Planners operate at the neighborhood, metropolitan, state, or national level, in both the public and private sectors. Subspecialties within the planning field also have been described in terms of the roles that planners are called upon to play, such as manager, designer, regulator, advocate, evaluator, or futurist. The Department of Urban Studies and Planning is committed to educating planners who can advocate the interests of underrepresented constituencies. One way of acquiring these skills and integrating them with classroom knowledge is through the department's fieldwork and internship programs. Through fieldwork, students can acquire competence by working with practitioners and then bringing field experiences back into the academic setting for reflection and discussion.
Academic credit is awarded according to the time committed.
In some cases stipends are available for fieldwork or internship programs. Specific opportunities for concentration and specialization available to students are included in the descriptions of the degree programs that follow. These subjects are part of the Professional Development Institute and include both subjects for credit and for professional development.