The MCRP program offers an innovative curriculum that draws upon the expertise of SCARP faculty as well as practicing planners, across a wide range of sub-fields, including housing equity, indigenous community planning, environment and climate change, transportation, and numerous more. These are not treated as separate sub-fields but integrated concerns in a transdisciplinary cross-examination of how to create healthy communities for everyone. This is reflected in the specific requirements for the MCRP degree, as well as the research, professional practice, and service activities of the faculty, staff, and students.

The MCRP program is accredited in both Canada and the US, by the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Canadian Institute of Planners. By creating an enhanced professional curriculum meeting their comprehensive learning outcomes, graduates of MCRP leave as accredited experts in the field of planning. SCARP is (by last count) one of only two schools in Canada with a master’s program fully accredited by both the Canadian and American planning organizations.

MCRP's curriculum goes beyond theoretical learning and applies its projects to real-world problems in the community. Students, consultation with faculty, intensively partner with community, municipal, and private-sector organizations as consultants, in a joint venture to identify problems and formally propose feasible solutions. 

The School is highly regarded within the international profession of planning, and its setting in Vancouver, which attracts world-wide attention and acclaim for excellence in urban planning, enhances the educational experience of SCARP students.