Geography, Planning and Sustainability

Study within the Department of Geography, Planning and Sustainability leads to a B.S. degree in Regional Planning. This professional undergraduate degree prepares students for the vital work of designing livable, equitable, and sustainable communities, with a focus on implementing positive change. As a field, Regional Planning is engaged in understanding, evaluating, and improving the human-built environment, while maintaining the health of natural systems. Planners take on the challenges of neighborhood improvement, affordable housing, economic development, multi-modal transportation, green infrastructure, alternative energy, disaster mitigation, healthy food systems, and more.

Regional Planning majors gain the knowledge and skill set of a professional planner while exploring the values and ethical dimensions of human/environment interactions. At its heart, planning is interdisciplinary problem solving and students study the wide variety of forces that shape communities including the historical, social, economic, cultural, legal, political, ecological, and aesthetic. The coursework grounds students in theory, while the program integrates opportunities for real-world applications through case studies, field work, site visits, and a strong internship program. Hallmarks of our program are the enthusiasm of our faculty and their engagement with students and community based projects. Students also gain marketable technical skills in Geographic Information System (GIS) computer mapping techniques, site planning methods, analytical assessment, and effective communication.

Graduates of our program are in demand today at the federal, state, regional, and municipal level to develop plans for the management and protection of community resources. The majority of planners work in public agencies, although there are opportunities within private architectural, engineering, real estate, and law firms. In addition, the skills of planners are sought within the growing sector of non-governmental organizations, especially ones dealing with issues of land conservation and sustainable development. Many of our students are dual majors in Regional Planning and related disciplines (such as Environmental Science, Political Science, Criminal Justice, Ethnic and Gender Studies, History, etc.) and many of our graduates have gone on to advanced degrees.

Six GPS courses are included in the Common Core of Studies as the issues engaged, and material covered, are fundamental to the development of knowledgeable and discerning citizens. The civic education offered in these classes furthers the University’s mission to prepare students for the challenges and increasing complexity of membership in a democratic society and urbanized, globally connected world. Students can also study in the department through minors in geography, regional planning, and GIS.

The department manages the GIS Technology and Applications Center (GIST), a lab that serves as a hub for GIS activity on and off campus including classes, workshops, and research. In addition a state-of-the-art internet-enabled weather station is installed on campus and monitored by GPS faculty.

Mission

Through a combination of coursework, internships, community-based projects, and research, the degree program prepares students to work as professional planners in public, non-profit, and private sector positions. In addition, non-majors gain a spatial understanding of social and environmental issues, and engagement with regional planning as a civic activity.

Programs

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Minor

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Geography, Planning and Sustainability

Catalog

WHAT PATH WILL YOU TAKE?

Westfield State University

Geography, Planning and Sustainability

Mission

Programs

Courses