Bachelor of Urban Planning and Development (BUPD)

The urban planning program prepares students for professional careers as urban planners in the public and private sectors. Graduates work for city, county, and regional planning agencies; planning consultants; community development and other nonprofit organizations; and private firms dealing with urban growth and revitalization in large and small communities. Planning at Ball State combines physical and policy approaches. Students are taught to improve the design quality of constructed environments while protecting and managing the resources of our natural environments. Students learn the process of community and economic development as applied to small towns and rural areas as well as urban neighborhoods. Whether as private developers or public officials, graduates are expected to have a commitment to improving community life for citizens of all incomes and a broad competence to make both new and old communities better places in which to live. The four-year Bachelor of Urban Planning and Development degree, which is fully accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, prepares students for direct entry into and subsequent growth in professional planning careers. Graduates may also pursue advanced degrees in planning or other professional programs. The Department of Urban Planning may at times limit enrollment into the professional Bachelor of Urban Planning and Development degree, beginning with the second-year curriculum. Factors to be considered will include: overall academic performance to date; performance in PLAN 100 and any other planning courses taken to date; a writing sample from PLAN 100; a recommendation from at least one faculty member in a studio or project-based course; and any additional materials or recommendations that a student may wish to submit. The entry review process is intended to ensure that students enrolling in the professional degree program have the ability to perform advanced work in the field and a sincere interest in urban planning or one of its related sub-fields. Entry criteria will be published annually no later than March 1; interested students may apply at any time upon completion (or near completion) of the CAP First Year Curriculum or other prerequisite program. Enrollment decisions will be made by the Urban Planning faculty no later than the first Monday of May for all students applying before April 1 and within four weeks of the date of application for all other students.