Urban Studies (BS)
This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2023–Spring 2024 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.
Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences
Department: Urban and Public Affairs
Academic Plan Code(s): US_ _BS
Program Information
Urban Studies explores the social, economic, political, and spatial structures of cities through multiple disciplinary lenses, focusing on issues, problems, and solutions for urban areas through planning, policy, and administration. The BS in Urban Studies is housed within the Department of Urban and Public Affairs in partnership with the Department of Geography and Geosciences and the Department of Sociology.
The undergraduate degree program in Urban Studies is designed to educate, train, and prepare students for future careers in municipal and metropolitan‐related occupations, such as public administrators, policy analysts, community development specialists, or planning technicians. The program will also give students a strong foundation for future graduate training in affiliated disciplines, including urban planning, public administration, geography, or sociology.
The Department offers Bachelor of Science degrees in four different tracks:
- Urban Administration: designed for students with interests in management, human resources, budgeting, and governance.
- Urban Geography: designed for students with interests in place dynamics, human-spatial interactions, and GIS.
- Urban Planning: designed for students with interests in land development and related topics, such as housing, design, and real estate.
- Urban Sociology: designed for students with interests in human and group interactions within an urban or metropolitan context.
Degree Summary
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
General Education Requirements 1 | 31 | |
College/School Requirements | 13 | |
Program/Major Requirements | 27 | |
Supporting Courses | 35 | |
Track Requirements | 15 | |
Minimum Total Hours | 121 |
- 1
Some credit hours from the General Education Requirements may be satisfied by courses defined by the program, in which case additional electives will be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree. See the Degree Requirements tab for specific coursework.
Accelerated BS/MUP in Urban Studies and Urban Planning
Urban Studies majors who are considering pursuing a master’s degree (MUP) in Urban Planning can speed up the process by applying some of their undergraduate credit hours toward a master’s degree. Students accepted in the Accelerated BS/MUP take three graduate courses (9 credit hours) as an undergraduate that apply toward both the bachelor’s degree and the eventual master’s degree.
Interested students should apply for admission to the program in their junior year. Advising to ensure the requirements are met without extraneous credit hours is imperative and strongly recommend for timely degree completion and financial considerations for the accelerated degree. Please be sure to consult with undergraduate advisors and the director of the MUP program. Applicants must meet the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School and must have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better and completion of URBS 201, URBS 202, PLAN 301, and PADM 302 with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Admission Requirements
Students will be selected through the standard University of Louisville College of Arts and Sciences admissions process.
The Change Major Request form can be found under the Academic Progress tile on ULink.
General Education Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
General Education Requirements 1 | 31 | |
The following courses are required by the program and satisfy the respective General Education Requirement(s): | ||
The Making of Urban Places - SB, D1 | ||
Quantitative Research Methods in Sustainability and Urban Studies - QR |
All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above). Some General Education requirements may be met in the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.
College/School Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Arts & Sciences Requirements | ||
GEN 100 | Student Success Center First Year Experience | 1 |
or GEN 101 | Arts & Sciences First Year Experience | |
Foreign Language 2 | 6-8 | |
Electives in Humanities or Natural Sciences at 300 level or above 3 | 6 | |
WR-two approved courses at the 300 level or above 4 | ||
Minimum Total Hours | 13-15 |
Program/Major Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Department of Urban & Public Affairs - Required Core Courses | ||
URBS 201 | The Making of Urban Places - SB, D1 | 3 |
URBS 202 | Discover Louisville | 3 |
PLAN 301 | Planning for Innovative and Equitable Cities and Regions | 3 |
PADM 302 | Foundations of Urban Administration | 3 |
SUST 303 | Quantitative Research Methods in Sustainability and Urban Studies - QR | 3 |
SOC 305 | Urban Sociology | 3 |
GEOG 328 | Urban Geography | 3 |
URBS 518 | Urban Demography and GIS | 3 |
URBS 404 | Community Engagement - CUE | 3 |
Minimum Total Hours | 27 |
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Supporting Courses | ||
Electives in Social Sciences at the 300 level or above 5 | 21 | |
Additional Electives | 14 | |
Minimum Total Hours | 35 |
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Track Requirements (see Track Requirements tab) | 15 |
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Culminating Undergraduate Experience (Graduation requirement) | ||
Requirement fulfilled by completing: | ||
Community Engagement - CUE |
- 1
Some credit hours from the General Education Requirements may be satisfied by courses defined by the program, in which case additional electives will be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.
- 2
Completion of the second semester of a single foreign language; hours will vary depending on the language taken
- 3
May be incorporated into other degree requirements
- 4
Fulfills WR requirement.
- 5
Students who satisfy General Education Requirements by courses defined by the program will require additional electives to complete the minimum hours for the degree.
Track Requirements
Track in Urban Administration
Academic Plan Code(s): US_BS_ADM
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Select five courses from the following: | 15 | |
Introduction to Urban Communication | ||
Globalization and Diversity - SB, D2 | ||
Urban Policy | ||
Economic Development | ||
Peace, Justice & Conflict Transformation | ||
Mediation & Conflict Transformation | ||
State Government | ||
Diversity and Inequality | ||
Criminology | ||
Environmental Management | ||
Behavioral Dimensions of Environmental Decision-Making | ||
Policy and Governance in Sustainability - WR |
Track in Urban Geography
Academic Plan Code(s): US_BS_GEO
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Select five courses from the following: | 15 | |
Human Geography in a Changing World - SB, D2 | ||
Globalization and Diversity - SB, D2 | ||
Race and Place | ||
Economic Geography | ||
Population Geography | ||
Environmental Conflict in the United States: Historical Foundations & Contemporary Problems - D1, SBH | ||
Introduction to Spatial Statistics | ||
Qualitative Methods for Undergraduates |
Track in Urban Planning
Academic Plan Code(s): US_BS_PLA
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Select five courses from the following: | 15 | |
Twentieth-Century Architecture | ||
Introduction to Urban Communication | ||
Race and Place | ||
Economic Geography | ||
Introduction to Spatial Statistics | ||
Urban Policy | ||
Mediation & Conflict Transformation | ||
Dogs in Society: An Interdisciplinary Examination of the Human-Canine Connection - SB | ||
Urban Economics | ||
Diversity and Inequality | ||
Environmental Sociology | ||
Sustainable Built Environment - SB, D1 | ||
Sustainable Societal Systems |
Track in Urban Sociology
Academic Plan Code(s): US_BS_SOC
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Select five courses from the following: | 15 | |
Introduction to Sociology - SB | ||
Environmental Sociology | ||
Social Theory - WR | ||
Diversity and Inequality | ||
Sociology of Gender | ||
Sociology of Families | ||
Sociology of Deviant Behavior | ||
Medical Sociology | ||
Faces of Global Poverty - WR | ||
Race and Ethnicity - CUE, WR | ||
Sociology of Education - CUE, WR |
Flight Plan
Year 1 | ||
---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | |
GEN 100 or GEN 101 | Student Success Center First Year Experience or Arts & Sciences First Year Experience | 1 |
ENGL 101 | Introduction to College Writing - WC | 3 |
Foreign Language | 3-4 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Natural Sciences - B | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Arts & Humanities - AH | 3 | |
General Elective | 3 | |
Hours | 16 | |
Spring | ||
Foreign Language | 3-4 | |
ENGL 102 | Intermediate College Writing - WC | 3 |
General Education: Cardinal Core Natural Sciences - S | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Natural Sciences Lab - SL | 1 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Arts & Humanities - AH | 3 | |
General Elective | 3 | |
Hours | 16 | |
Year 2 | ||
Fall | ||
URBS 201 | The Making of Urban Places - SB, D1 | 3 |
General Education: Cardinal Core Social & Behavioral Sciences - SB | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Oral Communication - OC | 3 | |
Social Sciences Elective | 3 | |
General Elective | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Spring | ||
URBS 202 | Discover Louisville | 3 |
General Education: Cardinal Core Quantitative Reasoning - QR | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Historical Perspectives - SBH | 3 | |
Social Sciences Elective | 3 | |
Natural Science/Humanities Elective (300 level or above) | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Year 3 | ||
Fall | ||
PLAN 301 | Planning for Innovative and Equitable Cities and Regions | 3 |
GEOG 328 | Urban Geography | 3 |
Social Sciences Elective | 3 | |
SUST 303 | Quantitative Research Methods in Sustainability and Urban Studies - QR | 3 |
Natural Science/Humanities Elective (300 level or above) | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Spring | ||
PADM 302 | Foundations of Urban Administration | 3 |
URBS 518 | Urban Demography and GIS | 3 |
SOC 305 | Urban Sociology | 3 |
Social Sciences Elective | 3 | |
Natural Science/Humanities Elective (300 level or above) | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Year 4 | ||
Fall | ||
URBS: Concentration | 3 | |
URBS: Concentratation | 3 | |
Social Sciences Elective | 3 | |
URBS 404 | Community Engagement - CUE | 3 |
Elective | 2 | |
Hours | 14 | |
Spring | ||
URBS: Concentration | 3 | |
URBS: Concentration | 3 | |
URBS: Concentration | 3 | |
Social Sciences Elective | 3 | |
Social Sciences Elective | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Minimum Total Hours | 121 |
Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan. What-if reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan. Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.
Flight Planner
The Flight Planner tool is available for you to create a personalized Flight Plan to graduation. Advisors have access to review your Flight Planner and can help you adjust it to ensure you remain on track to graduate in a timely manner.
To create these reports:
- Log into your ULink account.
- Click on the Academic Progress tile.
- Select the appropriate report.
- To run a Degree Audit report, click on "View my Degree Audit."
- To create a What-if report, click on "Create a What-if Advisement Report."
- To run a Flight Planner report, click on "Use My Flight Planner."
Click here to run a Degree Audit report, create a What-if report, or run a Flight Planner report.