Urban Real Estate and Development Minor

This inter-school minor, co-sponsored by Real Estate (Wharton) and Urban Studies (College of Arts and Sciences), is designed to enable students to combine an interest in Urban Studies and Real Estate Development.

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 Elaine Simon, URBS Co-Director: https://calendly.com/elaine-simon-urbs

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.



The Urban Real Estate and Development (URRE) minor consists of seven courses as specified below:

For students in the College:

College students will take two core Urban Studies courses, plus one elective from the following list (3 CUs)

(Please note - Other courses may be considered only with prior approval from the Urban Studies advisor)

URBS Core courses (2 CUs):

  URBS 1153 The Transformation of Urban America
  URBS 2040 Urban Law
  URBS 4500 Urban Redevelopment
  URBS 4760  Urban Housing and Urban Development Policy in America

URBS Elective Courses (1 CU):
  URBS 1155 Fair Housing, Segregation, and the Law
  URBS 2030 Intro to City Planning: Planning Urban Spaces
  URBS 2530 Cities, Suburbs, Regions
  URBS 2900 Metropolitan Nature
  URBS 4150 Urban Real Estate Markets
  URBS 4400 Introduction to City Planning
  URBS 4510 The Politics of Housing and Community Development
  URBS 4520 Community Economic Development
 
College students will take two core Real Estate courses, plus two Real Estate electives from the following list (4 CUs)

REAL Core Courses (2 CUs):
  REAL/LGST 2040 Real Estate Law, Financing and Development
  REAL 2150 Urban Real Estate Economics
  REAL/BEPP 2300 or ECON 237 Urban Fiscal Policy

REAL Elective Courses (2 CUs):
  REAL 2050 Global Real Estate: Risk, Politics, and Culture
  REAL 2080 Housing Markets
  REAL/FNCE 2090 Real Estate Investments
  REAL/BEPP 2360 International Housing Comparisons
  REAL 3210 Real Estate Development
  REAL 2400 Advanced Real Estate Investment and Analysis
  ARCH 7620/CPLN 6430 Design & Development
 

Courses so marked have prerequisites

Notes for College students: If you are considering the Urban Real Estate & Development minor, keep in mind the following guidelines as you plan out your undergraduate career:

  • College students considering the minor must take Economics 0100 (Microeconomics) and 0200 (Macroeconomics) before any Wharton course work is undertaken.
  • Because of enrollment priorities set by Wharton/the REAL department, seats are limited for College students.  You must request a permit through the Path@Penn registration system to get on a waiting list.  You do not have to email anyone in the REAL department. 
  • Only declared URRE minors will receive special consideration for enrollment from the waiting lists, but even if you are declared, you are still not guaranteed a seat. 
  • For Urban Studies Majors - No more than three courses counted for the minor may also be included in the student's major or concentration.
  • Some of the Wharton classes require prerequisites. For example, FNCE1000 is a prerequisite for REAL2090.  The prerequisites will not be waived and are not counted toward the minor.

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Wharton students:
The advisor in the Wharton School is Susan Wachter (wachter@wharton.upenn.edu). Please contact Dr. Wachter to make your appointment to declare the minor.

Wharton students must take two core Urban Studies courses, plus two electives from the following list (4 CUs)

URBS Core courses (2 CUs):
  URBS 1153 The Transformation of Urban America
  URBS 2040 Urban Law
  URBS 4500 Urban Redevelopment
  URBS 4760  Urban Housing and Urban Development Policy in America

URBS Elective Courses (2 CUs):
  URBS 2030 Intro to City Planning: Planning Urban Spaces
  URBS 2530 Cities, Suburbs, Regions
  URBS 2900 Metropolitan Nature
  URBS 4150 Urban Real Estate Markets
  URBS 4400 Introduction to City Planning
  URBS 4510 The Politics of Housing and Community Development
  URBS 4520 Community Economic Development
 

Wharton students must take two core Real Estate courses, plus two Real Estate electives from the following list (4 CUs)

REAL Core Courses (2 CUs):
  REAL/LGST 2040 Real Estate Law, Financing and Development
  REAL 2150 Urban Real Estate Economics
  REAL/BEPP/FNCE 2300 or ECON 4470 Urban Fiscal Policy

REAL Elective Courses (2 CU):
  REAL 2050 Global Real Estate: Risk, Politics, and Culture
  REAL 2080 Housing Markets
  REAL/FNCE 2090 Real Estate Investments
  REAL/BEPP 2360 International Housing Comparisons
  REAL 3210 Real Estate Development
  REAL 2400 Advanced Real Estate Investment and Analysis
  ARCH 7620/CPLN 6430 Design & Development

Courses so marked have prerequisites

Notes to Wharton students:  You must take at least 5 REAL courses to fulfill primary REAL concentration requirements.