J. Mark Pendras, Ph.D., Interim Dean of the School of Urban Studies

Welcome to the School of Urban Studies! Working with our diverse student body on this community-engaged, urban-serving, Carnegie-designated campus, Urban Studies has always embraced its role of providing on-ramps to meaningful urban careers that build and shape cities.  We are proud of this work and proud of our long history on this campus and in this city and we are constantly searching for new ways to extend our reach and expand these on-ramps so that more students gain access to rewarding urban careers. 

We are already deep into a new phase of this work after spending the past two years restructuring our degrees and revising our curriculum in ways that preserve the value of critical social science exploration while emphasizing the practical application of lessons from the classroom to make a difference in the world. This work has also taken seriously the importance of human connection and public engagement in the post-Covid, accelerating-AI environment.

Most relevant to students and community partners have been our efforts to: 

  • Add new courses and pathway options to our curriculum, expanding and enhancing connections to community engagement, civic capacity building, and placemaking to help students experience urban studies ideas in practice. 
  • Invest in our innovative (and award winning) Urban Design degree in ways that expand its impact and enhance community-engaged design and creative collaborations with UW Tacoma’s civil engineering program.
  • Reimagine our Sustainable Urban Development degree to better embrace the climate challenges of the present and future and prepare our students to be urban environmental leaders.
  • Expand our internship program so that all qualified urban studies students have the opportunity to participate in an urban studies specific internship, gaining crucial practical experience while fulfilling degree requirements.

This is an exciting time to study cities at UW Tacoma. In Urban Studies, we recognize that the future is urban, and we are committed to embracing that future, meeting the many evolving challenges of the moment, and educating students to make a difference in their communities. 

Come join us!
Dean Pendras signature
J. Mark Pendras, Ph.D.
Interim Dean of the School of Urban Studies