Combined Bachelor's and Master of Urban and Regional Planning

What is the SUST–MURP BAM degree?

It is a combined Bachelor’s and Master’s (BAM) Pathway — students who complete the program will earn a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies: Sustainability (SUST) and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) degree. A collaboration between ISR, the Interdisciplinary Studies Program, and Department of Urban and Regional Planning allows students to earn both degrees in five years.

What is the advantage of doing a SUST–MURP BAM degree as opposed to doing a traditional MA degree?

The advantage of this degree pathway is that it can be faster and cheaper than doing a straight MA. The program allows up to 9 credits to “double count” between the BA and MA programs. For those 9 credits, students will be paying the BA cost for the credits they earn but can apply them towards graduate courses for the MURP. In addition, double-counting these 9 credits means the students have to take fewer classes than they would if they did a traditional BA and MURP.

What are the minimum credit requirements to get this degree?

BA+MURP program in Interdisciplinary Studies: Sustainability / Urban and Regional Planning will require students to take a minimum of 153 credits in total, reflecting 120 credits for the BA and 42 credits for the MURP, with 9 credits double-counted to both degrees and includes completion of either a Plan A, Research Thesis, or Plan B, Capstone.

How does double counting credits work on the SUST–MURP BAM program?

Up to nine (9) credits may be double-counted across the two programs:

• SUST/PLAN 620 (required and fulfilling MURP core and either BA upper-division major core or elective)
• SUST/PLAN 625 Climate Change, Energy and Food Security in the Asia/Pacific Region (required and fulfilling MURP elective and either BA upper-division major core or elective)
• ONE OF THE FOLLOWING (fulfilling either MURP elective or method, and a BA upper-division major elective):
  • PLAN 473 GIS for Community Planning
  • SUST 417/PLAN 414 Environmental Hazards and Community Resilience

How long will this degree pathway take me?

BAM programs are designed to be a 4 + 1, meaning four years of undergraduate and one year of graduate school. The MURP at UH Mānoa is a 42 credit hour degree. As such, to make this a +1, an additional 6 credits of graduate level courses must be taken in the student’s senior year (i.e., “excess credits”). This makes for a total of 15 graduate-level credits taken while simultaneously an undergraduate student (9 credits of double counting and 6 excess credits). The excess credits means that you will complete the undergraduate with 129 total credits or more, and that you will transfer 15 credits from your undergraduate to the MURP. Lastly, to complete the pathway in a 4+1, 6 credits of the MURP degree should be completed in the summer between BA undergraduate graduation and the Fall.

If a SUST–MURP BAM student chooses not to take excess credits or summer courses, the pathway is still available to them; however, it will be a longer time to completion than one academic year (e.g., an additional semester).

How can I apply for a SUST-MURP BAM degree?

Step 1: Take the Gateway Course
While in the process of completing their BA, students must complete a gateway class SUST 308/PLAN 310 Introduction to Planning, with a B or better grade to be eligible for the program.

Step 2: Application
Students must submit the Graduate Admissions Application and fee as well as all required program admission materials in the second term of their junior year (6th semester, Spring) for admission in the first term of their senior year (7th semester, Fall). Admission will be only for the Fall semester.

Step 3: Admission
Accepted students will receive notice of “admission,” typically in the spring of the junior year (6th semester). The following semester, which would generally be the fall of senior year (7th semester), pathway students begin the double-counted coursework at the undergraduate tuition rate. Pathway students are considered dual program students. An overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (upon graduation with the baccalaureate degree) is required to apply for and continue in the graduate program.

For more information, contact idurp@hawaii.edu or sustain@hawaii.edu.

NOTE: Admittance to the BAM is conditional. An overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (upon graduation with the baccalaureate degree) is required to apply for and continue in the graduate program.

What if I want to apply for the SUST-MURP BAM but I am already a Senior?

If you are already a Senior, we recommend you apply directly to the MURP program.

When are the SUST-MURP BAM classes taught?

• The gateway SUST 308/PLAN 310 Introduction to Planning is offered each semester.
• SUST/PLAN 620 is offered in the spring.
• SUST/PLAN 625 Climate Change, Energy and Food Security in the Asia/Pacific Region is usually offered in the fall.
• PLAN 473 GIS for Community Planning is offered each semester.
• SUST 417/PLAN 4 Environmental Hazards and Community Resilience is offered 1-2 times annually.

Is there a limit to the number of credits accepted for the BAM?

Yes, there is a limit on excess credits. No more than half of credits can transfer into a graduate program, and excess credits should all be taken in the senior year. We recommend that 6 “excess credits” be transferred into the graduate program, as well as 9 credits allotted as double counting, to support graduating with the MURP with a +1 (year).

What if I received below a B on the Core class?

If a student receives lower than B on a core class required for BAM entry, we advise not to apply for the BAM. If a student is accepted into the BAM but earned below a B grade for the core class, conditional entry into the BAM program will be revoked.

What if I am accepted to the SUST-MURP BAM degree, but the program does not work out for me?

Students can always stop at the end of the BA program and graduate with a full-fledged BA. If a student decides to come back after they graduate with a BA, they will have to apply to be readmitted into the regular MURP program. At the time of re-application, students should contact the Department of Regional and Urban Planning Graduate Chair to see if PLAN classes taken in the BA (and not counted towards the BA degree) can apply to the MURP program.

Where can I find an academic advisor for the SUST-MURP BAM Degree?

• For questions about applying to the program, and for general DURP SUST BAM advising questions, please contact sustain@hawaii.edu 
• For course substitution requests and questions related to when classes will be listed, please contact Ashok Das, Graduate Chair ashokdas@hawaii.edu