Advising for Potential Majors and Minors

Students wishing to declare a major or minor in Urban Studies must first meet with an advisor in the Urban Studies office to discuss their planned course of study. Prior to the meeting, students should familiarize themselves with the information provided below. Students may schedule a meeting by writing to urbs@sas.upenn.edu or use Calendly to make an in-person or Zoom appointment with Julia McWilliams, URBS Co-Director: calendly.com/mcjulia-upenn

If you are interested in the URBS major, review the Major Proposal Form. We will use the form in your meeting.

After your meeting, you can declare the major or minor by filling out the “Declare/Update Field of Study Form” accessed through Path Forms. If you have submitted, but are uncertain if it has been fully processed, reach out to the URBS Coordinator Vicky Karkov: vkarkov@sas.upenn.edu.

Here is a typical Urban Studies path of study, from freshman through senior year: RECOMMENDED SCHEDULE FOR MAJORS.

MAP - Major Advising Program

The Major Advising Program at Penn is a peer advising system that assists students in their decision to declare a major. Freshmen and Sophomores may contact a MAP Urban Studies advisor to find out more about the program from a student's perspective. Students who wish to become MAP advisors should apply using the MAP website (PennKey login required).

Transfer Credit 

Students requesting credit in Urban Studies for courses taken at another institution must submit the request electronically through XCAT (External Course Approval). Please note that it may take several weeks for courses to be processed through the XCAT queue, and it is helpful to provide as much information as you can about the course - title, description, syllabus, etc.

Study Abroad

Urban Studies majors who are planning a semester abroad are encouraged to do so in the fall term of their junior year, to accommodate the fieldwork requirement, usually completed in the spring term.

The Office of International Programs coordinates all international activities for the university. 

Penn currently has an exchange program with University College London, Urban Studies - Bartlett School of Planning.

Another popular study abroad program for Urban Studies students is the International Honors Program (IHP): Cities in the 21st Century.

Another final program is Penn in Washington (PIW) that has an internship component that counts for URBS3000 credit as well as two courses that can count toward your discipline focus. 

If you would like to know whether a course is eligible for Urban Studies credit in advance of signing up for it, email urbs@sas.upenn.edu with as much information on the course as you can provide - title, description, syllabus, etc. Once you have signed up for the course, you may then submit it into the XCAT system. Classes taken abroad typically do not appear on your transcript until you have completed the course and earned a grade, and the courses have been approved through XCAT and processed by the registrar.

Please note that no more than 3 abroad courses can be applied to the Themes section of your Urban Studies major.

Submatriculation

Here are some of the more common programs that Urban Studies undergrads submatriculate into: