<p>Is anyone on CC in the program by any chance, or know someone who is? I was just wondering what it's like to be a student at PPD (class sizes internship opportunities, professors, curriculum, courseload, etc.)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I'm a PPD student, and I'm also a Student Ambassador for the school. </p>
<p>SPPD is awesome (I have heard it compared to being the "spa" of USC, as you get so much extra attention). </p>
<p>It is a small school, home to only one undergraduate major, and is filled mostly with graduate students. Still it has great professors, a flexible curriculum, and some of the smallest class sizes at USC. Most classes have around 30 students. In addition, the facilities are new, and the classrooms are beautiful. The program has a required internship. Through concentrations, you can focus in specific fields, including public policy, health management, urban planning, and real estate development. I'm doing RED, and it is a unique program, that is very rare for undergrads.</p>
<p>Is the curriculum mainly geared towards government careers? I was looking into Real Estate Development as well, but I'm a little more interested in commercial/ business RE. It seems like it's more of urban planning...can you tell me a little more about the RED curriculum, and what are some jobs people get after they minor/have a concentration in RED?</p>
<p>Thanks for the helpful posts proudtrojan!</p>
<p>I had the same concern as you when I started this major, and as a result I chose to double major in PPD and Business (as both have RED concentrations). </p>
<p>The concentration courses for both majors are very similar, and both will prepare you for commercial/business RE. Some courses even overlap. Courses include RE Finance, RE Law, History of Planning and Development, Analyzing RE Markets, and RE fundamentals. </p>
<p>What differs are the core courses for each major. PPD looks at RED as a field that closely interacts with Policy Makers and Planners. As a result, you take core courses in urban planning, development, ethics, public policy, management, urban studies, and government. BUAD provides a basic business education, with math courses, finance, marketing, org. behavior, and accounting. </p>
<p>Personally, I like PPD alot more. SPPD is one of the smallest schools at USC, and Marshall is one of the largest, and the experiences are very different. In BUAD, you get more practical skills, but you really only take 4 RED classes. In PPD, many more classes in part cover RED. In addition, the majority of people I know in the major want to do some kind of RED in the private sector.</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your experiences, proudtrojan. </p>
<p>I'm currently a sophomore business major, but my experiences so far have only been so-so. I've only taken OB and Marketing, so perhaps I'm jumping to conclusions prematurely, but I am considering switching majors at this point.
One of the majors I am looking into is SPPD. </p>
<p>I explored the SPPD website pretty thoroughly and the course offerings seem very interesting. I also went to the building and picked up some flyers and brochures that tell me more about the program. If you don't mind, I have a few questions about the program.</p>
<p>Firstly, do you find the courses challenging and engaging? I have heard that there are a lot of athletes in SPPD. Does this detract from the academic experience in any way?</p>
<p>Secondly, I have heard that a lot of coursework is centered around writing papers and memorizing terminology. Is this accurate?</p>
<p>Thirdly, does an undergrad degree get you very far in say, urban planning? From the modest amount of research that I've done, it seems that one would need a graduate degree for most jobs.</p>
<p>I'm probably going to try to sit in a few classes, just to get a feel for the major. Any suggestions on which courses I should look in to?</p>
<p>Thanks for any help you can offer!!</p>
<p>I am actually pursuing double degrees, in PPD and BUAD, and I see where you are coming from. I am questioning whether I want to continue with the second degree in BUAD. </p>
<p>Whereas BUAD offers are general business education, PPD offers a very specialized program, so you need to be interested in public policy, urban planning, and development to enjoy the program. </p>
<p>Marshall and SPPD are basically two extremes at USC. Marshall is one of the largest schools with class sizes at 200, and online courses. SPPD is one of the smallest, with average classes being between 27-29 students. At Marshall there are many advisors, and you might meet with a different one every time you visit. SPPD has one advisor who knows every students. SPPD exemplifies everything that USC markets itself to be. </p>
<p>I do find the courses challenging and engaging. Yes, there is a presence of athletes; I think most choose the major because it is very flexible in terms of scheduling classes. The clear majority of students are really passionate about the information. There are really two types of students: those who really like public policy and politics and those who really like planning and development. While taking courses you grow to understand that it is important to have knowledge of all of these fields for a PPD related career. </p>
<p>The teachers are among the best at USC. Of the 1000 SPPD students, 800 are grad students, so most of the programs exist for grad students, but the same teachers (mostly coordinators of the grad programs) teach the undergrad courses. The classes are small, so no TA's or separate discussion sections. </p>
<p>From my experience, most of the classes are centered on discussions, and to be successful you really need to be on top of readings (there are alot) and ready to participate in class. The teachers know who you are and they don't like seeing laptops in class, as these distract from discussions. Most classes have no more than 2 papers a semester; however, there are some smaller assignments. In some classes, terms are learned, but the main focus is on concepts, and using your own analytical skills to use concepts to solve issues and devise solutions to policy and planning related issues. </p>
<p>One of the five concentrations in the major is Urban Planning. It is not as practical as other programs, but there are some design and technology classes. The major does provide the base for a career, but due to its theroretical nature, most urban planning students do get a Masters Degree. A popular option is the progressive degree program, where you can get your BS and Masters Degree in Urban Planning in 4-5 years. The school is very supportive of students who wish to do this. Most sources list USC SPPD as one of the top schools offering an Urban Planning degree.</p>
<p>omg proudtrojan!! Amazing posts!! Thank you thank you!</p>
<p>That's a tremendously helpful post, thank you!!</p>
<p>I find your description of the program encouraging, and I will continue my research into the major, probably by scheduling a time with a student ambassador: SPPD</a> - Prospective Students: Student Ambassadors</p>
<p>A major reason why I am interested in the major is that I interned two summers for the San Francisco city government. The department expressed interest in bringing me back; however, one of the requirements is for me to major in a planning related field.</p>
<p>If I do intern there, I am almost a lock to be hired full-time after I graduate, as the department has a long history of hiring in-house interns they like to work full-time after they graduate. Under the current bargaining agreement, the starting salary for the full-time position is 54k per year, which is pretty solid for right out of college. The promotion potential is good, and the work environment is great. My mother also works for the city, and is very happy with the benefits, etc. In short, should I major in a planning related field, I am very likely to have a great job upon graduation. </p>
<p>Although majoring in planning would be great for me, I am getting cold feet about dropping BUAD. Perhaps you can relate to some of my concerns.</p>
<p>1) Losing the "Marshall" network. SPPD is a new school, so I wouldn't expect the same networking as from what I would find in Marshall. One of the main reasons I paid 40k came to USC was for the network, and I feel a lot of hesitation in letting this go...</p>
<p>2) My business classes could improve. I talked to some graduates, and they told me the large intro classes pretty much suck, but the concentration classes are great and made the major worthwhile.</p>
<p>3) There's always a possibility that the SF government position won't work out. My perception is that it will be more difficult to find a job with a SPPD degree than with a Marshall degree.</p>
<p>Anyhow, perhaps you are wrestling with the same issues. Thanks so much for your earlier posts, really really helpfull!!</p>
<p>One more question came to mind - are the papers graded in a similar way as Writ-140 papers? I do really well on formulaic papers, but I struggle mightily with the Writing-140-style paper, where one has to develop an argument on sometimes arbitary topics. In other words, I can write a very thorough paper that analyzes something in a methodical manner, but when it comes to writing an argumentative paper on a vague topic, I don't do so well.</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>About networking, USC as a whole has connections, and although SPPD is new it is the result of two well-established USC Schools (the former School of Public Administration and School of Planning and Development). </p>
<p>SPPD has historically prepared students for a variety of public sector jobs, but with the recent Real Estate option for undergrads, many are now interested in private sector jobs as well. </p>
<p>SPPD alumni fill jobs in both the public and private sectors. </p>
<p>Relating to both the Urban Planning and Real Estate Development concentrations, an increasing amount of private developers and architects are hiring Planners, and an increasing amount of Real Estate Developers are working in the public sector, developing low-income housing. </p>
<p>The papers are all unique. I have not taken any of the policy courses yet (I start next semester), but I hear that these often have ten page papers where you have to develop an argument on a policy issue. </p>
<p>In the planning and development courses, papers are based on proposing solutions and being creative. Papers include proposing developments, analyzing global cities, describing your community, analyzing public space and describing how it is used. Many projects include visual components as well.</p>
<p>Thank you again, very helpful response. I have a meeting with an admissions representative this Monday.</p>