Undergraduate

Community and Environmental Planning

Integrate urban planning principles with environmental science and public policy while gaining hands-on experience through local partnerships and fieldwork.

Degree

Bachelor of Science

Location

Durham, NH

Courses

16*

Credit

128 hrs.*

Full-time

4 yrs.

Part-time

Varies

View course catalog

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Natural Resources and the Environment

The Community and Environmental Planning major at UNH is an interdisciplinary program that combines urban planning, environmental science, and public policy, providing students with the skills to address complex issues like land use, environmental conservation, and community development.

Students gain hands-on experience through internships, fieldwork and collaboration with local organizations. This major appeals to students passionate about issues such as housing, economic opportunity, local infrastructure, social justice, and sustainability. Graduates are well-prepared for careers in urban planning, environmental or policy consulting, nonprofit work and government roles focused on community development, sustainable development and community engagement.

*Number of courses and course credit hours may vary, please reach out to your academic advisor for exact requirements.

Department of Natural Resources and the Environment

Key Links

Tuition Costs

Contact Cards

Marsha Tonkovich

Lecturer

Marsha.Tonkovich@unh.edu

James Hall, Room G64, Durham, NH 03824

(603) 862-4075

What is community and environmental planning?

Community and environmental planning is about making our communities better places to live, work and play. Students pursuing this major explore subjects such as economic development, transportation, affordable housing, green space, sustainability and local agriculture. They gain the knowledge and skills needed to manage development, assess the consequences of proposed changes, protect natural resources and recommend program, policy and regulatory changes.

Why study community and environmental planning at UNH?

Students in the community and environmental planning program do more than sit in a classroom. Through an interactive and dynamic curriculum that includes outreach work, students develop a solid foundation in the basic principles of community planning and critical related topics such as natural resources, economics and political science and apply their knowledge in the real world through the program’s internship requirement. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the Semester in the City program in Boston, a rigorous 30+ hour per week internship with a leading social change organization designed to equip a new generation of leaders dedicated to the public good.

Potential careers

Community planner
Conservation planner
Economic development planner
Environmental planner
Land use planner
Parks and recreation planner
Regional planner
Transportation planner
Sustainability planner
Urban planner

Curriculum & Requirements

Program Description

The Community and Environmental Planning (CEP) program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills to become effective community planners in the public or private sector. All of the courses are designed to give the student a diverse skill-set in planning for the sustainability of communities. CEP students are provided a solid planning background with planning courses covering local, state and regional planning topics and methods. CEP students also take foundational courses in natural resources, geographic information systems, economics, and statistics, as well as a political science course, and a social issues course. The internship requirement allows the planning student to apply their knowledge in the real world for instrumental hands-on experience. Semester in the City is also an option for the internship experience. CEP students are encouraged to focus their remaining hours on skills that can enhance their CEP major such as a dual major, a minor, or study abroad.

Expected CEP Student Outcomes:

The foundational education in planning, natural resources, economics and sustainability.
The fundamental values of diversity, equity, justice, and protection of community and the environment.
The ability to assess, discuss, and engage others in the problems and potential solutions associated with impacts of land use changes.
The ability to work with community members and professionals in the design and implementation of community improvements in building and transportation while protecting natural and built resources.

Students may go on to work in the community development or community planning departments in local communities. They may also choose to work in regional planning agencies, or with a state or federal office. Other options include the private sector, such as architectural or development companies, or the non-profit sector, such as with community development corporations or conservation groups. The American Planning Association provides a certification process for the planning profession (American Institute of Certified Planners) after several years of planning experience. Students may also choose to go on to graduate studies in Community and Environmental Planning, Natural Resources Management, Public Administration, or a related field.

Degree Plan

Sample Degree Plan

This sample degree plan serves as a general guide; students collaborate with their academic advisor to develop a personalized degree plan to meet their academic goals and program requirements.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall		Credits
CEP 415	Community Development Perspectives	4
NR 435 or NR 437 or SUST 401	Contemporary Conservation Issues and Environmental Awareness or Principles of Sustainability or Exploring Sustainability	4
NR 411 or ECON 402	Environmental and Resource Economics Perspectives or Principles of Economics (Micro)	4
ENGL 401	First-Year Writing	4
	Credits	16
Spring
Choose 1 Foundational Elective
NR 507 or NR 572 or NR 606 or SW 525 or SOC 450 or SOC 565 or GEOG 560 or GEOG 581 or RMP 490 or POLT 500 or POLT 502 or POLT 595	Introduction to our Energy System and Sustainable Energy or Introduction to Natural Resource Economics or International Energy Topics or Social Welfare Policy: History of Social and Economic Justice or Contemporary Social Problems or Environment and Society or Natural Hazards and Human Disasters or Society, Environment and Justice or Recreation & Tourism in Society or American Public Policy or State and Local Government or Smart Politics	4
Choose any three Discovery required courses. Consider the following:
Discovery Biological Science with Lab		4
Discovery Humanities		4
Inquiry Course		4
	Credits	16
Second Year
Fall
CEP 614	Fundamentals of Planning	4
NR 602	Natural Resources and Environmental Policy	4
BIOL 528 or SOC 402 or PSYC 402	Applied Biostatistics I or Statistics or Statistics in Psychology	4
Choose any remaining Discovery required course. Consider the following:
Discovery Fine and Performing Arts		4
	Credits	16
Spring
CEP 508	Applied Community Development	4
Elective		4
Choose any remaining two Discovery Course requirements. Consider the following:
Discovery Physical Sciences		4
Discovery Environment, Technology & Society (if not completed)		4
	Credits	16
Third Year
Fall
CEP 627	Community Economics	4
CEP 672 or CEP 673	Fundamentals of Real Estate or Green Real Estate	4
Elective		4
Choose any remaining Discovery required course. Consider the following:
Discovery Historical Perspectives		4
May consider CEP 794 internship or courses toward a minor.
	Credits	16
Spring
NR 724	Resolving Environmental Conflicts	4
NR 658 or ESCI 777	Introduction to Geographic Information Systems or GIS for Earth & Environmental Sciences	4
ESCI 777 is currently offered in fall - switch semester with Discovery Historical Perspectives course if needed
Choose one Advanced Elective (note that some of these have prerequisites)
CEP 673 or CEP 672 or NR 608 or NR 720 or NR 757 or NR 767W or NR 784 or NR 785 or NR 787 or RMP 724 or RMP 776 or AGFS 620 or AGFS 690 or SW 660 or PPOL 712	Green Real Estate (if not taken as core) or Fundamentals of Real Estate or Economics of Sustainability or International Environmental Politics and Policies for the 21st Century or Remote Sensing of the Environment or Social Impact Assessment or Sustainable Living - Global Perspectives or Systems Thinking for Sustainable Solutions or Advanced Topics in Sustainable Energy or Research, Evaluation, and Data-Driven Decisions or Human Dimensions of Natural Environments or Food Systems & Community Resilience or Agricultural and Food Policy or Exploring Issues in Housing and Homelessness or Strategies for Policy Impact	4
Choose any remaining Discovery required course. Consider the following:
Discovery World Cultures		4
May consider CEP 794 internship or courses toward a minor.
	Credits	16
Fourth Year
Fall
Choose one Advanced Elective (note that some of these have prerequisites)
NR 608 or NR 720 or NR 757 or NR 767W or NR 784 or NR 785 or NR 787 or RMP 724 or RMP 776 or AGFS 620 or AGFS 690 or SW 660 or PPOL 712	Economics of Sustainability or International Environmental Politics and Policies for the 21st Century or Remote Sensing of the Environment or Social Impact Assessment or Sustainable Living - Global Perspectives or Systems Thinking for Sustainable Solutions or Advanced Topics in Sustainable Energy or Research, Evaluation, and Data-Driven Decisions or Human Dimensions of Natural Environments or Food Systems & Community Resilience or Agricultural and Food Policy or Exploring Issues in Housing and Homelessness or Strategies for Policy Impact	4
CEP 794	Community and Environmental Planning Internship	4
CEP 794 internship may be taken any semester -- including summer -- from sophomore through senior year
Elective		4
Elective		4
	Credits	16
Spring
CEP 777	Topics in Community Planning	4
Elective		4
Elective		4
Elective		4
	Credits	16
	Total Credits	128

Requirements for the Program

Degree Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement: 128 credits

Minimum Residency Requirement: 32 credits must be taken at UNH

Minimum GPA: 2.0 required for conferral*

Core Curriculum Required: Discovery & Writing Program Requirements

Foreign Language Requirement: No

All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.

Major Requirements

Courses with the subject prefix CEP must be completed with a grade of C- or above. Excluding CEP 794 which is credit/fail grading.
All students must complete the 13 required core courses listed below, and select one foundational elective and two advanced electives for a total of 16 courses for the major.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required Core Courses
CEP 415	Community Development Perspectives (Discovery Course)	4
CEP 508	Applied Community Development	4
CEP 614	Fundamentals of Planning	4
CEP 627	Community Economics	4
CEP 672	Fundamentals of Real Estate	4
or CEP 673	Green Real Estate
CEP 777	Topics in Community Planning (Capstone Course)	4
CEP 794	Community and Environmental Planning Internship	4
NR 411	Environmental and Resource Economics Perspectives	4
or ECON 402	Principles of Economics (Micro)
NR 435	Contemporary Conservation Issues and Environmental Awareness	4
or NR 437	Principles of Sustainability
or SUST 401	Exploring Sustainability
NR 602	Natural Resources and Environmental Policy	4
NR 658	Introduction to Geographic Information Systems	4
or ESCI 777	GIS for Earth & Environmental Sciences
NR 724	Resolving Environmental Conflicts	4
BIOL 528	Applied Biostatistics I	4
or PSYC 402	Statistics in Psychology
or SOC 402	Statistics
Electives
Foundational Electives
Select one course from the following:		4
NR 507	Introduction to our Energy System and Sustainable Energy
NR 572	Introduction to Natural Resource Economics
NR 606	International Energy Topics
SW 525	Social Welfare Policy: History of Social and Economic Justice
SOC 450	Contemporary Social Problems
SOC 565	Environment and Society
GEOG 560	Natural Hazards and Human Disasters
GEOG 581	Society, Environment and Justice
RMP 490	Recreation & Tourism in Society
POLT 500	American Public Policy
POLT 502	State and Local Government
POLT 595	Smart Politics
Advanced Electives
Select two courses from the following:		8
CEP 673	Green Real Estate ¹
or CEP 672	Fundamentals of Real Estate
NR 608	Economics of Sustainability
NR 720	International Environmental Politics and Policies for the 21st Century
NR 757	Remote Sensing of the Environment
NR 767W	Social Impact Assessment
NR 784	Sustainable Living - Global Perspectives
NR 785	Systems Thinking for Sustainable Solutions
NR 787	Advanced Topics in Sustainable Energy
RMP 724	Research, Evaluation, and Data-Driven Decisions
RMP 776	Human Dimensions of Natural Environments
AGFS 620	Food Systems & Community Resilience
AGFS 690	Agricultural and Food Policy
SW 660	Exploring Issues in Housing and Homelessness
PPOL 712	Strategies for Policy Impact
Total Credits		64

¹: May be taken as an elective if not taken as a core course.

Additional Information

CEP students are encouraged to have a study away/abroad experience, a dual degree, a minor, or focused area of study which add value to the CEP degree. Consider the following to complete the minimum of 128 credits:

Semester in the City (if you have not done this in the CEP major)
EcoQuest New Zealand (16 credits in electives - must qualify with EcoQuest)
Study Away
Study Abroad
Minor as approved by the minor program
Courses to round out a focus area. It is recommended that you choose upper level courses in NR and EREC.

Student Learning Outcomes

Community Planning and Development Foundational Knowledge

The foundational education in planning, community and economic development, natural resources, and sustainability.

Community Engagement

The skills to engage others in the problems and potential solutions associated with community needs and the impacts of land use changes.

Data Collection and Interpretation

The capability to gather and evaluate data on community issues and recommend planning and community development solutions.

Design and Implementation of Plans and Polices

The ability to work with community members and professionals in the development and implementation of public policy, plans and associated community improvements while protecting natural and built resources.

Explore Program Details

FAQ

What kinds of jobs can you get with a degree in Community and Environmental Planning (CEP)?

According to the American Planning Association (the national professional organization for planners), see Employers: https://www.planning.org/employers/

What is the pay level for this career?

According to the American Planning Association: https://www.planning.org/salary/summary/

According to Indeed: https://www.indeed.com/salaries/planner-Salaries

What kinds of classes would a student take for a degree in CEP?

Four specific planning classes take a first-year student from learning about all of the stakeholders in community development and planning and the various perspectives in landscape changes to the sophomore level course in applied community development and planning which focuses on shorter-range action planning, to a junior-level course in the fundamentals in planning which focuses on long-range planning and public involvement, to the senior capstone course on advanced topics in planning which helps students apply all of their coursework in a real and timely community planning project.

These courses focus on planning processes, planning methods, basic research, and written and oral presentations to a variety of audiences. Students also take a course in real estate to better understand the concepts of building and selling property. In a student’s junior or senior year, an internship in planning helps the student apply their planning coursework in the field.

Besides the planning courses, students study the environment, economics, sociology, and political science.
The CEP requirements make up from 64 to 72 credits (depending on the number of credits taken toward the internship). Students need 128 hours of credit to graduate. Discovery courses are part of the University requirements for a bachelor’s degree, and students start taking these courses in their first year on campus. The CEP student has a lot of options with Discovery courses, including working towards a minor or dual/double major.

Does a CEP student have time for other opportunities while at UNH?

CEP students can do a double major if they start planning for this right away. Most students do at least one minor. A student can also do study away/abroad. We encourage students to consider Semester in the City – Boston and EcoQuest New Zealand. But there are hundreds of opportunities at UNH including student organizations such as the UNH Planning Student Organization

Honors Society

Xi Sigma Pi is facilitated through the UNH NREN department. Its goal is to unite likeminded individuals through service and fraternal spirit through a shared enjoyment of the environment. In addition, members receive recognition for their service by earning a cord to wear during graduation. Opportunities to take up leadership roles and give back to the NREN department are abundant.

XI SIGMA PI NREN Honor Society

EcoQuest

Rigorous academic pursuit and hands-on learning from the mountains to the sea. Full immersion learning at a diversity of sites in the North and South Islands.

Ecoquest

Relevant UNH Graduate Programs

Students interested in the Community and Environmental Planning major may also be interested in the following advanced degrees at UNH. Students in the program also have the opportunity to participate in the UNH accelerated master’s program.

Integrative Biology M.S.

Integrative Biology Ph.D.

Natural Resources and the Environment M.S.

Natural Resources: Ecosystem Science M.S.

Natural Resources: Environmental Conservation and Sustainability M.S.

Natural Resources: Environmental Economics M.S.

Natural Resources: Forestry M.S.

Natural Resources: Wildlife and Conservation Biology M.S.

Nutritional Sciences M.S.

Nutritional Sciences Ph.D.

Citizen and Community Science Graduate Certificate

Coastal Policy Graduate Certificate

Community Development Policy and Practice M.A.

Public Administration, Online M.P.A.

Public Policy M.P.P.

Public Policy and Juris Doctor Dual Degree M.P.P./J.D.

College of Life Sciences & Agriculture (COLSA)

Makayla Edgecomb '23

Makayla Edgecomb is a community and environmental planning major with minors in environmental conservation and sustainability and business administration. In 2021, Makayla won the merit-based Granite State Development Corporation scholarship.

05/16/2023

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