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| College of Urban and Public Affairs |
Philip B. Coulter, Dean
The College of Urban and Public Affairs (CUPA) offers a variety of programs including an undergraduate B.Sc. in Urban Studies and Planning; masters and professional programs in Planning, Public Administration and Urban Studies; an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program; and extensive activities in the areas of scholarly and applied research and community outreach and service. CUPA is a key element in the University of New Orleans’ metropolitan mission of engagement with the community.
The College of Urban and Public Affairs initially was established in 1966 as the Urban Studies Institute. It was organized to provide academic programs, conduct research, provide professional public service assistance and to draw on the capabilities of all components of the LSU System to help solve some of the problems faced by urban areas in Louisiana.
The focus of the Urban Studies Institute was broadened in 1979, when it became the School of Urban and Regional Studies. In 1988, as a result of expanded responsibilities, the School was named a College.
The Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies and Planning (BSUSP) was approved by the Louisiana Board of Regents in the summer of 2001. The first students were formally admitted in the Fall semester of 2001, and the program awarded its first degrees in May of 2002 and May of 2003. The program was a direct outgrowth of an urban concentration offered in the UNO Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree. The BS undergraduate degree is neither a professional degree nor a terminal degree in either urban studies or planning. The primary objective of the degree is to prepare undergraduate students for entry-level positions that assist urban and environmental professionals in both the public and private sector. The secondary objective is to prepare undergraduate students for urban and environmental professional or scholarly graduate degree programs in Urban Studies and Planning or related disciplines. By design the program meshes well with the graduate programs in those fields at UNO, all of which are fully accredited by the professional associations. Further information about this program is included in this section of the catalog.
The program of study leading to the Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) degree in the College of Urban and Public Affairs provides professional training to students in preparation for careers in the public, private and non-profit sectors of urban and regional planning. The program, which is accredited by the American Planning Association’s Planning Advisory Board, has a strong focus on applications to the profession and the curriculum is carefully structured to provide students with a comprehensive grounding in the skills needed in planning practice. The curriculum ensures that students keep pace with the state of the art in planning theory as well as in practice.
Specializations give students the opportunity for more targeted training in their chosen area of interest. The MURP program assists the College in its professional public service mission by providing high quality applied research and technical assistance for state, metropolitan, and local agencies and organizations. In addition, the program provides continuing education opportunities to local planning professionals to keep them up-to-date in the skills needed in planning practice. Three specializations are available: housing and community/economic development; land use/environment; and historic preservation.
The vision of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is to be a powerful voice for public service. The MPA degree is professional in nature and normally considered a terminal degree in the field of governmental administration. The program is interdisciplinary, with participation from the College of Business Administration, College of Urban and Public Affairs, and the Department of Political Science. The objective of the MPA program is to provide training in public administration to employees and potential employees of city, regional, state, federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. In conjunction with Metropolitan College’s International Program in Nonprofit Leadership, the MPA program also offers a concentration in nonprofit leadership.
The Master of Science in Urban Studies (MSUS) was originated at the University of New Orleans in 1971, to enable students to engage in the interdisciplinary study of cities and the urbanization process in general. The program is not intended to be an applied professional degree such as Master of Urban and Regional Planning, but it is one that allows students to pursue a wide variety of research and professional interests in urban phenomena. While some MSUS graduates may find themselves entering applied fields in urban planning or public and urban administration, the majority of students are pursuing research interests that lead to more specialized and sophisticated research, and may also lead to doctoral study.
Another focus of this program has been to offer urban coursework to students pursuing or already possessing professional applied degrees in other fields such as law, education, business, or public health. Consequently, the MS-Urban Studies program also emphasizes an interdisciplinary course of study built around a core knowledge of urban literature and research methods. Following the completion of the core, the student is then encouraged to develop his/her own curriculum centering on a particular area of research interest that will be fully expanded in the thesis.
The program of study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies degree in the College of Urban and Public Affairs has been developed to enable students of exceptional ability to undertake advanced study and original research in the fields of urban affairs, urban history and urban and regional planning. The program’s mission is to prepare students for careers in scholarly activity, applied research, and policy analysis. The Ph.D. program provides graduates with a solid foundation to conduct applied research and policy analysis outside of academic settings and for teaching and research in colleges and universities. The program emphasizes mastery of the literature and theory in a particular area of scholarship and mastery of research skills necessary to make significant original contributions to that field. The Ph.D. program assists the College in its professional public service mission by providing high quality applied research and policy analysis for state, metropolitan, and local agencies and organizations.
New Orleans is an excellent laboratory for the study of historic structures, districts and landscapes. The city is one of the most historic in the country and contains the largest number of National Register Historic Districts and protected historic buildings within them. New Orleans is comprised of well defined neighborhoods, each exhibiting distinctive architectural and cultural characteristics. One of the most notable is the Vieux Carre (or more commonly known as the French Quarter) in the heart of the City which is internationally known and protected as a National Register Landmark District.
CUPA’s focus in the area of historic preservation targets public policy and is closely linked to the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program. The study of preservation planning encompasses topics in a number of areas including housing and community development, local economic development, tourism planning and environmental planning. Students engaged in the preservation planning concentration can conduct research and participate in class projects and internships involving neighborhood revitalization, Main Street programs for neighborhood commercial districts and smaller community commercial centers, as well as tourism planning initiatives using economic development from tourism to spark preservation and re-use of historic structures.
There are many opportunities for students interested in historic preservation to work in New Orleans historic neighborhoods with community-based groups on a variety of issues linked to protection of the built environment.
Public culture refers to the sources and symbols, resources and representations of human cultural affiliation and expression.
CUPA offers a series of courses and projects in public culture through long-term collaborations with the departments of history and anthropology, as well as allied UNO programs such as arts administration, hotel management, film, and journalism, and facilities such as Eisenhower Center for American Studies and Ogden Museum of Southern Art. CUPA faculty and staff manage public programs in regional folklife, archaeology, and historic preservation. CUPA also collaborates in the production of the weekly syndicated Public Radio International program, American Routes.
CUPA’s historic engagement of issues in public policy and city/regional planning, is complemented by its involvement in the culturally distinct New Orleans cityscape and greater south Louisiana region.
The words “Research and Engagement” are an important part of the CUPA mission statement. CUPA’s students, faculty, and staff are engaged throughout the community, state and nation in applied research and public service, making real quality-of-life contributions. Programs include:
The Louisiana Urban Technical Assistance Center (LUTAC) which has provided low-cost technical assistance in public administration to local governments since 1981.
The International Project for Nonprofit Leadership (IPNL), a joint endeavor of CUPA and UNO’s Metropolitan College, works to strengthen local non-profits.
Work to increase commerce on the Lower Mississippi is conducted in concert with the transportation industry through the Mississippi River Corridor Initiative, a discrete program of CUPA’s Merritt C. Becker, Jr. Maritime and Intermodal Transportation Center. The federally-designated National Ports and Waterways Institute is the leading university-based maritime planning and evaluation organization in the U.S.
CUPA sponsors the International Program for Port Planning and Management in New Orleans each year, bringing together port managers from over 100 countries.
American Routes host and CUPA faculty member Nick Spitzer explores our musical culture every week on his syndicated Public Radio International show in over 200 markets.
The Louisiana Regional Folklife Program (LRFP) represents CUPA’s commitment to conserving traditional cultures in New Orleans and the surrounding region.
Visit our website at: http://www.uno.edu/cupa/.
Curriculum in Bachelor of Science in
Urban Studies and Planning
General Education Requirements Cr. Hrs.
English 1157, 1158 (or 1159) 6
Literature 6
Mathematics (Must include Mathematics 1115) 6
Sciences (including 2 hours of lab) 11
Arts 3
English 2152 3
Drama and Communications 2650 3
Social Sciences1 6
Computer Science 1000 or Business Administration 2780 3
Humanities or Social Science Elective 3
Total 50
Foundation Studies Cr. Hrs.
Economics 1203 3
Statistics sequence2 3
Social Sciences (6 hours from each of 3 subjects)1 18
Urban Studies 3002, 4200 6
Urban Studies and related 4000-level
course from support areas1 30
Total 60
Electives Cr. Hrs.
Electives Total 10
Grand Total 120
1 See College for a list of acceptable courses.
2 Geography 2801 or Political Science 2900 or Sociology 2702.