Transportation Planning, Graduate Certificate

The graduate Certificate in Transportation Planning requires 12 s.h. of credit. Students must maintain a Graduate College major program grade-point average of at least 3.00 for the certificate.

In order to cover the variety of topics needed for professionals in transportation planning, the certificate curriculum includes transportation planning history, policy, analytic methods, and the relationship between travel, city form, and urban design. For the capstone course, students undertake a real-world transportation project in collaboration with a community partner through the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities.

The first course in the certificate program introduces students to fundamentals of urban planning history, theory, and the symbiotic relationship between transportation systems, urban form, and sustainability. Elective courses deepen knowledge through specialization in areas of policy, travel behavior analysis, and traffic safety. Students complete the capstone project as their last course to earn the certificate.

The certificate may be completed in one calendar year or completed over a two-year span if students complete one transportation course per semester. This option accommodates part-time students and those currently enrolled in a two-year master's degree program at the University of Iowa.

Courses are taught primarily in hybrid or online formats. Some elective courses are offered on campus only; however, the certificate may be completed entirely online by selecting courses available in that format. Courses are taught by faculty members in the School of Planning and Public Affairs and the College of Public Health.

The Certificate in Transportation Planning requires the following work.

Required Coursework

Course # Title Hours
This course (completed first):
URP:6266Transportation, Urban Form, and Sustainability3
Two of these:
URP:4262Transportation Research Methods and Analysis3
URP:6233Public Finance and Budgeting3
URP:6260Transportation Policy and Planning3
CPH:4220Global Road Safety3
And this course:
URP:6270Transportation Planning Studio (consult advisor)3

Master of Science in urban and regional planning students may apply to the certificate program through the Graduate College. See Planning and Public Affairs in the catalog for information about graduate study and degree requirements in the school.