Tara Lynne Clapp, Associate Professor and Chair
Mark Groulx, Associate Professor
Rylan Graham, Assistant Professor
Theresa Healy, Assistant Professor
Daniela Fisher, Adjunct Professor
Richard Krehbiel, Adjunct Professor
Finlay Sinclair, Adjunct Professor
Andrew Young, Adjunct Professor
Website:www.unbc.ca/environmental-planning
The degree provides a broad education in environmental planning. The focus is on understanding the relationship between people and the environment, reducing the environmental impact of human activities, and responding and adapting to environmental change.
The study of planning examines public processes that improve the quality of decisions affecting the environment. Responsible planning integrates various private and public interests and identifies viable, workable options. Planners play a vital role in decision-making processes concerning the future of human settlements, resource management, environmental protection, human health and well-being, economic development, and many other areas. Ultimately, the work of planners becomes part of, or a catalyst to, public policy.
Environmental Planning offers a comprehensive program of courses, such as environmental assessment, ecological design, economic development, First Nations planning, land use planning, and sustainable communities. Each course provides a creative and challenging learning environment for students to tackle today’s most contentious issues such as sustainability, climate change, biodiversity, environmental stewardship, and urban sprawl. Environmental Planning offers unique perspectives on a rapidly evolving field of study and solutions for an increasingly complex world.
Environmental Planning is dedicated to upholding professional standards of practice and is accredited by the Professional Standards Board (PSB) which is recognized by the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and the Planning Institute of British Columbia (PIBC). Accreditation is a system for promoting national standards of education in planning and for recognizing educational institutions for a level of performance, integrity, and quality.
Accreditation benefits students in Environmental Planning in three ways:
- Current students can apply for Student Membership in PIBC;
- Graduates are eligible for Full Membership in PIBC and CIP after two years of professional planning experience; and
- Employers in the planning field look for students graduating from an accredited planning program, thus significantly improving graduates' job prospects.
Three majors are available to students completing the Bachelor of Planning:
Planning students complete a set of general program requirements totaling 72 credit hours in addition to completing specialized course requirements for each major.
Program Requirements for All Majors in Planning
Lower-Division General Environmental Planning Requirement
100 Level
| ECON 100-3 | Microeconomics | |
| ENPL 104-3 | Introduction to Planning |
One of the following:
| ENGL 170-3 | Writing and Communication Skills | |
| NRES 100-3 | Communications in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies | |
| POLS 290-3 | Research and Writing for Political Science |
200 Level
| ENPL 204-3 | Principles and Practices of Planning | |
| ENPL 205-3 | Environment and Society | |
| ENPL 206-3 | Planning Analysis and Techniques | |
| ENPL 207-3 | Introduction to Computer Aided Design (CAD) for Planners | |
| or GEOG 205-3 | Cartography and Geomatics | |
| ENPL 208-3 | First Nations Community and Environmental Planning | |
| GEOG 204-3 | Introduction to GIS | |
| GEOG 210-3 | Introduction to Earth Science | |
| POLS 200-3 | Canadian Government and Politics |
One of the following:
| ECON 205-3 | Statistics for Business and the Social Sciences | |
| STAT 240-3 | Basic Statistics | |
| STAT 371-3 | Probability and Statistics for Scientists and Engineers |
Upper-Division General Environmental Planning Requirement
300 Level
| ENPL 301-3 | Sustainable Communities: Structure and Sociology | |
| ENPL 303-3 | Spatial Planning with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) | |
| ENPL 304-3 | Mediation, Negotiation and Public Participation | |
| ENPL 305-3 | Environmental Impact Assessment | |
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Rural Community Economic Development (CED) |
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| ENPL 318-3 | Professional Planning Practice | |
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Social Research Methods |
400 Level
| ENPL 401-3 | Environmental Law | |
| ENPL 410-3 | Land Use Planning | |
| ENPL 411-3 | Planning Theory, Process and Implementation | |
| ENPL 415-3 | Ecological Design | |
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Environmental and Professional Ethics |
Major Requirements
Students must choose to specialize in one major. All course requirements in the major must be completed.
Major in Northern and Rural Community Planning
The focus of this major is to promote an understanding of the complexity and diversity of environmental problems, to develop an appreciation of community change processes, and to provide planners with knowledge which will improve the quality of the built environment and reduce the impact of human activities on the natural world. The unique planning requirements of smaller communities and rural regions demand a grounding in both physical and social science methods and an understanding of the relationship between northern communities and surrounding rural resource regions. Environmental planning necessitates strategic thought and action combined with knowledge grounded in professional practice. The Northern Rural and Community Planning major combines concepts such as bioregionalism, sustainability and landscape design within the context of physical land-use planning, social planning and community economic development.
Northern and Rural Community Planning is the application of environmental planning principles and practices to the often unique social, economic and ecological issues confronting northern and circumpolar communities in Canada and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere. Successfully addressing these issues requires an appreciation of how and why communities change, and of the place and function of northern communities and rural regions in the global environment, and a grounding in both physical and social science methods of research and analysis.
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72 credit hours |
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Major requirement: |
15 credit hours |
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Major elective requirement: |
18 credit hours |
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General elective requirement: |
Elective credit hours as necessary to ensure the completion of 120 credit hours. |
The minimum requirement for a Bachelor of Planning with a major in Northern and Rural Community Planning is 120 credit hours.
Major Requirements
Lower-Division Requirements
| BIOL 110-3 | Introductory Ecology |
| ENVS 101-3 | Introduction to Environmental Citizenship |
| or GEOG 206-3 | Social Geography |
Three of the following:
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Peoples and Cultures |
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Methods of Economic Evaluation |
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Human Ecology (regional campus only) |
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The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada |
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Planet Earth |
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British Columbia: People and Places |
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Resources, Economies, and Sustainability |
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Social Geography |
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Introduction to Global Studies |
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Globalizations |
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Precalculus |
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Food, Agriculture, and Society |
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Recreation and Leisure Programming |
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Contemporary Political Issues |
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Introduction to Social Welfare |
Upper-Division Requirements
| POLS 350-3 | Law and Municipal Government |
One of the following:
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Society, Policy and Administration |
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Municipal Government and Politics |
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Canadian Politics and Policy |
One of the following:
| GEOG 424-3 | Northern Communities | |
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Comparative Northern Development |
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| POLS 434-3 | Resource Communities in Transition |
Three of the following, minimum 9 credit hours:
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Landscapes, Place and Culture |
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| ANTH 413-3 | Environmental Anthropology | |
| ANTH 423-3 | Urban Anthropology | |
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Cost-Benefit Analysis |
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| ENPL 333-3 | Field School in Planning | |
| ENPL 430-6 | Undergraduate Thesis | |
| ENPL 431-3 | Professional Report | |
| ENPL 440-(2-6) | Internship | |
| ENSC 302-3 | Low Carbon Energy Development | |
| ENSC 404-3 | Waste Management | |
| FNST 303-3 | First Nations Religion and Philosophy | |
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Law and Indigenous Peoples |
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| GEOG 305-3 | Political Ecology: Environmental Knowledge and Decision-Making | |
| Indigenous Geographies of Climate Resilience | ||
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Northern Communities |
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| HIST 360-3 | An Introduction to Environmental History | |
| INTS 304-3 | International Development | |
| or GEOG 306-3 | Critical Development Geographies | |
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Society, Policy and Administration |
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How Government Works |
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Municipal Government and Politics |
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Canadian Politics and Policy |
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Community Development |
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Local Services and Public Policy |
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Local Government Finance |
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Comparative Northern Development |
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Resource Communities in Transition |
Students must ensure that all prerequisites are fulfilled prior to registering in any course.
Students are encouraged to use the general electives to take a minor offered in Geography, Political Science, First Nations Studies, or other fields associated with community development.
Major in First Nations Planning
First Nations communities have significant and growing demands for qualified planners. The opportunities for skilled planners increase as many First Nations move to define land claims in Canada, potentially giving First Nations significant responsibilities for land and community planning. However, planning by and with First Nations requires specific skills and abilities in the planners, whether or not they themselves are First Nation.
For most First Nations communities few distinctions are made between ecological/environmental planning and planning for social and cultural needs which are developed from within, and are grounded in, the ecosystem. First Nations planning must necessarily integrate all of these domains. First Nations wish to remain grounded in tradition and seek to move into the future through sound community economic development and skilled land management. Most face significant community development needs, including infrastructure development, housing and health planning. Students need not only a sound grasp of planning principles, but also an understanding of the protocols, history, social structure and ecology of Canadian First Nations. Cross-cultural translation skills, community participation techniques and a solid grounding in ethics are required.
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72 credit hours |
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Major requirement: |
19 credit hours |
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Major elective requirement: |
18 credit hours |
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General elective requirement: |
Elective credit hours as necessary to ensure the completion of 120 credit hours |
The minimum requirement for a Bachelor of Planning with a major in First Nations Planning is 120 credit hours.
Lower-Division Requirements
| BIOL 110-3 | Introductory Ecology | |
| FNST 100-3 | The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada | |
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A First Nations Language: Level 1 |
Three of the following:
| ANTH 205-3 | Introduction to Archaeology | |
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Peoples and Cultures |
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| ENVS 101-3 | Introduction into Environmental Citizenship | |
| ENVS 230-3 | Introduction to Environmental Policy | |
| FNST 161-3 | A First Nations Culture: Level 1 | |
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Perspectives in First Nations Studies |
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Introduction to Traditional Environmental Knowledge |
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| HHSC 102-3 | Introduction to Health Sciences II: Rural and Aboriginal Issues | |
| MATH 115-3 | Precalculus | |
| NREM 110-3 | Food, Agriculture, and Society | |
| NREM 210-4 | Integrated Resource Management |
Upper-Division Requirements
| ENPL 409-4 | Advanced First Nations Community and Environmental Planning | |
| FNST 304-3 | Indigenous Environmental Philosophy | |
| or FNST 303-3 | First Nations Religion and Philosophy | |
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Law and Indigenous Peoples |
Three of the following:
| ANTH 404-3 | Comparative Study of Indigenous Peoples of the World | |
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Ethnobotany |
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| ENPL 333-3 | Field School in Planning | |
| ENPL 430-6 | Undergraduate Thesis | |
| ENPL 431-3 | Professional Report | |
| ENPL 440-(2-6) | Internship | |
| ENVS 326-3 | Public Engagement for Sustainability | |
| FNST 303-3 | First Nations Religion and Philosophy | |
| FNST 304-3 | Indigenous Environmental Philosophy | |
| FNST 305-3 | Seminar in First Nations Studies | |
| FNST 407-3 | First Nations Perspectives on Race, Class, Gender and Power | |
| GEOG 403-3 | Indigenous Geographies of Climate Resilience | |
| GEOG 420-3 | Environmental Justice | |
| HIST 390-3 | History of Indigenous People of Canada | |
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Aboriginal Perspectives on Land and Resource Management |
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| Land Relations and Communities in Recreation and Tourism | ||
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Law and Municipal Government |
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Indigenous Governance and Social Policy |
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Individual and Community Wellness for Indigenous Peoples |
In addition to FNST 100-3, FNST 131-3, FNST 304-3, and FNST 350-3, students must select a minimum of three FNST courses (9 credit hours) from the upper- and lower-division lists.
Students must ensure that all prerequisites are fulfilled prior to registering in any courses.
Students are encouraged to use the general electives to take a minor offered in First Nations Studies, or other courses associated with aboriginal and First Nations issues.
Major in Natural Resources Planning
The major in Natural Resources Planning is designed to provide students with an understanding of the complexities of including the natural and cultural environment in planning decision-making. The major is intended to address both project-level and large-scale environmental planning issues that occur in developments that have an impact on the natural environment.
The objective of this major is to familiarize students with planning and decision-making in a variety of sectors that include provincial land use planning, environmental assessment, watershed planning and integrated resource and environmental management. These areas of planning are characterized by complex and intricate questions about how to use our natural resources and who should decide. The multidimensional aspects of environmental management include natural and cultural complexity, different desired futures, value differences, assessment and monitoring tools, and integration methods. This major emphasizes an understanding of planning in both the substantive realm (natural and social sciences) and the procedural realm (the process of including people in the decision-making process).
Students enrolled in the Natural Resources Planning major must successfully complete 120 credit hours. Students interested in working with biological and environmental aspects of natural resource planning should take BIOL 103/BIOL 123 and BIOL 104/124 as elective courses and BIOL 201 as the ecology elective to satisfy prerequisites for many of the other biological and environmental courses. Those students interested in the environmental sciences should take first- and second-year Chemistry courses as part of the general electives. Students interested in integrated natural resource planning should take BIOL 104/124 and a mix of courses in areas of Political Science, First Nations (FNST or ENPL), Environment Sciences (ENSC), Geography and Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management, and International Studies and Economics.
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72 credit hours |
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Major requirement: |
17 credit hours |
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General elective requirement: |
Elective credit hours as necessary to ensure the completion of 120 credit hours. |
Lower-Division Requirements
| BIOL 110-3 | Introductory Ecology |
| or BIOL 201-3 | Ecology |
| GEOG 205-3 | Cartography and Geomatics |
| NREM 210-4 |
Integrated Resource Management |
Three of the following, minimum 9 credit hours:
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and BIOL 123-1 and BIOL 124-1 |
Introductory Biology I Introductory Biology I Laboratory Introductory Biology II Introductory Biology II Laboratory |
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| CHEM 100-3 and CHEM 120-1 |
General Chemistry I General Chemistry Lab I |
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Weather and Climate |
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Introduction to Aquatic Systems |
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| FNST 100-3 | The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada | |
| FNST 203-3 | Introduction to Traditional Environmental Knowledge | |
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Introduction to Soil Science |
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| INTS 100-3 | Introduction to Global Studies | |
| MATH 115-3 | Precalculus | |
| NREM 101-3 | Introduction to Natural Resources Management and Conservation | |
| NREM 110-3 | Food, Agriculture, and Society | |
| Resource Inventories and Measurements | ||
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Introduction to Wildlife and Fisheries |
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Sustainable Outdoor Recreation and Tourism |
Upper-Division Requirements
| NREM 400-4 | Natural Resources Planning |
| NREM 410-3 |
Watershed Management |
Three of the following, minimum 9 credit hours:
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Limnology |
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Conservation Biology |
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Environmental Economics and Environmental Policy |
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Forestry Economics |
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Cost-Benefit Analysis |
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Field School in Planning |
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Advanced First Nations Community and Environmental Planning |
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Undergraduate Thesis |
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Professional Report |
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Internship |
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Low Carbon Energy Development |
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Northern Contaminated Environments |
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Biometeorology |
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Waste Management |
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Air Pollution |
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Climate Change and Global Warming |
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Public Engagement for Sustainability |
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Traditional Use Studies |
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Tenure, Conflict, and Resource Geography |
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Aboriginal Perspectives on Land and Resource Management |
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Agroforestry |
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Recreation and Tourism Impacts |
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Protected Area Planning and Management |
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or NREM 306-3 |
Society, Policy and Administration of Natural Resources Society, Policy and Administration |
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Law and Municipal Government |
Students must ensure that all prerequisites are fulfilled prior to registering in any course.
Students are encouraged to use the general electives to take a minor offered in areas of Geography, Political Science, First Nations Studies, or other fields associated with community development.
Minor in Planning
The minor in Planning is designed to provide students with an opportunity to acquire a basic knowledge of planning theory and methods. The minor consists of 12 required credit hours (four designated courses) and 6 credit hours of upper-division elective courses listed below. A maximum of 6 credit hours (2 courses) used to fulfill program requirements for a major or another minor may also be used to fulfill requirements for a minor in Planning.
Required
| ENPL 104-3 | Introduction to Planning | |
| ENPL 204-3 | Principles and Practices of Planning | |
| ENPL 301-3 | Sustainable Communities: Structure and Sociology | |
| ENPL 411-3 | Planning Theory, Process and Implementation |
Electives
Two of the following:
| ENPL 305-3 | Environmental Impact Assessment | |
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Professional Planning Practice |
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| ENPL 410-3 | Land Use Planning | |
| ENPL 415-3 | Ecological Design |
Updated: July 4, 2023