Online Urban Regional Studies Degree :: Accredited Universities

The Urban and Regional Studies Institute is an interdisciplinary degree program oriented toward examining and understanding the broad range of problems and challenges associated with the nation’s cities and regional areas. There are many career opportunities in local government management, community development, urban/regional planning, and design. Also the major is excellent preparation for graduate work in the professional fields of planning, management, business, etc.

This national award-winning program includes classroom, research and field experience. In addition to formal course work, students are encouraged to undertake independent study, become involved in community service projects, participate in field studies and accept internships in local agencies. Students should contact the Urban and Regional Studies Institute for further information.

Entry Requirements

Applicants who are graduates of accredited high schools (or who hold a GED certificate) with no prior college work will be considered for admission to Minnesota State University.

International Applicants
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International applicants must provide English Language proficiency test result in one of the following ways

- TOEFL paper-based test score of 500 or better; OR

- TOEFL computer-based test score of 173 or better; OR

- TOEFL internet-based test score of 61 or better; OR
completion of Level 112 at an English Language School (ELS) in the U.S.; OR

- a score of 5.5 or better on the academic IELTS; OR

- a SAT Critical Reading sub-score of 400 or higher; OR

- students transferring from a U.S. college or university may satisfy the English proficiency requirement by the completion of one semester of Freshman English Composition I with a C or better grade. If the student is transferring from a school that is on the quarter system they would have to complete Freshman Composition I & II with a C or better grade; OR

- successful completion of the Intensive English Language Institute program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Other Fees

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This course combines economic analysis with studies in specific community/regional development and will prepare you to work in the wider Asian region in either urban or rural contexts. It will cater for domestic and international students either already employed in such development or wishing to seek a career in this field.

Entry Requirements

A candidate shall:

(a) hold a bachelor degree (AQF Level 7) in Economics or a related discipline, from a recognised university; or

(b) hold a bachelor degree (AQF Level 7) in any field from a recognised university.

International students must meet the University's English language requirements for admission rule.

Other Fees

Overseas examination fees

Textbooks

Incidental unit costs

Notes

Intensive mandatory schools may be a requirement of some of the units in this course. See Unit Catalogue for specific requirements.

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Gain the skills needed to address the social, environmental, and economic issues in communities, towns, small cities, and urban neighborhoods. Community and economic development professionals help people build community capacity; develop sustainable communities; enhance the local economy, infrastructure, and services; and work with the community members to build shared visions of the future.

With Penn State’s online MPS in community and economic development, you can gain the knowledge you need to navigate the complexities of communities and community organizations and inspire positive changes on a local, regional, and national level.

Gain Expertise and Proficiency
This Penn State World Campus online program enables you to more effectively implement community and economic development by building on the knowledge and skills you need to assist regions, communities, and community organizations with:

- making effective and informed decisions
- retaining jobs, creating and expanding job opportunities, encouraging entrepreneurship
- encouraging effective citizen participation and involvement
- understanding community institutions and processes that affect development and well-being
- including diverse public, private, and nonprofit interests in local and regional decision making and capacity building
- implementing land-use decisions and sustainable development
- understanding the causes and consequences of economic, social, and population changes
- using research and information to understand and shape economic and social change in communities and regions
- adapting programs and practices to fit local situations and needs

Why a Master's Degree Online at Penn State

Unique Perspectives — This 30-credit interdisciplinary master of professional studies program draws on the community and economic development expertise of faculty in Penn State’s Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education. It was developed in response to a request from community development professionals for advanced training in theory, practice, and techniques in a community setting.

Stepping Stones — The 15-credit community and economic development graduate certificate program provides graduate-level courses if you are an entry or midcareer professional who wishes to expand your abilities to positively influence the quality-of-life and development issues in urban neighborhoods, towns, small cities, and rural regions. The certificate program can also meet your needs if you are considering a career in community and economic development and want to find out if this profession is right for you. The credits you earn in the graduate certificate program can be applied to the Master of Professional Studies in Community and Economic Development.

Who Should Apply?

If you are a professional in community and economic development, or if you work with, or in, nonprofit organizations or government agencies, the MPS in community and economic development offers you the opportunity to expand your knowledge and skills. The program is also appropriate if you are new to community and economic development and wish to learn about community and economic development issues and practices in towns, small cities, neighborhoods, and rural regions.

This program is targeted to those who work with and/or volunteer in neighborhoods, towns, small cities, and rural regions. Among the professionals who could benefit from this program are:

- community development directors
- county administrators, professional staff, and local government managers
- elected officials
- nonprofit organization professionals
- local government planners
- adult educators
- economic development professionals
- cooperative extension director or educators
- members of a planning commissions or related authorities, boards, or commissions
- citizens interested in government involvement and civic affairs
- students in related graduate programs

Career Opportunities for Graduates

Community and economic development graduates often go
on to work for state and local governments, industrial development authorities, chambers of commerce, major corporations, utilities, nongovernmental organizations, or consulting firms as:

directors
community service coordinators
extension educators
development specialists
research and project managers

Entry Requirements

For admission to the Graduate School, an applicant must hold either (1) a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or (2) a tertiary (postsecondary) degree that is deemed comparable to a four-year bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution. This degree must be from an officially recognized degree-granting institution in the country in which it operates.

All applicants are expected to have earned a junior/senior grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

International applicants
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All international applicants must take and submit scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), with the exceptions noted below. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 550 for the paper-based test, or a total score of 80 with a 19 on the speaking section for the internet-based test (iBT). Applicants with iBT speaking scores between 15 and 18 may be considered for provisional admission, which requires completion of specified remedial English courses ESL 114G (American Oral English for Academic Purposes) and/or ESL 116G (ESL/Composition for Academic Disciplines) and attainment of a grade of B or higher. The minimum acceptable composite score for the IELTS is 6.5. Graduate programs may have more stringent requirements.

Other Fees

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The latest graduate program from Green Mountain College is the nation’s first online Master of Science degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities (MRSC). This two-year program, accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), begins in February 2015 with a residency featuring Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and climate-change activist.

"If we have one need on this planet, it's for resilient and sustainable communities,” said McKibben, “so it's good someone is thinking hard about how the heck to build them!"
This program adopts GMC’s groundbreaking bioregional approach to distance learning, in which students apply what they learn in each course to their local communities. MRSC students will learn about land-use planning, economic development, energy production, food systems, and resource management, while developing skills in leadership, group organization and conflict resolution.

As in the College’s other online graduate programs, students complete their coursework at times that best fit their personal and professional lives. Because class sizes are small, students experience meaningful interactions with their classmates and individual attention from instructors. The program will prepare students for a rapidly expanding range of careers in community development, energy production, municipal agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

“The MRSC program is comprehensive and well thought out,” said Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow at the Post Carbon Institute and the author of eleven books on energy and climate change. “Rather than being just another generic sustainability program, it provides a systemic context for understanding the modern world's environmental crises, and offers practical skills--such as an elective in Emergency Management and Communication--to prepare students for the challenges we will face in an energy-constrained, climate-disrupted world. Anyone wanting to build a sustainable and resilient community would do well to start here.”

A national leader in sustainability education, Green Mountain College began offering online degrees in 2006. Over 260 graduate students are currently earning degrees in Sustainable Business, Environmental Studies, and Sustainable Food Systems.

From urban areas to small towns, citizens are rethinking traditional approaches to providing food, energy, transportation and governance in response to rapid environmental and economic changes. As we adapt to conditions brought about by a changing climate, depletion of fossil fuel supplies, and growing inequalities in wealth and access to vital resources, the MRSC program gives students the skills to develop, advocate, and implement fundamental changes in how communities function.

At the heart of this program is the understanding that sustainability depends on creating resilient communities, which can adapt to changing conditions in ways that allow them to evolve without losing their fundamental identities. In this program students will synthesize knowledge about land-use planning, economic development, energy production, food systems, and resource management, while developing skills in leadership, group organization, and conflict resolution.

Green Mountain College’s MRSC program is unique, designed to help students apply what they learn in each class to their own communities, wherever they may live, and to hear from classmates how the same concepts may take different forms in various settings. The applied emphasis of our online graduate programs is a natural expression of our college, which features a culture and curriculum deeply rooted in social, environmental and economic sustainability.
Here are some attributes that make Green Mountain College’s MRSC program so distinctive:

Leading Faculty

Place-based, Bioregional Approach

Integration with Other Graduate Programs

Flexibility

Proven Online Learning System and Small Classes

Recognized for Environmental Leadership

Entry Requirements

Admission to the MRSC program is based on a review of the following:

All undergraduate and graduate level transcripts. A bachelor's degree in a relevant field and a GPA of at least 3.0 are preferred.

Current résumé or curriculum vita.

Three letters of reference

A personal essay answering the following questions: (1) Why the prospective student wants to pursue an MS in Resilient and Sustainable Communities; (2) How the advanced degree aligns with career goals; (3) How the student will manage competing: personal, professional, and academic priorities during his/her advanced course of study.

Evidence of two or more years of work experience in the field of study is preferred.

GRE or GMAT scores (not required).

Other Fees

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Provides a professional education in the field of social work, after which graduates are eligible for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

The course develops students' ability to work within a complex, uncertain and contested social work practice environment by developing their professional competencies. Students undertake studies in social work theory, research, politics, policy, law and ethics, with particular reference to the relevance of this knowledge to practise in urban, regional, rural and remote settings.

The curriculum is designed to develop social workers who are able to understand and meet the Practice Standards for Social Workers (AASW, 2003).

Entry Requirements

ECU's minimum admission requirements include:

Secondary school results
English competency

Other Fees

Overseas examination fees

Textbooks

Student Services and Amenities Fee (Max. $281/year)

Incidental unit costs

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