Urban Studies Degree Requirements
Preparation for the major. Total of 18 Units.
- ANTH 102 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology; or
PA 200 The Urban Scene; - ECON 101 Principles of Economics; or
ECON 102 Principles of Economics; - GEOG 102 People, Places, Environment;
- POL S 101 Intro to American Politics or
POL S 102 Intro to American and Californian Government and Politics; - SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology;
- STAT 250 Statistical Principles or
ECON 201 Statistical Methods or
POL S 201 Elementary Statistics for Political Science or
SOC 201 Elementary Social Statistics.
Please note:
- Some major specializations have additional requirements for preparation for the major. See specialization descriptions below for details and refer to the General Catalog for more information
- Students must also satisfy language and graduation writing assessment (WPA) requirements. Refer to the General Catalog for more information.
- Students must complete preparation for the major and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 to be admitted to the urban studies major
Major requirements
A minimum of 33 upper division units is required for the Urban Studies Major (9 units of required urban theory courses, 9 units of required urban methods courses and 15 units in one of four specializations, see below for details).
Total of 9 units from the following Urban Theory courses:
- CCS 355/LAS 355 The United States-Mexico International Border
- ECON 458 Urban Economics
- GEOG 354 Geography of Cities
- POL S 422 Urban Politics
- PA 320 Introduction to Urban Planning
Total of 9 units from the following Urban Methods courses:
- ECON 301 Collection and Use of Data
- GEOG 380 Map Investigation
- GEOG 381 Computerized Map Design
- GEOG 385 Spatial Data Analysis
- GEOG 484 Geographic Information Systems
- GEOG 584 Geographic Information Systems Applications
- GEOG 586 Qualitative Methods in Geographic Research
- GEOG 589 GIS-Based Decision Support Methods
- POL S 515 Research Design and Analysis in Political Science
- PA 420 Methods of Analysis in City Planning
- SOC 406 Intermediate Social Statistics
- SOC 407 Survey and Experimental Research Methods
- SOC 408 Qualitative Research Methods
Areas of specialization
Students are required to complete 15 units in ONE of the following specializations:
Urban Cultures and Societies
- ANTH 444 American Cultures
- ANTH 533 Race, Ethnicity and Identity
- CCS 303 Chicana and Chicano Community Studies
- CCS 375 U.S.-Mexico Border History
- GEOG 312 Culture Worlds
- GEOG 354 Geography of Cities (if not taken as a requirement)
- GEOG 554 World Cities: Comparative Approaches to Urbanization
- GEOG 556 Cultures of Cities
- GEOG 588 Intermediate Remote Sensing of Environment
- LAS 320 Culture and Society of Tijuana
- LAS 550 Mexican-US Border from a Latin American Perspective
- SOC 355 Minority Group Relations
- SOC 443 Crime and Society
- SOC 457 Protests, Reforms, and Revolutions
- SOC 555 Immigrants and Refugees in Contemporary American Society
Urban Planning, Design and Management
- GEOG 354 Geography of Cities (if not taken as a requirement)
- GEOG 575 Geography of Recreational Land Use
- PA 310 Management of Urban Governments
- PA 320 Introduction to Urban Planning (if not taken as a requirement)
- PA 350 Contemporary Urban Issues
- PA 460 Administration and Public Policy Development
- PA 485 Planning and Public Policy in US-Mexico Border Region
- PA 512 The Metropolitan Area
- PA 520 Decision Making in the Urban Community
- PA 525 The U.S. City Planning Process
Urban Political Economy and Public Policy
- CCS 301 Political Economy of the Chicano People
- CCS 306 Mexican Immigration
- CCS 355 The United States-Mexico International Border (if not taken as a requirement)
- ECON 401 Public Finance
- ECON 458 Urban Economics (if not taken as a requirement)
- ECON 489 Economics and Population
- ECON 565 North American Economic Relations
- GEOG 353 Economic Geography
- GEOG 354 Geography of Cities (if not taken as a requirement)
- LAS 430 (or POL S 430) Immigration and Border Politics
- POL S 335 Public Policy
- POL S 422 Urban Politics (if not taken as a requirement)
Urban Sustainability
- ANTH 353 Sustainability and Culture
- ANTH 532 Anthropology of Development and Conservation
- ECON 453 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
- GEOG 340 Geography of Food
- GEOG 354 Geography of Cities (if not taken as a requirement)
- GEOG 370 Environmental and Natural Resource Conservation
- GEOG 375 Environmental Hydrology
- GEOG 454 Sustainable Cities
- GEOG 572 Land Use Analysis
- GEOG 587 Remote Sensing of the Environment
- GEOG 588 Intermediate Remote Sensing of Environment
- POL S 334 Politics of the Environment