Placements

‘Cities’ are the future of India, and other developing countries. Urban transformations, with emphasis on liveability, equity and sustainability, will be the key driver of India’s future in the coming half a century, much like the East Asian and Latin American countries in the last 30 years. Urban planners anchor such urban transformations. The endeavour of the Faculty of Planning at CEPT University is to prepare passionate and thinking leaders in a professional role to meet this challenge.

The Faculty of Planning was established in 1972 as School of Planning. The Faculty has full time, adjunct and visiting faculty members who bring on board wide ranging professional and research experiences. Some of them are sound theorists, some sound technocrats and some sound professionals, all with national and global exposure and linkages. Some of them are pioneers in their disciplines and have contributed to unique ideas about urban development. Some of them have widely published in books and national and international journals. Above all, the faculty members bring immense dedication and passion to work.

This forty-year-old program is highly recognized.  Its alumni are very well placed in government, international agencies, foremost consulting firms, and, reputed academic and research institutions.  Being a part of CEPT University, the program also provides an opportunity for wider exposure to architecture, construction, design, and management of human habitats. The students are trained to chart new territories through innovating thinking and leadership role.

The two years Master’s Program in Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) Degree prepares young professionals, dealing with one or multiple tasks of planning, governing, intervening, and researching cities and their regions, in India as well as other developing countries. The learners are trained to engage with scales from local project to city and her region to global, through hands-on studio exercises, intense theory, individual capstone project and field visits in India and abroad during summer/ winter schools The programme offers the possibility of, but does not require, specializing in and obtaining a Major in any of the following:

• Land use Planning – This area will offer studios in land use planning at city and city-region level and theory courses on land use planning, built-form and land markets.
• Housing – This area offers studios in housing strategy making at different levels and courses in housing and land markets, housing & community development, housing project design & development and housing finance.
• Environmental Planning – This area offers studios on preparing environmental impact assessment and management plan at different levels and courses on environmental resources, pollution, environmental economics and climate change.
• Infrastructure Planning – This area offers studios on preparing infrastructure plans at city and regional level and infrastructure prioritization and courses on infrastructure planning and infrastructure project development.
• Transportation Planning – This area offers studios on preparing comprehensive traffic and transportation plans at city and regional level, and courses on transportation and land use planning, transportation modelling and design of transportation systems.

Our Pedagogy – learning by doing

During the first ‘foundation’ semester students prepare a plan for development of a municipal ward.  During the second and third semesters, which allow for specialization, they plan a small town and a city region. An alternative option in the third semester is to prepare a detailed project report or area plan, which includes financial and governance proposals, in the area of specialization.  The first three semesters are centered on ‘studios’ where students learn to understand the areas that they are planning for, interact with people to identify and articulate their problems and to imagine and present alternative futures for the area. They learn how to think comprehensively, to make trade-offs and to develop negotiated solutions in the face of uncertainty and resource constraints. They are also encouraged to understand the political and ethical implications of their proposals and to develop their own views on - ‘what good cities are?’ Finally they learn how to articulate their plans as a set of well-defined projects and to develop financial and management strategies for implementation.

In addition to studios, courses and seminars - which run parallel to studios, students are exposed to planning theories and concepts, planning history and to contemporary planning practices from across the world.  Courses and seminars are also aimed at developing analytical, technical, and communication skills.

During the fourth semester students are required to complete an individual but guided planning, research, grant writing or policy analysis dissertation. Twice, in breaks between semesters, students are required to sign up for University’s Summer School and Winter Schools programs, which could include study tours to cities in India and abroad.

Career Options

For Architects

For Civil Engineers

For Law Discipline
The Graduates in Law, once they become planners, can be pioneers in articulating “planning law” for our cities. They can be the interface between the law and urban development by contributing to drafting of rules and byelaws customized to a city’s need. As legal professionals they can think about a career in developing, interpreting and assisting city governments to develop legal framework suitable to local conditions. Such professionals are required by cities in developing urban laws such as building rules/byelaws, development control & management regulations, land laws, real estate laws, street vendors and other similar rules/regulations.

For Political Sciences
A career in urban planning would be an added advantage for the post graduates in political science - who have an understanding of urban administration, urban social movements, civil society and state dynamics. They can become professionals who can contribute towards developing mechanisms that are responsive to ‘politics of development in the urban arena’. 

For Social Work
The Post Graduates in Social Work may be interested in applying - community development skills to issues plaguing our cities. They can be the people advocating participatory and decentralized decision making. As social workers they have an intimate understanding of development issues of communities and individuals – which can be applied at the city and regional scale. We would urge that social work graduates think about a career in urban community development by contributing to community organization and social inclusion issues for the vulnerable sections of society.

For Development Studies
The Post Graduates in Development Studies can apply their understanding of development challenges and trajectories to the urban problems and issues. As development professionals with a niche in urban planning they can build their career by working on issues of deprivation and development in our cities.

For Policy Studies
The Post Graduates in Policy Studies can be pioneers in developing the public policy dimensions of urban development. They can apply their understanding of policy analysis to urban development policies and issues. As professionals with a niche in urban planning they can build their career by working on issues of effective public policies that deliver better service delivery and deepen democratic engagement in our cities.