Urban Planning and the Built Environment, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Saint Louis University's Certificate in Urban Planning and the Built Environment offers students entry-level training to the growing field for city and regional planners. Graduates with this certificate will gain the necessary training to work as entry-level planners with an agency or non-profit organization or to build on their competitive skills in an allied profession to enhance their job prospects.

Students in this program typically have already received their undergraduate degree in majors like social work, public health, criminology and criminal justice, civil engineering, sociology, environmental studies, business or economics, or are pursuing graduate degrees in social work, public health, business and/or professional degrees like law.  

Curriculum Overview

Urban planning and the built environment students take courses that provide a general overview of the planning profession. Additionally, they learn about how plans are created, how land use ordinances are created, and the role that the local economy plays in making those determinations.

Students complete the 15-credit certificate by taking a studio/field class where they work with an outside client in an interdisciplinary setting. Past studio projects have focused on things like the design, development and impact of a greenway and the preservation of affordable housing.

The certificate is designed to stand alone or serve as an entry point to SLU's M.S. in Urban Planning and Design degree. Graduates with the certificate will be eligible to apply15 credits toward the M. S. in Urban Planning and Design degree within five years of completion. 

Classes are offered in-person late afternoons or evenings during the week to accommodate students who also work.

Fieldwork and Research Opportunities

The Certificate in Urban Planning and the Build Environment learning culminates with the course, UPD 5900 Planning & Development Studio.  During that final course, the students work with a community partner to help them solve a planning problem in their community.

SLU’s Urban Planning and Development Program has been involved in almost $2 million in funded research, including projects for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Rivers Greenway, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, City of St. Louis, and various other regional, state and local entities.  Our Community Planning Lab provides students with additional exciting field opportunities to work on local projects like community impact assessments and comprehensive plans. 

Careers

Graduates of SLU's Urban Planning and Development Program work across the public, private and nonprofit sectors holding jobs with state, regional and municipal governments, planning consulting firms, real estate development companies, community development corporations, and economic development organizations, to name a few.  

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with minimum 3.0 GPA from a regionally accredited institution

Application Requirements

• Application form and fee $25
• Resume
• Personal Statement (see link for guidelines)
• Two letters of recommendation (one academic, one professional)
  • One academic letter from a professor who has evaluated your academic performance in the classroom.
  • One professional letter from a supervisor who has evaluated your work in the field or related volunteer experience.
  • If you have been out of school 5 or more years, you may submit two professional letters.
  • If you are entering the program directly from an undergraduate program, you can submit two academic letters.

Requirements for International Students

The Certificate in Urban Planning and the Built Environment requires a TOEFL score of 92 or higher.

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students along with the following:

• Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
• Proof of financial support must include:
  • A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the time at Saint Louis University
  • A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of study at the University
• Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include the courses taken and/or lectures attended, practical laboratory work, the maximum and minimum grades attainable, the grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations, and any honors or degrees received. WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.

Application Deadline and Review Process

Applications will be accepted and reviewed for admissions until December 1 to start in the Spring.  

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis to start in Spring/January. The admissions committee considers several factors to determine a candidate's eligibility: academic achievement; strength of the undergraduate program; application information; professional statement; work experience; motivation; and leadership and service.  The undergraduate GPA is weighted with other criteria in the admissions process.

Financial Aid

Students taking only certificate coursework are not eligible for scholarships in the School of Social Work.

The following links to resources in Saint Louis University Student Financial Services may also be helpful:

• Graduate Loan Options
• Paying Your Bill and Payment Plans

1. Graduates will be able to demonstrate general planning knowledge and apply that knowledge to the problems of planning systems.
2. Graduates will be able to analyze ethical implications of planning practice.
3. Graduates will be able to demonstrate culturally competent practice in their engagement with local communities. 

Continuation Standards

Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in all graduate/professional courses.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester.  Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Program Director
Sarah Coffin, Ph.D., AICP
Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Development
sarah.coffin@slu.edu

Assistant Program Director 
Robert M. Lewis, CeCD, FAICP,
Assistant Professor
bob.m.lewis@slu.edu

Apply for Admission

For additional admission questions please contact:
Kristi Richter, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
Director of Recruitment and Admissions School of Social Work
socialwork@slu.edu