptions. UCLA's urban planning program also offers the option of pursuing a more design oriented course of study through various courses and joint architecture/planning studios. The University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Fine Arts also offers a professional degree in planning and it is a very reputable graduate program, but I don't know much else about it.

--just take a look at the schools' websites to see what interests you.

Also check out the magazine ARCHIS and the Harvard Design Magazine.

 

[hl248]

hi jasmine,

i'm also applying to grad school for planning. i've been accepted to three so far and i can vouch for the fact that you do NOT need to have an undergrad degree in planning or architecture for admission. i studied finance and japanese undergrad...

with regard to essay questions -- they're all pretty much the same. what are your long term goals with regard to planning...what concentration, etc.

hello all! i'm new to this community, and for my first post, i have questions to ask in regards to taking up my masters in environmental/urban planning.

my undergrad is in art and multimedia, and currently do a lot of store environments design, fixture design, and big box environmental designs in my profession. i have also worked freelance as an architectural model-maker and renderer, and i have been an animator and setting artist as well.

my question is, would my experience and education be helpful in pursuing my masters in planning? and am i required to have an undergraduate degree in planning or architecture in order to be accepted for grad school? i am very passionate about this field as being in phoenix, arizona (which is basically an urban sprawl mecca), i have been interested in the ins and outs of policy-making, processes, and what-not.

can anyone give me some advice in terms of how to prepare for essay questions, what to expect when in the program, and so on?

thank you very much in advance. any advice is highly appreciated.