A message from the Chair of DURP:
Welcome to the website of The Florida State University Department of Urban & Regional Planning (DURP)! DURP is Florida’s oldest and largest graduate planning program. Founded in 1965, DURP has been a leader in planning education for decades and shaped planning practice in a state internationally known for innovations in the areas of comprehensive planning, emergency management, land conservation, urban design, public health, and the transportation-land use nexus.
The Department offers graduate degree programs at the master’s and doctoral levels and an undergraduate minor. We teach specialized courses in environmental planning and natural resources management, housing and community development, land use and comprehensive planning, planning for community health, planning for developing areas, and transportation planning. We also offer advanced studies in collaboration and dispute resolution, real estate development, and urban design as part of our graduate curriculum.
The Department's faculty and students conduct research in the areas of Land Planning and Policy, Alternative Transportation in the Modern City, Planning for Healthy and Resilient Communities, Community and Neighborhood Change, Collaborative and Participatory Governance, Environmental Ethics, Housing Affordability, and Human Settlements and Institutions in the Context of Global Change. DURP is made up of a nationally recognized faculty of twelve scholar/practitioners and is home to roughly 100 master’s students, 20 doctoral students and 50 undergraduates in our certificate, minor and pre-graduate programs. The program’s alumni number over 1,400 and are employed in almost every state in the nation and thirty countries outside of the United States.
Located in Florida’s state capital, Tallahassee, DURP maintains close ties with state, regional, and local planning agencies, the state legislature, and many non-profit organizations in the area, and these connections provide opportunities for student internships, excellent adjunct faculty, and permanent employment positions for the department's graduates. Reflective of these close connections with the profession, the Department established the award winning Florida Planning and Development Laboratory for undertaking work on applied projects with government agencies, community stakeholders and development interests.
If you are a prospective student contemplating a career in planning, our site offers a comprehensive overview of the department. I would encourage you to visit our Prospective Students section, and be sure to review our Top Ten Reasons to Pursue Graduate Study in DURP. Questions about the Department’s degree programs can be submitted to rnicholas@fsu.edu.
A wealth of information is also available online for current students, including our Graduate Programs Guide, which includes information on our master's degree and Ph.D. degree requirements, our joint graduate degree programs, and our three advanced studies areas. The site also has information for Employers on how to hire interns and engage with DURP faculty and students.
We appreciate your interest in the Department. Our faculty, graduates, and current students are working to create more sustainable and more resilient communities in Florida and elsewhere, and we welcome an opportunity to work with you in the pursuit of this mission.
Dr. Tim Chapin
Associate Professor and Department Chair