Submatric Program

Submatric Program (Accelerated BA/MCP)

Five-year program for undergraduates.

What is the Sub-matriculation Program?

As part of the Quaker Consortium, the Department of City and Regional Planning has agreements with Penn's undergraduate Urban Studies Program, and with Bryn Mawr (and Haverford) College's Program on the Growth and Structure of Cities, allowing juniors to apply for sub-matriculation in the Master of City Planning (MCP) program. This enables them to complete their undergraduate degree and an MCP degree in five years. Students interested in this program should have a strong academic record, some orientation to the planning field, and well-defined professional goals appropriate to the MCP degree.

Students interested in applying to the sub-matriculation program should contact the program’s advisor, Prof. Domenic Vitiello (vitiello@upenn.edu), before applying in order to discuss the program and how it might fit with their undergraduate coursework and schedule.

Students should apply for financial aid at the time they apply to the program.  

Program Requirements and Advising

Students are eligible to apply if they: 1) are currently in their junior year, and 2) have taken the following two courses (both of which count as part of the MCP core curriculum) by the end of the first semester of the junior year:

  • Urban Studies 440 – Introduction to City and Regional Planning: History, Theory, and Practice
  • Urban Studies 330 – GIS Applications in Social Science (Penn) * or CITY B201 (Bryn Mawr) or an appropriate substitute approved by the advisor for the sub-matriculation program.

Like regular MCP students, sub-matriculating students must complete:

  • The MCP core curriculum (8 Course units, or CUs, including the two noted above);
  • One of six concentrations: Housing, Community and Economic Development (4 CUs); Land Use and Environmental Planning (4 CUs); Public/Private Development (4 CUs); Smart Cities (4 CUs); Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure Planning (4 CUs); or Urban Design (5 CUs);
  • At least three or four CUs of elective courses in City and Regional Planning; and
  • A relevant summer internship.

Sub-matriculants typically transfer 2 CUs from undergraduate coursework (in addition to URBS 330 and 440), for a total of 18 cus counted toward the MCP

For sub-matriculants, the senior year is one of overlap between completing undergraduate degree requirements and starting the MCP requirements. Upon acceptance into the MCP program (in the junior year) sub-matriculating students work with their advisors at PennPlanning and in their undergraduate major to develop a two-year course plan.

As per the current Quaker Consortium agreement, students from Bryn Mawr and Haverford may take up to—but not more than—two (2) credit units at Penn each semester while in undergraduate school. This includes their senior year.

A typical sequence of courses for sub-matriculants is:

Fall of Sophomore or Junior year:

URBS 440 (CPLN 500) – Introduction to City and Regional Planning: History, Theory, and Practice

URBS 330 – GIS Applications in Social Science  

Fall year 1:

CPLN 501 – Quantitative Planning Analysis Methods

CPLN 5xx – Introductory course in a Concentration

Spring year 1:

CPLN 600 – Workshop (2 CUs)

Fall year 2:

CPLN xxx – Concentration course

CPLN xxx – Concentration course

CPLN 700 – Planning Studio (2 CUs)

CPLN xxx- CPLN elective

Spring year 2:

CPLN 502 – Urban and Infrastructure Finance (or CPLN 509 – Law and Urban Development)  

CPLN xxx – Concentration course

CPLN xxx – Concentration course or elective in City and Regional Planning

CPLN xxx – Elective in City and Regional Planning

CPLN xxx – Elective in City and Regional Planning