Concentrations Urban Planning             Urban planning has been, and always will be, an extremely important discipline. Planners have an essential role in determining the success of a community. Planners are continually asked to answer questions and solve problems. According to the department of urban planning at UCLA, planners “have the responsibility to point out where these questions arise in the process of planning, to see that they are addressed, and to help people understand what is at issue and put forward their own proposals”(UCLA). The college of design, at ASU, goes on further to suggest that “planners guide communities in making wise decisions about their use of land and resources” (ASU). Efficient use of resources has become one of our biggest challenges today. The discipline, urban planning, provides an understanding of “landscape architecture and urban design, computer and research methods, urban and development economics, housing, environmental impact assessment, planning and zoning law, transportation, and public policy formulation and administration”(ASU). The American Planning Association states “the goal of city and regional planning is to further the welfare of people and their communities by creating convenient, equitable, healthful, efficient, and attractive environments for present and future generations.” Former APA President, Stuart Meck, FAICP said it best: "Planning is the application of foresight to action"(APA).           According to the Urban and Environmental Planning program, there are a number of subdisciplines that include the following: Urban Housing Analysis, Transportation Planning, Environmental Planning, Preservation Planning, Planning methods, and Land economics. Urban housing analysis focuses on the “nature, dimensions, and problems of urban housing, government policy environment, and underlying economics of the housing market” (Urban). Environmental planning focuses on “environmental planning problems, including flood plains, water quality and quantity, solid and hazardous waste, air quality, landslides, and noise” (Urban). Preservation planning focuses on “history, theory, and principles of historic preservation” (Urban). Planning methods focuses on “tools useful for urban planning research; emphasis on research design and survey methods” (Urban). Land economics focuses on “land use and locational impact of economic activity and the urban real property market” (Urban).   Business              An education in business consists of studying and researching all aspects of the field. According to Albany State University, a degree in business can: “provide the broad perspective needed to effectively manage change in a globally interdependent, highly diverse economy… deliver an integrated, cross-functional program that enables students to understand, critically evaluate and contribute to organizational culture, systems and policy… enhance the interpersonal, communication and analytical skills necessary to work effectively in teams and networks… raise the consciousness of students to recognize and take into account the ethical implications of their actions and to be authentic” (College of Business).           According to Albany State University, there are “professional business-related disciplines such as accounting, economics, finance, management,” as well as real estate and marketing (College of Business). The W.P. Carey School of Business defines the subdiscipline of accounting as the uses of accounting information focusing on the evolution of the business cycle and how accounting information is used for internal and external purposes. According to Stephen K. Happel, economics professor at ASU and author of Economics an Examination of Scarcity, says “the fundamental definition of economics is THE STUDY OF SCARCITY” (Happel 3). According to the W.P. Carey School of Business, the subdiscipline of finance analyzes financial markets and intermediaries, theory of financial intermediation, interest rate theory, money and capital market instruments, and government regulation. According to Rickey W. Griffin, author of Fundamentals of Management, management is “a set of activities (including planning and decision making, organizing, leading, and controlling) directed at using an organizations resources (human, financial, physical, and information) to achieve organizational goals in an efficient and effective matter” (Griffin 6). According to the Real Estate Fundamentals class offered at ASU, this subdiscipline provides information on real estate for the student/consumer with an emphasis on the applied aspects of each area of real estate specialization. According to the W.P. Carey School of Business, the subdiscipline marketing provides basic principles underlying the selling process and their practical application in the sale of industrial goods, consumer goods, and intangibles.