MCRP and MSCE in City and Regional Planning and Civil Engineering

2 Years On Campus Dual-masters Program

Georgia Institute of Technology

Program Overview

The MCRP and MSCE in City and Regional Planning and Civil Engineering is a two-year dual-degree program designed for students who want to combine city planning with transportation systems engineering, preparing them to address transportation policy, planning, infrastructure, and investment challenges across urban, suburban, ex-urban, and rural settings. Students study planning, transportation engineering, transportation systems, quantitative methods, and applied research while earning both degrees simultaneously.

Curriculum structure

Year 1: Students build their planning foundation through subjects such as CP 6035 Theory and History of Planning, CP 6036 Community Dynamics and Engagement, and CP 6025 Advanced Planning Methods, while beginning the transportation-focused engineering component of the MSCE. The dual-degree structure also requires students to complete the MCRP’s Transportation specialization and the MSCE/Transportation Systems Engineering specialization, creating a direct connection between planning policy and transportation engineering.

Year 2: Students advance into specialized transportation planning and engineering work while completing the remaining requirements of both degrees. The program requires at least six credit hours of CP 7000 Master’s Thesis and six credit hours of CEE 8900 Special Problems, with the thesis supervised by a committee containing faculty from both planning and civil engineering; the dual degree requires a minimum of 67 combined credit hours, after which both degrees are awarded simultaneously.

Focus areas: Transportation planning, transportation systems engineering, city and regional planning, transportation policy, public investment, transportation infrastructure, urban and regional development, planning methods, community engagement, and interdisciplinary transportation research.

Learning outcomes: Students develop the ability to integrate planning and engineering perspectives when addressing transportation systems, analyze urban and regional transportation problems, connect technical transportation solutions with public policy and investment decisions, and conduct interdisciplinary research through the required thesis and civil engineering research component.

Professional alignment (accreditation): The Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) component is fully accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB), a joint accrediting body of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the American Planning Association, and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. Georgia Tech identifies the MCRP as the usual entry credential for professional planning careers; the dual program adds specialized transportation systems engineering preparation through Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Reputation (employability rankings): Georgia Tech’s School of City and Regional Planning reports that its MCRP was ranked 6th nationally by Planetizen in its 2023 Graduate Urban Planning Programs guide. Georgia Tech also reports that 88% of MCRP graduates from the 2024 graduating class obtained professional planning, planning-related, or other positions within 12 months of graduation.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The MCRP/MSCE dual degree at Georgia Tech gives students practical experience by combining city and regional planning with transportation systems engineering, allowing them to approach transportation challenges from both planning and engineering perspectives. Students work collaboratively on real-world planning projects through the MCRP capstone studios, while the dual-degree structure also requires research in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a City Planning thesis supervised by faculty from both programs.

Capstone Planning Studios: Students work together on real planning challenges, with Georgia Tech offering four or five studios each year in locations locally and internationally. Recent studios have involved projects in Puerto Rico and Atlanta, working with external organizations and addressing transportation, resilience, vacant properties, urban development, and climate-related issues.
Transportation Systems Engineering: The dual degree combines the MCRP transportation specialization with the standard Transportation Systems Engineering requirements, giving students practical exposure to transportation planning and engineering methods.
Collaborative Projects: MCRP studios bring together students with different areas of expertise, including students from civil and environmental engineering, architecture, public policy, law, and other disciplines. Students spend substantially more time working together outside the formal studio instruction.
Research Experience: Dual-degree students complete at least six credit hours of CEE 8900 (Special Problems) for Civil and Environmental Engineering research and at least six credit hours of CP 7000 (Master’s Thesis) for their City Planning thesis. The thesis is supervised by a committee containing faculty from both programs.
Urban Data & Spatial Analysis: The School's Center for Urban Resilience and Analytics (CURA) uses spatial data analysis, computational data mining, spatial mapping through web services, geovisualization, artificial intelligence, machine and deep learning, and augmented and virtual reality in urban research.
Planning Computer Facilities: Planning students have access to computer laboratories with spreadsheet, database, statistical, computer-aided design, and GIS software, as well as networked computing and printing facilities.
Research Labs: Students can engage with faculty-led research through the Eco Urban Lab, Planning Local Economic Development Lab, and Urban Climate Lab, covering resilient urban systems, economic development, and climate change and the built environment.
Center for Urban Resilience and Analytics: CURA provides an interdisciplinary research environment focused on urban and regional problems and offers opportunities for graduate research, including Graduate Research Assistant positions.
Atlanta as a Living Laboratory: Georgia Tech describes Atlanta itself as a laboratory for urban planning, giving students access to a rapidly growing metropolitan environment for academic and applied planning activities.
Design Studios & Review Areas: The College of Design provides open-plan collaborative studios and review areas where students can develop, present, and critique their work, while the East Architecture Building houses the School of City & Regional Planning.
Facilities: Students have access to Georgia Tech College of Design facilities, including studios, review areas, computer facilities, research spaces, and the School of City & Regional Planning's dedicated resources.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The MCRP/MSCE dual degree prepares graduates to work across city planning and transportation engineering, particularly in planning agencies, transportation departments, and organizations involved in public policy and private investment in transportation systems. The combination of planning and transportation-systems engineering develops a cross-disciplinary profile suited to work involving highways, rail, public transit, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, ports, terminals, and intermodal transportation.

Typical career roles: City Planner, Transportation Planner, Regional Planner, Transportation Systems Engineer:

Career services: Georgia Tech's Career Center provides career counseling, job-search guidance, co-op and internship information, salary-calculator tools, employer connections, and access to CareerBuzz. SCaRP also provides job postings through its professional network and organizes a City & Regional Planning and Architecture Career Fair where students can connect with employers about internships and jobs.
Employment outcomes: For the MCRP, 88% of graduates from the 2024 graduating class obtained professional planning, planning-related, or other positions within 12 months of graduation. Georgia Tech reports a 90% AICP exam pass rate among master's graduates from the 2021 graduating class who took the exam within three years.
Salary information: Georgia Tech's SCaRP resources provide access to salary-calculator tools through the Career Center, but the official program employment page does not publish a specific graduate salary figure for the MCRP/MSCE dual degree.
Industry connections: SCaRP's Advisory Board connects students with organizations providing educational experiences, training, and employment opportunities. Its members include professionals such as Central Atlanta Progress, which works across urban planning, economic development, transportation, and sustainability.
Transportation-focused partnerships: The dual degree is specifically designed around the needs of planning agencies and transportation departments, combining planning, transportation systems engineering, and transportation planning.
International opportunities: SCaRP maintains partnerships with organizations including CEPT University in Ahmedabad, where Georgia Tech and CEPT have exchanged faculty and students and conducted joint studios, as well as partnerships supporting international studios, research, and student exchange.
Accreditation value: The MCRP component is fully accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB), jointly associated with the American Institute of Certified Planners, American Planning Association, and Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. Georgia Tech identifies the MCRP as the recognized educational basis for professional planning practice.
Graduation outcomes: Georgia Tech reports a 93% graduation rate within four years for the MCRP entering class of 2021, while 22 MCRP degrees were awarded during the 2024–25 academic year.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue toward doctoral-level study, including Georgia Tech's Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning, which prepares students for advanced work in universities, planning consultancies, research and development firms, and government agencies. The MCRP/MSCE also provides an interdisciplinary foundation that can support further research in planning, transportation, civil engineering, urban development, or related fields.