Dual Degree: Master of Engineering + Master of Urban and Regional Planning

Overview

Transportation is a key area of research and practice in both engineering and urban and regional planning. As communities become increasingly aware of the connection between the built environment and health, sustainability, and access to opportunity, the transportation-land use nexus has become more important—and more complex.

Solving transportation and quality-of-life challenges requires multidisciplinary, innovative solutions. The interdisciplinary perspective of a dual degree enables graduates to bring the perspectives and tools from one profession into the other. The Master of Engineering + Master of Urban and Regional Planning dual master’s degree (MENG + MURP) prepares students for careers influencing design, public policy and investment in transportation systems such as roadways, public transit, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, parking and intermodal linkages. This program is offered in partnership with the CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning.

The Master of Engineering degree is intended for students with a non-engineering undergraduate degree and is structured to give basic knowledge in engineering in an interdisciplinary manner. The Transportation Systems specialization emphasizes transportation engineering, planning, operations, and management.

Degree requirements

The MENG+MURP dual degree can be completed with 69 credits, a savings of 15 credits over doing the two degrees separately. Both the MURP and the MENG degrees are inherently interdisciplinary. Beyond the core courses in each program, students are largely able to tailor their coursework to their exact area of interest.

MENG-Transportation Systems Degree Requirements (24 credits)

MENG+MURP dual degree students will complete 15 credit hours of coursework in civil engineering classes—including at least four Transportation Systems courses (with at least one from each of the following areas) and one civil engineering elective—and 9 credits of electives.

(1) Traffic Studies and Policies

• CVEN 5611 Transportation Engineering Statistics (fall)
• CVEN 5612 Traffic Impact Assessment (spring)
• CVEN 5613 Traffic Simulation Modeling (fall)

(2) Traffic Engineering

• CVEN 5602 Advanced Highway Engineering (spring)
• CVEN 5621 Highway Capacity Analysis (fall)
• CVEN 5622 Urban Traffic Operations & Control (spring)
• CVEN 5662 Transportation System Safety (spring)

(3) Transportation Planning

• CVEN 5631 Transport Modeling & Big Data (spring)
• CVEN 5633 Sustainable Transportation Systems (fall)

The remaining 9 credit hours of the MENG degree are elective courses that may be completed within or outside of the civil engineering department in related disciplines that supplement the student's area of study.

MURP Degree Requirements (39 credits)

MENG+MURP dual degree students will complete 30 credits of core MURP courses and 9 credits of MURP elective courses.

MURP core courses

• URPL 5000 Planning History and Theory (fall)
• URPL 5010 Planning Methods (fall)
• URPL 5020 Planning Law and Institutions (fall)
• URPL 5030 Planning Practice and Technology (fall)
• URPL 5040 Urban Sustainability (spring)
• URPL 5050 Urban Development (spring)
• URPL 5060 Planning Workshop (6 credits- spring)
• URPL 6000 Planning Project Studio (6 credits- summer/fall)

Dual Capstone Project or Thesis Requirement (6 credits)

MENG+MURP dual degree students will complete a six-credit dual capstone project or master’s thesis that addresses the fields of engineering and urban planning. Students will have faculty advisors/committee members from both the Urban & Regional Planning and the Engineering departments for their project, and will concurrently register for capstone or thesis credit in both departments.

Prerequisite Coursework

All graduate students are expected to have completed the prerequisite requirements relevant to their specialization within civil engineering. These requirements are in addition to the coursework required for the graduate degree. Missing prerequisites may be resolved by taking an equivalent course at CU Denver, or an equivalent institution, or by submitting documentation of equivalent coursework to the student’s academic advisor after admission.

Download the dual degree program information sheet.