MEM/MF + MCRP

Master’s Project Guidelines for MEM/MCRP Dual Degree Students Admitted in Fall 2024 and Beyond

Dual degree students who have not yet begun work on their NSOE Master’s Project are no longer required to complete a Master’s Project (or a Course-Based Pathway) as part of their NSOE degree requirements. This update does not apply to students who will be completing their Master’s Project in Spring 2026 or who have already begun work on the project. However, dual degree students who wish to pursue a Master’s Project may do so.

Students impacted by this change must still complete the required number of credits to graduate. The Nicholas School recognizes that pursuing a joint degree provides significant depth of study and professional skill development that fulfills the objectives of both the Master’s Project and the Course-Based Pathway.

If your joint degree program outside of NSOE requires a Master’s Project or equivalent capstone, you must fulfill those requirements as determined by that program.

Master’s Project Guidelines for MEM/MCRP Dual Degree Students Admitted in 2023 or Earlier

Update as of Spring 2026: Dual degree students who have already begun work on their Master’s Project are required to complete the project, including submitting all final deliverables and reports by the established deadlines. These students must adhere to the degree requirements in place at the time of matriculation.

MP Options for Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke / Department of City and Regional Planning at UNC

The MEM and MCRP programs each require a capstone Master’s Project

Option One: Two Separate MPs
Nicholas School MP
  • Participate in the MEM MP process and enroll in 4-6 MP credits (ENVIRON 899). Depending on the concentration, MCRP students may choose to participate in either the 3- semester MP, beginning spring semester of their second year, or the 2-Semester MP, beginning in at the start of their third year.

Department of City and Regional Planning MP
  • Complete a final project of professional quality on a topic of the student’s area of specialization. This is an independent project and students must complete it in their last semester in the program. Students may register for 3 MP credits (PLAN 992).
Option Two: One Combined MP

Complete an MP in your third year of study that satisfies all the MP requirements of both the Nicholas School of the Environment and the Department of City and Regional Planning at UNC. The student must secure both a Nicholas School and an MCRP MP advisor.

  • Nicholas School MP: Report out and expand on an applied project that they may have already completed as part of their MCRP studies by diving deeper into a related environmental component. With this option, students may register for 3 ENV 899 credits, since the MP would be an extension of a project done with the Department of City and Regional Planning. The student must secure a Nicholas School appointed faculty member to serve as their MP advisor. Students must present at the Nicholas School Spring Symposium, and upload their final report to the DukeSpace Digital Library Archive.
  • MCRP MP: Expand on work they have already completed as part of their MEM requirements by carving out an independent portion if the MEM project was a group project and by diving deeper into the Urban Planning component of the project. With this option, students may register for 3 PLAN 992 credits. If housed at Duke in the fall of your third year, you will submit your MP proposal to MCRP in the fall and be assigned your MCRP MP advisor.