Senior courses of interest | School of Planning

PLAN 485 - Projects, Problems, and Readings in Planning (0.5 units)

The Projects, Problems, and Readings in Planning is a senior-level elective course designed to give you the opportunity to explore a specific planning interest through independent, faculty-supervised research. Course readings, milestones, and final deliverables are collaboratively designed with your advisor to ensure an appropriate level of academic scope and rigour.

Selecting the project and advisor

Define your area of interest. Identify a broad planning topic that excites you, considering drawing inspiration from past work experiences or expanding upon a subject touched on briefly in previous classes.
Narrow down your topic and approach. Focus on a specific problem or research question within your chosen field, framing your topic around one or more of the five core planning research approaches.
Discuss your initial ideas with as many faculty members as possible to gauge feasibility and scope, and to secure agreement from a faculty member who aligns with your topic to act as your official advisor.
Fill out a PLAN 485 Course Request Form (PDF) in close collaboration with your advisor, and submit a signed copy to your undergraduate advisor to officially enrol you in the course.

PLAN 490 - Senior Honours Essay (1.0 units)

The Senior Honours Essay is for those who wish to include major personal research as part of their academic plan, and it is good preparation for a thesis-based Master’s program.

The purpose of the Senior Honours Essay, completed in the fourth year, is to provide practical experience in:

identification of a problem of importance in the planning field,
conducting individual research into this problem, and
presenting the results of the research in the form of a scholarly document that meets both accepted professional and academic standards.

The Senior Honours Essay is a quite detailed and substantial essay and is essentially an undergraduate thesis. Read about common types of essays.

Selecting the research problem and advisor

Identify a broad field of interest within planning. It may relate to your work experience or a subject that you would like to see explored further than is possible in class.
Within this broad field, select a specific problem or topic. Bear in mind the five research approaches available and attempt to state the problem within the context of one of these approaches, keeping in mind that you may wish to combine two or more approaches, given a particular topic.
Discuss the problem or topic with as many faculty members as possible. They will evaluate the reasonableness of your topic and help you select an appropriate advisor.
Complete a Senior Honours Essay - Agreement between Student and Advisor Form (PDF) with your advisor and submit a copy to your undergraduate advisor.
The advisor will advise and assist you with the conduct of your research. The advisory function is seen as a learning experience primarily, rather than an administrative process. The primary responsibility for the latter rests with the School’s undergraduate advisor.

Time frame of the essay

The duration of the essay will span over two terms, and it is worth 1.0 units. Much of the data required for analysis of the research problem should be collected during the first term. This is also an appropriate time to do any necessary background reading. If the research problem necessitates the gathering of information at a distance from the Kitchener-Waterloo area, it is essential that this phase of the project be well advanced before you begin the second term, at which time you will write the bulk of the essay. The efforts should be reviewed by your advisor as outlined in the signed contract.

* PLAN485 and PLAN 490 topics, if related to a planning specialization, may be approved as an elective course by the Associate Director, Undergraduate Studies, School of Planning.