Requirements for the Major

Declaring a Major or Minor

Students wishing to declare a major or minor in Urban Studies must first meet with someone in the Urban Studies office to discuss their planned course of study. Prior to the meeting, please familiarize yourself 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(link is external)

After the meeting, students will then fill out the “Declare/Update Field of Study Form,” which can be accessed through either Path@Penn, or Path Forms.


[RECOMMENDED SCHEDULE FOR MAJORS]

Here is the Major Proposal Form, for your review, which will be used in your meeting: Major Proposal Form(link is external)

Urban Studies majors take 14 course units (cu's). Courses include a set of core requirements (4 cus) that include 1) a research course that teaches quantitative and qualitative methods for studying cities, 2) an internship for credit and accompanying Fieldwork Seminar, and 3) a senior year original research project.

Introduction to Urban Research, URBS 2000 (1 cu)

Majors learn how to ask research questions about urban issues, what kinds of information and methods are available to address these questions, and gain experience with statistical analysis. In some cases, research methods courses in other departments can be considered as a substitute for Urban Studies 2000, with the approval of the major advisor. This course is offered in fall and spring, and is intended to prepare the student for URBS 4000, Senior Seminar. Students should take this course during their junior year. Students planning to study abroad during the junior year may elect to take URBS 2000 in the second semester of their sophomore year.

Fieldwork Seminar, URBS 3000 (2 cu, 1 semester)

In the spring semester, students engage in a 15 hour per week immersive fieldwork experience at an urban institution or organization. During those hours students will work on projects in coordination with a supervisor that allow them to understand the connection between theory and practice in the field, develop hard skills, and cultivate professional relationships and networks. Students will meet for a 2 hour seminar weekly in addition to their hours at their fieldwork site. 

Students typically enroll in spring of their junior year. Urban Studies students who wish to take a semester abroad should plan to do so in the fall term. Meet with Julia McWilliams as soon as possible if you anticipate any special problems with taking fieldwork in the spring term, or of being able to commit 15 hours per week to an internship in your junior spring semester of study. 

Note: Students should consider Fieldwork as two of their courses that semester, and, ideally, enroll for only two other cus. 

A special arrangement with Student Financial Services allows students who have financial aid/work study to convert their work study to a grant during that semester that they take URBS3000: Fieldwork in order to free up their time for completing the placement hours.  You must be an Urban Studies major or minor and enrolled in URBS3000: Fieldwork in a given spring semester to be eligible.

Senior Seminar, URBS 4000 (1 cu)

All majors are required to complete a 35-40 page senior seminar paper on a topic of interest. The paper will be based on original data collected in pursuit of answering a specific research question relevant to that topic. It will be framed within an existing body of research and theory, citing secondary sources. The senior seminar paper allows students to become an authority based on their own original findings, concluding the urban studies education and catalyzing the start of students’ professional careers. The senior seminar is taken in the fall of senior year. 

For examples of previous student research in Senior Seminar, click here.

The Discipline Focus (3 cu)

Because it is interdisciplinary, the Urban Studies major requires students to take 3 courses in a discipline or field that speak to the expertise they develop. These electives should cluster around a discipline (sociology, anthropology, history) or a field (public policy, environmental justice, real estate). For ideas on how to structure your Discipline focus, see Pathways.

Urban Studies Themes (7 cu)

Majors will take seven more cu's from among the other Urban Studies courses, which are organized in five thematic areas.

  1. History of Cities
  2. Comparative and Theoretical Dimensions
  3. The Built Environment
  4. Urban Economics/Finance
  5. Public Policy/Government

In choosing the seven courses, students must take at least one course representing each theme. Students can choose the other two courses from any of the themes.

A complete listing of courses by theme, including some courses outside of Urban Studies, is available here.