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Five (5) students submitted portfolios summarizing their work while in the MURP program and these portfolios were evaluated across nine Learning Outcomes criteria by two (2) faculty. All five (5) students exceed the minimum criteria for all nine Learning Outcomes (average faculty evaluation of 85% or higher).

The average score for General Planning Knowledge was 92.2%, the average score for Planning Skills was 92.2%, and the average score for Values and Ethics was 91.5%. This year's score for Planning Skills is slightly lower than the score) during 2022-2023 assessment (95.5%), although still higher than 90%. This is mostly due to the fact that the students had to switch instructors mid-semester in URP 6920 Planning Workshop. The Portfolio's General Planning Knowledge and Values and Ethics scores were roughly in line with previous years and quite high at 92.5% and 91.5%, respectively.

The MURP faculty discussed areas of programmatic strength and weakness, as reflected through the portfolio reviews. Areas of high achievement with regard to learning outcomes were as follows:

• Sustainability, Resilience, and Climate Justice
• Analytical Skills and Tools
• Planning Law and Institutions
• Planning Process and Engagement

Sustainability, Resilience, and Climate Justice are among the strongest areas of our curriculum. Though this area is primarily covered in our Sustainable Cities course (URP 6406), students mentioned many other courses when addressing this topic, such as Environmental Analysis in Planning (URP 6425) and Environmental Policy and Programs (URP 6429). The discussions offered by the students illustrate that sustainability and resilience concepts are well integrated throughout the curriculum. During 2023-2024, students had an improved understanding (93.8% vs. 92.6% in the previous period) of sustainability, resilience, and climate justice, which could be attributed to our newly hired tenure-track faculty in sustainability and environmental policy and planning.

Analytical Skills and Tools continue to be one of our programmatic strengths. Three areas of planning methods are emphasized through various course offerings, including economic and demographic analysis, statistics, and GIS. The GIS courses include the core course URP 6270 Introduction to GIS as well as other GIS courses as part of the graduate GIS Certificate. In their portfolios, students commonly mentioned three core classes as evidence of the learning outcome: Planning Methods (URP 6200), Statistics for Urban Planning (URP 6211), and Introduction to GIS (URP 6270). Students appreciated the variety of analytical tools they learned in the program and could readily speak to their utility. In previous years, URP 6873 Site Planning was taught as a cross-listed course by an adjunct faculty member. With hiring Dr. Melina Matos, we could offer it as a stand-alone graduate course, which also improved the learning outcomes in this area.

Planning Law and Institutions continue to be a strong area in our curriculum. The students draw their knowledge in this area from the instruction in URP 6131 Legal Aspects of Planning and URP 6115 Urban Governance. In previous years, URP 6115 was taught by an adjunct faculty. With hiring two Assistant Professors to cover our teaching loads, we could assign a full-time instructor to teach Urban Governance. A seasoned land use lawyer and developer with a J.D. degree has always taught URP 6131 Legal Aspects of Planning. 

One growth area over previous Learning Outcomes Assessment concerned the Planning Process and Engagement . Previously, students had struggled with finding adequate evidence and coursework related to Planning Process and Engagement . Changes implemented to Planning Project (URP 6979) and Site Planning (URP 6873) have shown clear dividends, as students mentioned both of these courses, in addition to Planning Workshop (URP 6920). Although the faculty evaluation of students' outcomes in the Planning Process and Engagement during 2023-2024 is slightly lower than the score in 2022-2023, students continue to show a sound understanding of how the planning process and community engagement play a critical role in planning decisions.

Compared to the 2022-2023 learning outcome assessment related to Urban and Regional Development , in 2023-2024, students showed improved understanding of these topics. The portfolios provided comprehensive examples and evidence. This is mainly attributed to curricular improvements in URP 6840 Urban Spatial Structure and URP 6101 History and Theory of Planning.

Leadership skills are part of the learning outcomes category for professionals, communication, and leadership skills. Students have shown a sound preparation for professional and communication skills due to various course requirements, but the evidence for leadership skills is somewhat inadequate.