Bachelor of Arts - Urban Studies and Planning

Program Description

The Urban Studies and Planning major offers an interdisciplinary curriculum in urban planning and policy and reflects a social science education with an applied, problem-solving focus, training in research methods, and practical hands-on experience in a carefully supervised internship and a practicum (senior seminar). Core courses integrate social science, planning, and policy perspectives into the study of cities, develop the research and analytic tools necessary for urban planning and policy analysis, and offer hands-on applied research experience. Elective courses are designed to apply the basic core course content to urban planning and policy areas of interest.

The B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning is recognized as a solid basis for graduate study. Recent program graduates have gone on to M.A. and Ph.D. programs in schools of city and regional planning (Cornell, Harvard, UC Berkeley, UCLA, NYU, the New School for Social Research, and the University of Texas at Austin), schools of public policy and administration (Kennedy School, Georgetown, UC Berkeley, and San Francisco State), and other fields including law, architecture, social work, and public health. There are also a large number of students who seek entry-level urban planning and policy jobs with a B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning.