Professors—LeGates, Pinderhughes
Associate Professor—Pamuk
Assistant Professors—Das, Rubin
Lecturers—Day, Silverman
B.A. in Urban Studies
Minor in Urban Studies
The Department of Urban Studies and Planning offers two programs: The Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and a Minor in Urban Studies. The B.A. is designed to prepare students for a wide range of urban planning and policy careers. The minor is designed to complement a wide range of SF State majors by offering students an opportunity to develop competence in urban planning or urban policy. The major and the minor in urban studies are founded upon the conviction that urban universities have unique opportunities as well as responsibilities to help shape the future of city life.
Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies. The urban studies major offers an interdisciplinary curriculum in two main areas of emphasis: urban planning and urban policy.
The major reflects a social science education with an applied, problem-solving focus, training in research methods, and practical hands-on experience in a carefully supervised internship and a practicum (senior seminar). Core courses integrate social science perspectives into the study of cities, develop the research and analytic tools necessary for urban planning and urban policy analysis, and offer hands-on applied research experience. Elective courses are designed to apply the basic core course content to urban planning or urban policy areas of interest.
The Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies is recognized as a solid basis for graduate study. Recent program graduates have gone on to M.A. and Ph.D. programs in schools of city and regional planning (Cornell, Harvard, UC Berkeley, UCLA, NYU, the New School for Social Research, University of Texas at Austin), schools of public policy and administration (Kennedy School, Georgetown, UC Berkeley, San Francisco State), and other fields including law, architecture, social work, public health. We also have a large number of students who seek entry level urban planning and policy jobs with a B.A. in Urban Studies.
Minor in Urban Studies. The minor consists of a three course core and three elective courses in urban planning or urban policy.
The urban studies program has been fortunate in attracting talented and motivated students whose central concern is to make our cities more livable, humane, and sustainable. These students have made important contributions as interns and researchers and as alumni; they have gone on to work as planners, analysts, and managers in private, non-profit, and public organizations throughout the region and beyond. Urban studies alumni are employed in planning departments, housing and community development corporations, transportation planning agencies, health and social service organizations, private consulting firms, environmental organizations, real estate firms, general public management positions, and political organizations. The network of contacts maintained by the department with alumni provides solid evidence of the job opportunities available to urban studies graduates and their continuing contributions to the larger community and offers an invaluable resource to new graduates as they begin their job search.
A copy of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning Advising Handbook and further information about the major and minor can be found on the department’s web page at http://bss.sfsu.edu/urbs/
Courses offered by the Department of Urban Studies and Planning are included in the course description section of the Bulletin, which is organized alphabetically by discipline. Many of the urban studies and planning courses included below in the list of program requirements are cross-listed with other departments and are designated as GE III cluster courses.
All students who enter the program as majors or minors are required to receive at least a grade of C in all core courses required for the Urban Studies major or minor (including electives) in order to fulfill the requirements.
All Urban Studies major or minor courses (including electives) must be taken for a letter grade.
Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated. Course are listed in the Bulletin. On-line course descriptions including pre-requisites are available.
| Core Courses (required of all majors) | Units | |
| Introductory Course | ||
| USP 400 | Dynamics of the American City | 3 |
| Cross-disciplinary Perspectives: drawing upon the basic social science disciplines to provide a broad-based understanding of urban growth and change. | ||
| Units selected from the following: | 11-12 | |
| SOC 480/ USP 470 |
City in a Global Society (4) | |
| USP 432 | Urban Geography (4) | |
| USP 512 | Urban Politics and Community Power (4) | |
| USP 535 | Urban Economics | |
| USP 555 | Urban Anthropology | |
| Research Methods and Data Analysis: providing the basic tools necessary for effective research and analysis. | ||
| USP 492 | Research Methods (4) | 4 |
| USP 493 | Data Analysis (4) | 4 |
| Foundation Course in Policy or Planning: developing the conceptual and analytic approaches necessary for effective action intended to address current urban issues. | ||
| Units chosen from the following: | 4 | |
| USP 480 | Policy Analysis (4) | |
| USP 658 | Land Use Planning (4) | |
| Fieldwork and Practical Applications: internship and research project providing carefully supervised hands-on experience in both a real-world work setting (the internship) and a practicum (the senior seminar). | ||
| USP 603 | Public Service Internships | 3 |
| USP 604 | Internship Seminar (1) | 1 |
| USP 680 | Senior Seminar (4) | 4 |
| Total for core | 34-35 | |
| Electives: Focus of Interest | ||
| Upper division electives chosen by each student with the approval of a faculty adviser. The electives are courses focusing on particular urban planning or urban policy issue areas in which the theoretical and analytic approaches developed in the core courses are applied to critical contemporary issues. This allows students to develop familiarity and some expertise in a public policy area. Major urban planning and urban policy areas include housing and community development, land-use planning, transportation, sustainable development, health care, and social policy. See the Department of Urban Studies and Planning Advising Handbook for descriptions of possible foci of interest. | 9-12 | |
| Total for major | 43-47 | |
Housing and Community Development
Urban Poverty
Land Use Planning
Urban Policy
Sustainable Urban Development
Environmental Justice
Urban Health Policy
Urban Transportation
| Core Courses (required of all students) | Units | |
| USP 400 | Dynamics of the American City | 3 |
| USP 492 | Research Methods | 4 |
| Emphasis (select one of the emphases listed below) | 13-16 | |
| Total units | 20-23 | |
| Urban Policy Emphasis | Units | |
| USP 480 | Policy Analysis (4) | 4 |
| Units selected from the following: | 9-11 | |
| USP 514 | Sustainable Development in Cities (4) | |
| USP 560 | Urban Poverty and Policy (4) | |
| USP 565 | Social Policy and Family Systems (4) | |
| USP 570 | Urban Health Policy | |
| USP 580 | Urban Housing | |
| USP 582 | Homelessness and Public Policy | |
| USP 660 | The Roles of Nonprofit Organizations in Urban Life | |
| Approved substitute(s) with consent of adviser (3-4) | ||
| Total for emphasis | 13-15 | |
| Urban Planning Emphasis | Units | |
| USP 658 | Land Use Planning (4) | 4 |
| Units selected from the following: | 11-12 | |
| USP 433 | Urban Transportation (4) | |
| USP 513 | Politics, Law, and the Urban Environment (4) | |
| USP 514 | Sustainable Development in Cities (4) | |
| USP 515 | Environmental Justice: Race, Poverty, and the Environment (4) | |
| USP 580 | Urban Housing | |
| USP 652 | Environmental Impact Analysis (4) | |
| Approved substitute(s) with consent of adviser (3-4) | ||
| Total for emphasis | 15-16 | |