The School of Urban and Regional Planning is located in Robert Sutherland Hall, connected directly to the social sciences complex, close to the Stauffer Library, the John Deutsch University Centre, and the recreation facilities of the Athletics and Recreation Centre. Robert Sutherland Hall is home to eleven teaching and research units of the University involved in policy studies. Besides the School of Urban and Regional Planning, the Policy Studies, Public Administration and Industrial Relations programs are directly involved in the teaching of policy-related issues. All the Social Sciences departments (Economics, Sociology, Geography, Global Development Studies and Political Studies) are adjoining, accessible by covered passageways, as is the Faculty of Law.

Staff offices, seminar rooms, student study rooms, and project rooms are situated together, thereby fostering interaction among all members of the School. Usually, full-time students are provided with individual study spaces with direct connections to the internet for laptop and desktop computers. The School's computer laboratory has three PC desktop computers, a network printer, a scanner, and a wide variety of software for wordprocessing, Internet browsing, presentation graphics, spreadsheets, database management, advanced statistical analysis, computer aided design, and geographic information systems. For more complex projects students can purchase access to the GIS laboratory. Students also have access to a number of other campus computing centres. Every student office is directly connected to the Internet by the University's fibre-optic network. The entire building has access to the University’s wireless network. The University also provides students with electronic mail accounts and personal web pages.

Stauffer Library has a substantial collection of government (including municipal) documents, maps and aerial photographs, atlases and economic and business texts and materials. Several digital databases and a digital map library are maintained at the Social Science Data Centre. The adjacent Engineering Library and the Law Library also contain planning texts and journals and are available for use by the School.

The program provides a core of seven required courses, five or seven electives with a thesis or report respectively. Included in the core is one of the planning project courses, which should be related to the designated area of concentration. The core courses introduce theories and methods common to all fields of urban and regional planning. Almost all courses emphasize linking theory with action. Within the elective component of the program, each student will designate an area of concentration from the three specializations offered by the School, namely, i) Housing and Human Services, ii) Environmental Services, and iii) Land Use and Real Estate Development. Alternatively, a student also has the option of setting up a special area to pursue professional interests. In each case, the area of concentration will normally consist of two courses, approved by the faculty advisor, from the offerings of the School or cognate disciplines, plus at least three methodology course modules. Beyond the area of concentration a student will have an opportunity to pursue other academic and professional interests, with the approval of the faculty advisor, through the remainder of the electives, which may include up to two courses from the undergraduate 300 and 400 series.

The core courses are indicated by a (†). These have been arranged to form a coherent program of study appropriate to urban and regional planning. Each student is given the opportunity to pursue a planning subject of his/her own interest in considerable depth through the medium of a master's report or thesis. Both these projects are research-oriented, and their difference lies essentially in the degree of elaboration and evaluation required. A master's report is considered to be equivalent to two term-length courses and the thesis to four term-length courses. Students choosing the thesis option need only take 12 courses; 14 courses are required with the report option.

Students are required to maintain an average of 'B' at all times in their programs. All courses offered by the School are to be designated primary for which a passing grade is 'B-' (B minus). Only primary courses can be counted towards the minimum program requirement. Courses (graduate and undergraduate) from outside the School may be taken in fulfillment of program requirements, but these have to be approved by the advisor and designated as primary. For students who would like to take courses (graduate or undergraduate) outside the School to enhance their program over and above the minimum requirements, they can designate these elective courses as secondary. A maximum of two secondary courses is allowed, with the advisor's approval. A secondary course is considered passed with a 'D-' (D minus) grade, and an overall 'B' average must be maintained.

For further information on the School and its program visit our website at www.queensu.ca/surp.