Urban Studies
Bachelors In

Urban Studies Degrees

The complete guide on what you’ll learn, job prospects, university programs, and saving time and money.

Why We Love It

  • $136,260
    Potential Avg. Salary*
  • Growing Demand
    Job Outlook

* Salary & growth data is based on the recent Bureau of Labor and Statistics data published at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes231011.htm for 23-1011 Lawyers 11/2021. Based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary.

With a bachelor of science in urban studies, you’ll study how urbanization impacts politics, the economy, and the environment. The massive move of U.S. citizens from rural areas to cities and other urban areas has created new and distinct concerns for recent generations, such as gentrification, homelessness, pollution, and many more.

Urban studies majors explore the facets and impacts of modern urbanization.

What is a Degree in Urban Studies?

In a bachelor’s degree in urban studies program, students develop an understanding of how urbanization impacts social, political, and economic environments. Courses are focused on how mass migration within the U.S. from rural areas to cities has changed the way modern communities operate.

Students study a variety of topics to teach them how to create livable cities, inclusive political policies, sustainable development projects, and sufficient income and career opportunities.

While an undergraduate degree in urban studies is commonly a starting point for graduate studies in public administration, law, urban planning, or education, there are plenty of ways bachelor’s degree graduates can turn their education into careers without additional schooling.

Individuals with Bachelor of science degrees in urban studies commonly go on to work in politics at the local, state, and national levels; to work as assistants to lawyers, architects, or researchers; or to work for city government agencies.

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What Courses Would I Take For a Major in Urban Studies?

  • Landscapes of the City
  • Explorations in Alternative Housing
  • Homelessness: An International Perspective
  • Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Urban Inequality
  • Urbanization and Social Change
  • Urban Economics
  • Public Policy Analysis

What Jobs Can You Get with a Degree in Urban Studies?

Three-fourths of the U.S population is located in densely populated cities, growing metropolises, and other urban areas. With this mass migration from rural to urban areas comes demand for individuals who can set policies and make decisions on behalf of urban residents and the environment.

 

The demand for these individuals will grow as strong as the average for all careers, so the next decade should see increases in the number of opportunities for urban planners and other urbanization experts.

How Long does it take?

A bachelors in Urban Studies will have a typical length of 4 years in a full time schedule. That said, there are many ways to speed up the timeframe by either taking more units via online coursework, community college, or taking free classes at OnlineDegree.com that could transfer to universities in the US.

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Best Jobs for Urban Studies Degrees

A bachelor’s degree in urban planning prepares students for a wide variety of careers in many different industries, including advocacy, law, education, politics, publishing, and construction.

Graduates may run for public office in the cities they live in, may assist architects and city planners in developing new construction and infrastructure projects, or may work for non-profits assisting those displaced by neighborhood gentrification.


How to save time and money

Our mission is to help you to avoid paying full price for college. We want your Urban Studies degree to be affordable and accessible. Here’s how you could save:

Create Your Free SmartPlan

There are many ways to make college affordable and accessible.

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