A bioregional approach to community planning & designAcademics
The program's mission is to prepare future public leaders and create and disseminate new knowledge that will assist communities and organizations in planning for:
- sustainable development;
- sustainable efficient conservation planning and management;
- and sustainable human quality-of-life within and across bioregions.
The program's faculty, staff, and students work with communities to create community-based plans, programs and policies that sustain and enhance their culture, resource base, built environment and economic vitality.
Graduates
Program graduates will fill an important niche in the Intermountain West and have skills that enable them to be effective planners in other parts of the world. The initial focus of the program will be on Idaho, but with the expectation that it will be expanded over time to include opportunities nationally and internationally.
Unique in North America
The Bioregional Planning and Community Design program is distinguished from other planning programs around North America in two ways:
- it represents a university-wide, interdisciplinary approach that fully integrates education and research with community engagement; and
- it supports, promotes and advance bioregional thought and process.
Prepare for Success
Many of our students want to enhance their career opportunities with expertise and credentials in tactical community planning. A professional career in community planning requires a specific technical skill set, including the ability to think in terms of spatial relationships and to visualize the effects of plans and designs. You must also have strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to reconcile varying viewpoints and to make constructive policy or strategic management recommendations.
Your First Year
Requirements for our master's degree vary, based on your area of specialization. In addition to general course requirements (42 credits required), you’ll complete studio credits, a community-based project and a professional paper. Core courses include:
- Bioregional Planning and Practice
- Planning History and Theory
Our 16-credit graduate certificate program provides the skills to effectively integrate planning concepts and principles into your related discipline. In addition to studio credits focused in your area of study, your courses will explore:
- Bioregional theory and practice
- Geographic information systems (GIS)
- Policy/law/public administration
Interdisciplinary Approach
All degrees and certificates for the program will be granted and counted as achievements by participating departments and colleges.
Participating UI Colleges and Departments
» College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology
» College of Art & Architecture
Department of Architecture
Department of Landscape Architecture
» College of Education
Department of Health, Physical Education, Revreation, and Dance
» College of Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering
» College of Graduate Studies
Department of Environmental Science
» College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences
Department of Political Science
» College of Natural Recources
Department of Conservation Social Sciences
» College of Science
Department of Geography
Department of Environmental Science
» UI Extension
Students will be counted in the department and college of their major professor/advisor, with all productivity referenced to the established Bioregional Program.
Graduate students and upper-division undergraduates from other majors can participate in the program through individual upper-division courses or a suite of courses. These courses are designed to meet the UI Core Cluster requirements and to complement various existing degree programs.
Bioregional Planning & Community Design
The M.S. degree in Bioregional Planning and Community Design draws on the unique program and faculty strengths and the existing outreach infrastructure of the University of Idaho. Employing an interdisciplinary approach to real-world sustainable planning and design challenges, the program includes several specializations including: land use planning; environmental planning; economic development planning; transportation planning; public land planning; and housing, social and community development planning.
Graduate Certificate
This 16-credit Graduate Certificate in Bioregional Planning and Community Design is for graduate students enrolled in various professional disciplines (e.g., transportation engineering, environmental and natural resource management, architecture, landscape architecture, public administration) who want an emphasis in planning, but have chosen not to enroll in the M.S. degree. Students earning the certificate will gain knowledge, skills, and values in bioregional planning and be able to effectively employ planning concepts and principles within their discipline.
Testimonials
Crystal Van Horn
M.S. Bioregional Planning and Community Design, and M.S. Architecture
Graduated: December 2008
Within the BIOP Program I loved working as the lead research assistant under Bruce Haglund and Steve Hollenhorst helping to design and implement a Carbon Neutral Environmental Learning Center in McCall Idaho. Steve Hollenhorst is great at working with you towards your personal education/career goals. The professors within the BIOP Program are
so supportive too. With a degree in Bioregional Planning and Community Design you can fit into so many career choices and you have more job opportunities! I'd recommend this program to anyone :)
» cvanhorn[at]vandals.uidaho.edu
Future Students
M.S. and Certificate Application Process:
For admissions apply to one of the following departments that best matches your interests. In your application letter state that you are applying to the new Bioregional Planning and Community Design program.
What You Can Do
With an undergraduate degree in a related field and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Bioregional Planning and Community Development, you may become a:
- City planner
- Community planner
- Planning consultant for construction, engineering and architectural firms
- Transportation engineer
- Geographer
- Surveyor
- Cartographer
- Architect
- City manager
- Environmental consultant
Opportunities
With an advanced degree in planning and design, you'll be positioned for a career in local or state government, housing agencies, and transportation or environmental organizations. You also will have opportunities in private industry at companies involved with architectural, engineering, management, scientific, and technical consulting services.
As a graduate of our program, you'll be prepared to provide valuable expertise in the counseling of local governments on the prime locations for roads and schools, or to make recommendations based on LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) principles for the development of a mixed-use development project.
Experience with computer and software programs, particularly geographic information systems (GIS) software, will greatly enhance your career options.
The median annual salary of urban and regional planners was $56,630 in May 2006, while the middle 50 percent earned between $44,480 and $71,390. The highest earners tend to work in management for engineering services firms or related organizations.
Participating Departments
» Architecture» Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology
» Civil Engineering
» Conservation Social Sciences
» Environmental Science
» Geography
» Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance
» Landscape Architecture
» Political Science
Publications and Papers
Master's Theses and Projects- Andrew Ackerman: Public university-host community engagement: five cases of comprehensive partnership for sustainable community development and leadership (May, 2009)
- Jonathan Meier: A Division Plan for Division II of the Idaho Association of Soil Conservation Districts(May, 2009)
- Laura Laumatia: scheduled posting: July, 2009 - Schitsu'umsh Tribal Knowledge Center (May, 2009)
- Crystal Van Horn: Major Systems Feasibility Studies for the McCall Idaho Field Campus (December, 2008)
- Jessica Evans: Lessons learned from Idaho's Area of City Impact: a case study of Moscow (May, 2008)
Graduate Assistantship Opportunities
All students are considered for a graduate assistantship when they enroll in the Bioregional Planning and Community Design program. There are many opportunities for students to get involved in assistantships that interest them, from web design, research, and program recruiting, to proactively working within Idaho communities.
Activities and Hands-On Experience
The University of Idaho is involved with the Center for Effective Planning and Governance (CEPG) and Learning & Practice Collaborative (LPC). As a student in our program, you’ll contribute to this process. You'll gain valuable hands-on experience working with fellow students and faculty. You will help shape educational materials and workshops that give community leaders and professionals the knowledge to guide Idaho’s surging population growth.