Dual Degrees / Business
Program Overview
The Urban and Regional Planning Program and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business offer a formally structured dual degree program that enables qualified students to pursue concurrent work in business administration and urban and regional planning, leading to the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) and Master of Urban Planning (M.U.P.) degrees. Students can complete all requirements for both degrees within six semesters of full-time study.
The dual degree program is for students who want to go into urban real estate development, management of urban operations, or urban economic revitalization in the United States and elsewhere in the world.
The dual degree program is designed to educate developers interested in making urban areas better places to live, managers fascinated with the prospect of making city agencies perform, and leaders engaged in bringing more economic activity to transform areas that need jobs and tax base the most. In the Business School students normally choose a concentration in real estate finance, corporate strategy, entrepreneurship, or organizational behavior and human resources. In the Urban and Regional Planning Program, students in the dual degree program often concentrate in housing and community development, transportation, economic development, or international development.
Course of Study
Students admitted to the combined program are required to complete the first year courses in one school during the first year and to complete the first year courses at the other school in the second year. Students may begin at either school. During the third year of the program, students are permitted to elect courses in either school and are generally not restricted in their choices beyond fulfilling the required course work.
Degree Requirements
The dual degree is an 84-credit-hour program that can be completed in three years. This combines the two-year, 48-credit-hour master of urban planning with the two-year, 57-credit-hour master of business administration. Each student must take at least 45 credits of Business School courses and at least 30 credits of urban and regional planning courses with an additional 9 credits registered for in either program. Students must meet the requirements of both programs. Total credit hours needed 30 + 45 + 9 = 84. Both schools must agree to admission of a student to the dual degree.
Coordinated Requirements
Students are encouraged to take electives that address their specific interests in combining the two degrees. Here are some examples:
- A student interested in urban real estate development may elect a set of urban real estate development or finance courses. These include:
- An introductory course in real estate
- A course on the planner as developer
- Urban and regional development
- Real estate finance
- Real estate law
- A student interested in management of urban operations may elect a series of courses in a topic of interest in urban management. These might include:
- The series of Planning concentration courses in transportation (for interest in public transit agencies), the series of Planning concentration courses in housing, community, and economic development (for interest in public housing), and so forth.
- Courses in public and nonprofit management in the Business School.
- A student interested in urban revitalization through economic development may elect a series of courses that bring the public and private perspectives on economic develpopment together. These could include:
- The series of courses in economic development in Planning (see the concentration in housing, community, and economci development planning).
- Urban entrepreneurship in the Business School
- Business plans and entrepreneurship in the Business School
Sample Course Sequence
This schedule is based on requirements in effect in May 2003. If a student decides to begin in the Urban and Regional Planning Program, years one and two would be reversed.
Year 1: Business School
| Fall Term |
Credit Hours |
|
|---|---|---|
| ACC 502 | Principles of Financial Accounting | 2.25 |
| BE 502 | Applied Microeconomics NOTE: Meets the M.U.P. requirement for economics. |
2.25 |
| STRATEGY 502 | Corporate Strategy I | 2.25 |
| OMS 502 |
Applied Business Statistics NOTE: Meets the M.U.P. requirements for statistics |
2.25 |
| MKT 503 | Marketing | 2.25 |
| FIN 503 or 513 |
Financial Management NOTE: Meets part of the M.U.P. requirement for UP 610 Fiscal Planning and Management; the remainder can be met through a directed study course arranged with the instructor or through specific other public management courses. A dual degree student meets with the instructor for UP610 to discuss his or her background and to plan the fulfillment of the requirement. The directed study credits are included in the total credits required for the degree. |
2.25 |
| MO 503 | Human Behavior & Organization | 2.25 |
| Total | 15.75 | |
| Winter Term |
Credit Hours |
|
|---|---|---|
| ACC 552 | Management Accounting (first 7 weeks) | 2.25 |
| OMS 552 | Operations Management (first 7 weeks) | 2.25 |
| Elective in Business or Planning | 2.25 | |
| BA 553 | Multidisciplinary Action Project (second 7 weeks) Preferably on a project related to interests that bridge Business and Urban and Regional Planning. Students work on this project full time and take no other courses. |
7.5 |
| In addition, there are other degree requirements that do not have to be taken at a prescribed time: | ||
| Total | 14.25 | |
Year 2: Urban and Regional Planning
| Fall Term |
Credit Hours |
|
|---|---|---|
| UP 540 | Planning Theory | 3 |
| UP 513 | Legal Aspects of the Planning Process | 3 |
| 2 electives in real estate finance, economic development, community development and housing, transportation, international development, and/or public management | 6 | |
| Total | 12 | |
| Winter Term |
Credit Hours |
|
|---|---|---|
| UP 504 | Quantitative Planning Methods | 3 |
| UP 505 | Fundamentals of Planning Practice | 3 |
| 2 URP Electives | 6 | |
| Strategy 503 | 1.5 | |
| Total | 13.5 | |
Year 3: Both schools
| Fall Term |
|---|
| Business law or ethics |
| 3-4 electives |
| Winter Term |
|---|
| Capstone requirement for Planning |
| 2 electives |
Admission Requirements
Students must file separate applications to and be admitted by both schools. An application fee must accompany each application. Each school will apply its own deferred admission standards to students who elect to take the first year at the other school. Students enrolled in either program can apply to the other during the first year of study, but not later.
Contact Information
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
Urban Planning Admissions
2000 Bonisteel Blvd. Room 2150
Phone: (734) 763-1275
Website: taubmancollege.umich.edu/planning
Email: urp@umich.edu
Stephen M. Ross School of Business Administration
Admissions Office
University of Michigan
701 Tappan St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-3031
(734) 763-5796
Web Site: bus.umich.edu
Email: rossmba@umich.edu
