MCPD in Community Planning & Development
Career Options
Graduates hold leadership positions in the private, public and nonprofit sectors at local, state and national levels. They include land trusts managers, environmental research fellows, city and town planners, elected officials and independent consultants. CPD graduates primarily work in Maine and northern New England, but can be found in all parts of the United States from the northeast to the Pacific coast.
Read about Greg Williams, CPD graduate and founder of Resurgam Zero Food Waste.
The Community Planning & Development (CPD) program is for individuals who want to shape the environment and economy of cities and towns, and gain the necessary skills and knowledge for successful careers in planning and economic development. The CPD program provides the skills and knowledge to help communities diverse in size, structure, and composition to better balance economic growth, environmental quality and human welfare.
Gain Real-World Experience.
Our students work one-on-one with faculty members who are at the top of their field in understanding how to meet the unique challenges and opportunities facing communities in northern New England and beyond.
Students regularly engage in community projects that provide valuable professional experience. Five centers affiliated with the School provide ample opportunities for student research and assistantships:
- The Casco Bay Estuary Partnership
- The New England Environmental Finance Center
- Maine Center for Business and Economic Research
- Maine Sustainable Solutions Initiative
- Sustain Southern Maine Partnership
Accessible Options for Working Professionals
- Full and part-time study
- Late afternoon and evening courses
- Distance education at campuses across Maine
Many classes are open to qualified individuals without enrollment in the degree program, allowing prospective students to become familiar with the Muskie School and CPD program before applying. Non-degree students may take courses as a part of a certificate program (LINK), or may take individual courses. Up to 12 credits of courses taken as a non-degree student may be transferred into the degree program if students elect to enroll in the degree.
Joint Degree with University of Maine School of Law
The MCPD degree may be taken as a joint degree with the JD offered by the University of Maine School of Law (located on the Portland campus of USM). Students take the law school courses on a full-time basis during the first three years of study, including law courses related to planning and the environment that count as the track courses in CPD. Students then take the CPD core courses in the fourth year of full-time study. Participants in the joint degree program apply for admission to each program separately.
Law courses which may be counted as the CPD track include:
- Law 637 Environmental Law
- Law 696 Ocean and Coastal Law Journal
- Law 635 Land Use Law
- Law 687 Coastal Zone Law
- Law 633 Natural Resources Law
- Law 616 State & Local Government Law
- Law 684 Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Law 655 Environmental Law Research and Writing
- Law 665 Environmental Torts & Toxic Regulation
- Law 659 Independent Writing Project
For More Information
To learn more about the Community Planning and Development program, please contact Professor Charles Colgan, csc@usm.maine.edu or (207) 780-4008.
For more information on applying to the program, visit the masters' admissions page.
The degree requires 48 credits of coursework. A core of 30 credits (including capstone) combines basic skills for planning with courses in economics and methods of analysis, including geographic information systems. Students then must select 3 credits of research methods. Finally, students select an additional 15 credits of focused course work from among two specializations: land use and environment or community and economic development.
Core Curriculum
Core curriculum courses are normally offered every year, with the except of PPM 601, PPM 611 and CPD 622 which are offered every semester.
- CPD 601 Planning Theory and History
- CPD 602 Sustainable Communities
- CPD 603 Planning Workshop
- CPD 605 Elements of Plan Making
- CPD 615 Citizen Involvement and Dispute Resolution in Planning
- CPD 622 Introduction to Arc/GIS
- CPD 696 Field Experience
- CPD 699 Capstone
- PPM 601 Applied Statistics for Public Policy and Management
- PPM 611 Economics and Public Policy
- PPM 640 Public Budgeting and Finance
Research Methods
Select 3 credits:
Normally offered every other year:
- CPD 607 Analytic Methods for Planning and Development
- CPD 625 Community Planning Analysis and Land Use Modeling
- GEO 608 GIS Applications I
Normally offered every year:
- PPM 503/603 Advanced Research Methods Modules (Take three 1-credit courses)
- PPM 606 Survey Methods and Design
Tracks
- Land Use & Environment
- Community & Economic Development
- Health Planning- The program is not currently accepting new students in this track. Current students please see the graduate catalog for required courses.
- Available in All Tracks
- Law & Community Planning Joint Degree
Land Use & Environment Track
Select 3 credits:
Normally offered in alternate years:
Select 3 credits:
Normally offered in alternate years:
Select 9 credits
Normally offered every other year:
- CPD 625 Community Planning Analysis and Land Use Modeling [1]
- CPD 665 Transportation Planning
- CPD 667 Housing and Real Estate
- CPD 668 Local Environmental Planning
- CPD 669 Historic Preservation Through Growth Management
- CPD 670 Growth Management Workshop
- CPD 672 Food Systems Planning and Policy
- CPD 674 Social Equity and Sustainability Planning
- CPD 676 Energy Policy and Planning
- LAW 635 Land Use and Growth Policy [3]
- PPM 519 Communication Skills for Public Managers
- PPM 503/603 Applied Research Methods
- PPM 623 Risk and Public Policy
- PPM 633 Strategic Planning in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors
- PPM 637 Intergovernmental Relations
Community & Economic Development Track
Required course:
Normally offered every other year:
Select 3 credits:
Normally offered in alternate years:
Select 9 credits:
Normally offered every other year:
- CPD 665 Transportation Planning
- CPD 667 Housing and Real Estate
- CPD 669 Historic Preservation Through Growth Management
- CPD 672 Food Systems Planning and Policy
- CPD 674 Social Equity and Sustainability Planning
- CPD 676 Energy Policy and Planning
- MBA 649 Special Topics in Management: Entrepreneurship and Business Formation [2]
- PPM 519 Communication Skills for Public Managers
- PPM 545 Grant Writing in Public and Nonprofit Organizations
- PPM 623 Risk and Public Policy
- PPM 633 Strategic Planning in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors
- PPM 650 State and Regional Economic Development
- PPM 651 Government-Business Relations
- PPM 666 Environmental Policy
Available in All Tracks
Normally offered every other year:
- GEO 605 Remote Sensing
- GEO 608 GIS Applications I
- GEO 618 GIS Applications II
- GEO 658 Research Applications in GIS
Normally offered every year:
Law & Community Planning Joint Degree
Select 3 credits:
Select 12 credits:[3]
See the University of Maine School of Law website for more information on offerings.
- Law 637 Environmental Law
- Law 696 Ocean and Coastal Law Journal
- Law 635 Land Use Law
- Law 687 Coastal Zone Law
- Law 633 Natural Resources Law
- Law 616 State & Local Government Law
- Law 684 Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Law 655 Environmental Law Research and Writing
- Law 665 Environmental Torts & Toxic Regulation
- Law 659 Independent Writing Project
- American and New England Studies courses
- School of Business course
- School of Law courses — students in the joint degree program in Law and Planning will substitute Land Use Law for this course.
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