Program Overview
The School of Urban Studies offers a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies with several formal options - Community Development & Planning and GIS & Spatial Planning. The degree starts with an introduction into the discipline of urban studies with course topics on exploring cities, world development, and urban studies "in practice". The formal options deliver focused theory and skill-based courses that teach how to understand and impact the local and global dynamics of urban society. Graduates are prepared for public or private-sector jobs in areas such as housing and community development, planning, GIS, transportation, government agencies, and social services. The program is also excellent preparation for those interested in graduate study in such fields as community development, spatial analysis, public administration, law or urban planning/design.
Advantages of our program
- Urban setting
- Small class sizes
- Flexible class offerings
- Close interaction with faculty and staff
- Diverse and growing student body
- Collaboration with communities and institutions
- Career and graduate school workshops
- Interdisciplinary and innovative course of study
- Study abroad opportunities
- Scholarship opportunities
Overall goals
- Provide students with a broad understanding of the problems and prospects of our metropolitan areas
- Equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue careers related to the multi-faceted nature of urban studies
- To serve as a resource, through service and research, to communities in the South Sound region
Specific objectives
- Provide students with an understanding of the form and function of cities
- Instill an awareness of problems and issues confronting metropolitan areas
- Create an interdisciplinary curriculum that allows students to understand the complex inter-relationships that make up the urban environment and permits them to approach problems from a variety of perspectives
- Equip students with the analytical skills needed to undertake research in an urban milieu
Keeping in mind these goals, graduates of the program are expected to:
- Approach urban issues from an interdisciplinary perspective
- Apply analytic and quantitative skills to assess and develop strategies to resolve urban issues
- Compare and contrast approaches used in designing and undertaking research in urban studies
- Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills
- Demonstrate appreciation for diverse nature of urban populations and social justice issues many of these populations face
Degree Options
BA Urban Studies – Community Development and Planning
Examines the production and development of cities from different community perspectives and teaches how cities are planned and built, and the power dynamics that influence inclusion and exclusion from urban spaces and political processes. Explores new strategies for producing better cities and improving urban conditions.
BA Urban Studies – GIS & Spatial Planning
Prepares students to solve complex social, economic, and environmental problems by combining GIS (geographic information systems) based approaches to mapping and spatial analysis with a classical and theoretically critical foundation in urban planning.
BA Urban Studies (2+1 Track for MS in Geospatial Technologies)
This degree option offers students who have completed the first two years of their higher education (i.e., 90 credit hours in a quarter system or 60 units in a semester system) the possibility of earning a Bachelor’s degree offered by Urban Studies (Urban Studies or Sustainable Urban Development), a GIS Certificate, and a Master’s degree in Geospatial Technologies in 3 years.
Admission Requirements
If you have completed the prerequisites listed below with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, and have earned at least 40 credits, you can be considered for admission to the bachelor of arts in Urban Studies.
- A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 in all college course work. Applicants with a completed application and a minimum GPA of 2.50 will be given priority consideration for admission.
- Completion of a minimum of 40 transferable college-level credits.
- Three years of high school math through intermediate (second year) algebra or a course in intermediate algebra at the college level
- 5 credits of English composition
How to Declare Your Major
If you are a current UW Tacoma Student
Step 1: To declare Urban Studies as your major, please schedule an appointment with the Urban Studies Academic Advisor to discuss your academic plan.
Step 2: After you have met with the Academic Advisor an official request will be submitted on your behalf to the Registrar's Office.
If you are not a current UW Tacoma Student
Please visit the UW Tacoma Admissions website to submit the appropriate application or to connect with them. You will need to be admitted to UW Tacoma prior to declaring your major.
Curriculum
The School of Urban Studies offers a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies with formal options in the following:
- Community Development & Planning
- GIS & Spatial Planning
The degree starts with an introduction into the discipline of urban studies with course topics on exploring cities, world development, and urban studies "in practice." The formal options deliver focused theory and skill-based courses that teach students how to understand and impact the local and global dynamics of urban society. Graduates are prepared for public or private-sector jobs in areas such as housing, community development, planning, transportation, government agencies, and social services. The program is also excellent preparation for those interested in graduate study in such fields as community development, public administration, law, urban planning, or urban design.
Formal Options
Community Development & Planning. Examines the production and development of cities from different community perspectives and teaches how cities are planned and built, and the power dynamics that influence inclusion and exclusion from urban spaces and political processes. Explores new strategies for producing better cities and improving urban conditions.
Geographic Information Systems & Spatial Planning. Prepares students to solve complex social, economic, and environmental problems by combining GIS (geographic information systems) based approaches to mapping and spatial analysis with a classical and theoretically critical foundation in urban planning.
Major Requirements
The School of Urban Studies admits students every quarter except summer. The curriculum consists of approximately 68 credits of required courses:
- Introductory courses (11 credits)
- Core courses (32 - 33 credits)
- Formal option (18-20 credits, depending on option)
In addition to the coursework required for the major, students are required to complete general university requirements and electives, and to bring their total number of credits to 180. The degree planning worksheet can help track your progress through the program.
Introductory Courses (11 credits)
T URB 101 Exploring Cities (5)
T URB 102 City in World Development (5)
T URB 103 Urban Studies in Practice (1)
Core Courses (32 - 33 credits)
Foundation Courses (22 credits, all required)
T URB 220 Introduction to Urban Planning (5)
T URB 316 Cities and Belonging (5)
T URB 345 Urban Governance (5)
T URB 432 Understanding Metropolitan Regions (5)
T URB 403 Professional Development for Urban Careers (2)
Methods Requirement (10-11 credits)
T URB 225 Statistics for Urban Analysis (5) or T GIS 311 Maps & GIS (6)
T URB 200 Introduction to Urban Research (5) was T URB 350
Formal Options
Students need to declare one of the following formal options:
|
A. Community Development & Planning Select 4 courses from the list below: |
B. GIS & Spatial Planning (9 courses) |
|
T URB 235 Community Development (5) |
GIS Certificate***: Complete all 5 courses listed below: Advanced GIS courses: Select two courses from the list below: ***Note: The GIS Certificate courses are sequential, and cohort based. Please make sure to apply to the certificate program and work with the SUS advisor for course planning. |
***Note: The GIS Certificate courses are sequential, and cohort based. Please make sure to apply to the certificate program and work with the SUS advisor for course planning.
General Electives
The balance of credits needed to meet University credit requirements are general electives. Students may focus on an in-depth area of study (i.e., a minor or certificate) or explore the liberal arts, business, social work or health-related fields, or may take further T URB or T SUD courses. Transfer credits from other institutions may apply toward general electives. Contact an academic advisor for details.
Graduation Requirements
In order to graduate, in addition to degree requirements, you will also be expected to meet the following general university requirements, many of which can be fulfilled with lower-division coursework:
- Two years in high school of the same foreign language or 10 credits of one language at the college level
- 5 credits of Reasoning (RSN) coursework*
- 10 credits of writing-intensive coursework (not including the 5 credits of English composition required for admission)**
- 10 credits of Arts and Humanities (A&H) coursework
- 10 credits of Social Sciences (SSc) coursework
- 10 credits of Natural Sciences (NSc) coursework
- 10 additional credits in any of the above areas of knowledge (A&H, SSc, and/or NSc)
- 50 credits of upper division (300- and 400-level) coursework (upper division courses counting toward major or general university requirements may count toward this requirement)
Major Requirements:
- Overall GPA: minimum 2.0 cumulative
- Major GPA: minimum 2.0 in each course required for the major
* Students who first enrolled in college prior to Autumn 1985 are exempt from this requirement.
** Writing-intensive coursework may also count toward the Humanities, Social Science or Natural Science requirements.
