Engineering in Urban Planning and Design
The spatial planning engineering program at Birzeit University aims for the preparation of distinguished planning engineers, who combine between the knowledge and skills of planning and the knowledge of other engineering discipline; to ensure coherence and integration necessary for the application of the profession; by maintaining its customs and traditions while working to consolidate the values of the new civilization and upgrading it to keep up with the times.
- The development of the understanding of the concept of spatial planning and the strengthening of its foundation and components to the student, by defining it as a social phenomenon stemming from the society’s needs. And the development of the students understanding of the importance of this field with its various layers for the building of the local community
- Enhancing the students ability of using various tools in the areas of spatial analysis and pin pointing the urban issues while developing strategies and planning solutions
- Development of the student’s capacity in the fields of planning, landscape, and architectural design while also expanding on the design of spaces, and urban spaces with its surroundings, finally understanding the relationship between design and the social, economic and regulator urban environment
- Introducing the student to the different schools and styles which formed the cultural heritage of mankind, and to provide the knowledge and critical and analytical skills necessary to achieve communication and interaction with the history of urbanization and its present
- Teaching to document the urban monuments while training on collecting data and analyzing it. Introducing the student to the needed skills for research in spatial planning including its methodologies, structure, and outputs.
- Providing the student with the skills to choose the best systems for planning, construction, and their method; while applying the modern urban systems which fits with the Palestinian context
- Clarifying the relationship between spatial planning and other fields of knowledge such as humanities, sociology, psychology, geography and others.
- Development of the concepts with regards to sustainable development, and highlighting its importance as an integral part of spatial planning
- Connection between the university and the market including official and private institutions, and the interaction with existing projects and planned as cases for study and research.
- Promoting the spirit of teamwork among students and give the student the knowledge of ethics and values.
The graduate of the program acquires the following knowledge, skills and concepts:
- Shows knowledge of scientific terminology related to own specialization.
- Shows understanding of the physical and geographical facts related to specialization
- Shows understanding of the sense of spatial planning and its foundation and components.
- Shows knowledge and understanding of the theories of spatial planning
- Shows knowledge and understanding of the history and evolution of spatial planning and landscape.
- Shows knowledge and understanding of the Palestinian legislation for spatial planning
- Links urban systems and the needs of the Palestinian society and their own legislation.
- Links spatial planning and other fields of knowledge.
- Connects and explains the relationship between spatial planning and sustainable development.
- Fluent in the use of various tools in the field of spatial planning.
- Formulates projects for government agencies and prepares the necessary documents for them
- Applies scientific principles to the design and development of facilities and spaces creatively.
- Analyzes the various planning problems and proposes solutions.
- Links scientific knowledge with reality.
- Employs the theories of spatial planning and its history in planning and urban design and re-urbanization.
- Employs technology and software to perform various statistical analyses.
- Employs the skills of scientific research on the subject of spatial planning for the architectural codification and documents data and analysis.
- Planning at the national, regional and global levels.
- Spatial planning in all its aspects (planning towns and villages).
- Develop detailed plans for residential capitals
- Planning and design of open spaces (public and private gardens, parks ... etc.).
- Rehabilitation of historic and architectural complexes and their development.
- Urban Design (Housing Projects, recreational and tourist areas, the development of urban centers and villages, and sports complexes, areas with the use of special .... etc.).
- Work in public and private institutions, and local government institutions, according to the needs of growth and development.
- Studies and research and consulting.
Program Requirements
Students must successfully complete a minimum of 164 credit hours of courses distributed as follows:
|
Credit Hours |
Requirements |
|
21-22 |
University requirements |
|
30 |
Faculty Requirements |
|
107 |
Program Requirements |
|
6-5 |
Free Electives |
|
164 |
Total |
1. Compulsory Courses (101 credit hours)
|
Course No. |
Course Title |
Prerequisite(s) |
|
Mechanics 1 |
||
|
Surveying Lab For Architecture And Planning Engineering |
ENCE327 or Concurrent |
|
|
Surveying For Architecture And Planning Engineering |
||
|
Transportation Engineering |
||
|
History of Architecture |
Acceptance to the program |
|
|
Principles of Architectural Design 1 |
||
|
Architectural Presentations and Perspective |
||
|
Theories of Architecture (for Planning Student) |
||
|
Architecture In Palestine |
||
|
Building Constructions |
||
|
Human Geography |
|
|
|
Cartography |
||
|
Urban Sociology |
||
|
Open Spaces Design |
||
|
Landscape Design |
||
|
History of Spatial planning and Landscape |
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|
Horticulture and Ecology |
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|
Housing Design |
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|
Urban Development and Revitalization |
||
|
Principles of Spatial Planning 1 |
||
|
Principles of Spatial Planning 2 |
||
|
Legislation and Laws of Planning |
||
|
Theories of Spatial Planning and Landscape |
||
|
GIS |
||
|
Practical Training |
||
|
Advanced Skills |
4th year students |
|
|
Seminar in Spatial Planning |
||
|
Environmental Planning |
||
|
Planning Statistics |
||
|
Landscape Ecology |
||
|
Introduction to Infrastructural Planning |
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|
Road Planning and Development |
||
|
Rural Planning and Development |
||
|
Management of Planning Projects |
||
|
Introduction to Graduation Project |
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|
Graduation Project |
||
|
Advanced Spatial Planning |
||
|
Principles of Regional Planning |
||
|
Land Administration |
2. Specialization Electives (6 credit hours):
|
Course No. |
Course Title |
Prerequisite(s) |
|
Introduction to Remote Sensing |
||
|
Engineering Economy (for engineering students only) |
||
|
Rehabilitation of Historical Sites |
||
|
Forestry |
Department approval |
|
|
Planning and Gender |
Department approval |
|
|
Visual Culture of Space |
Department approval |
|
|
Principle of Spatial Planning 3 (Spatial Planning in Palestine) |
||
|
Special Topics in Spatial Planning |
Department approval |
- Successfully completing and obtaining a cumulative average of 70% or more in the following courses: MATH1411, MATH1321, PHYS141, PHYS131
- Successfully completing and obtaining 70% or more in the following courses: ENAR211 and ENME121.
- The overall average grade will be computed based on 50% for the courses listed in item 1, 30% for ENAR211, and 20% for ENME121.
- Department approval based on its capacity. In the case the number of applicants exceeds the enrolment capacity of the Department, only those with the highest overall competitive average grade will be admitted. The average grade will be calculated based on the grades of all course attempts.
Students will be admitted competitively for direct specialization according to their Palestinian scientific stream average (TAWJIHI) or its equivalent.
