ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the generic goals and defining characteristics of such interdisciplinary planning programs at the graduate level, and describes a specific Ph.D. program at the University of Michigan that has been structured as such an educational response. The specific example to be described is the Ph.D. Program in Urban, Technological, and Environmental Planning (UTEP) at the University of Michigan, which was restructured in 1982 with the above defining characteristics. By the summer of 1985, the UTEP program had gone through two full years of operation, the year 1982–83 being a transitional period. It may be said that the UTEP program has been quite successful in meeting its restructured goals by assuming the defining characteristics discussed previously for interdisciplinary planning programs. The program has its share of difficulties, most of which are administrative in nature—internal budget retrenchment, uneven enthusiasm among participating schools and colleges, etc.
