DC grad school program advice - urban planning (credit, job market)

[DSMHawk]

Hey all-

Thought this would be a good place to gather some advice - lots of urban planning/econ development folks here....

I'm currently looking at a couple Master's programs in Urban Planning, having a little trouble deciding between the two.

One is a new program (launching spring 2011) at GWU in Sustainable Urban Planning.

This program is right in line with my interests, meets near my office and would allow me to live in DC - my biggest worry is being a 'guinea pig' as one of the first people in the program. Also, the program likely won't be accredited until a year or two after I complete it.

Interested to hear any opinions on this - is anyone familiar w/ this program? Would a) the reputation of GWU and b) the fact that I'm already in the industry (transportation demand management) help overcome the initial lack of accreditation?

The other program I'm strongly considering is VaTech (campus in Old Town Alexandria) a more established, likely more comprehensive program. The biggest con here are that to gain in-state tuition, I'd commit to the next 4 years in VA...which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I'd prefer to live in the District.

Thanks for any thoughts here...

[paytonc]

I'm in pretty much the same boat. I like that the program is modular, geared towards professional students, and seems to draw most of its faculty from practitioners in the field -- particularly important for a professional-development program in a rapidly evolving field.

As someone who's sat on some hiring and selection committees in planning, I can't say that degrees have ever played a big role in those decisions. It seems that in DC's job market, where most everyone has a college degree, that master's degrees are required for most mid-level posts (5+ years of experience) -- and hence my interest in getting that stamp of approval. (I have almost 10 years of experience in planning, but it's been hard to get interviews.) It's slightly impressive for an inexperienced candidate to have gone to a fancy school, but otherwise it's someone's resume, portfolio/experience, and thoughts (as expressed in letters/interviews) that make a difference.

That said, I'm also glad that the application deadline is quite a bit later than other schools -- indeed, possibly after I'd hear back from some of the schools I've just applied to. Even paying out-of-state tuition at VT will probably be a good deal cheaper than GWU, as far as costs go. Did you also look at UMd?

Addendum: just got an email from GWU today. "Details of the program will be finalized and will be shared with you in the short weeks ahead, and we will inform you of face-to-face and online information sessions as they are scheduled."

[paytonc]

Also, have you posted over in Cyburbia Forums? That seems to be the most active place for people to discuss planning school options.

[DSMHawk]

Thanks for the feedback. I actually received a similar email from GWU back in late November, so it looks like not much has changed in the past couple months, other than moving the app deadline from 1/15 to 3/1.

I looked at UMd, but the 12/15 deadline came up too quickly, so wasn't able to apply, still getting organized from the sudden move out to this area. I'm basically hoping to choose between GW and VaTech at this point.

I'll have to check out the Cyburbia Forums. Thanks again for the info!

[DSMHawk]

Follow up - I received this info from GW earlier this morning:

Our program director has been hired and he is scheduled to start on Monday, January 24. The online application is in process and should be available on Monday, January 24 as well.

All of this information along with other program updates will be shared with prospective students starting next week.