To become an urban planner, one needs to complete an undergraduate and master’s degree, gain work experience through internships, and specialize in subjects like political science and economics. The master’s program involves hands-on workshops and internships, and graduates may be hired by companies they interned with.
Obtaining an urban planner degree requires many years of college, including undergraduate and master’s degrees. Additionally, you’ll need work experience during the summer and part-time internships during college. Most urban planners cannot secure employment with an undergraduate degree alone, unless they have extensive practical experience in an urban planners office.
The first step to earning an urban planner degree is to attend college graduate classes. Successful city planners often specialize in subjects ranging from political science to economics. One of the job duties for this position includes analyzing community needs, from schools to road building. An undergraduate degree in geography, social sciences or a related field will help you understand local needs; however, future urban planners have the option of training in other areas, as most of the planner’s career will be taught in subsequent postgraduate courses.
The master’s program required to earn an urban planner’s degree is usually titled urban design, environmental planning, or regional planning. This career program is not an ongoing set of lecture courses; instead, urban planner courses combine hands-on workshops, discussion seminars and laboratory work. Many classes focus on creating a faux urban center with students’ ideas and suggestions. Alternative lessons may involve a defined problem posed by the teacher; students are encouraged to find an economical and safe solution to the dilemma through group work.
Graduate courses often have mandatory internship portions, interspersed with a semester as part-time work or as a full summer internship. Many students look forward to internships as they are able to apply their theoretical work at school to real-life problems. Students will work closely with professional planners to offer suggestions on future projects or interpose a unique solution to a city problem. The career relationships that the student creates during the internship can lead to a large network of potential employers after obtaining the urban planning degree. Most internships are mandatory during the last semester of graduate school.
After receiving an urban planner’s diploma from a graduate school, some students are hired by the company that offered the internship. Many companies use this hiring route as the employer knows the person’s work ethic from the internship experience. This hiring technique ensures you’re hiring a quality employee, and hiring managers may be preferable to spending long hours reading resumes and interviewing potential workers. Alternatively, companies that have enough urban planners on the payroll can help the previous intern by writing letters of recommendation for a better job opportunity at another company.
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