Urban Studies and Planning

Urban Studies and Planning is an interdisciplinary program providing an undergraduate course of study that focuses on solutions to the major problems stemming from the complexities of contemporary urban life. The Urban Studies and Planning curriculum is designed for students who:

1. Want to enter professional graduate schools in such fields as urban planning, urban design, environmental planning, social welfare, law and public administration, and international development;
2. Intend to begin their professional careers at the end of their baccalaureate education through employment in various governmental agencies, private firms or nonprofit organizations concerned with urban issues, regional planning, real estate development and community development; or
3. Desire a social science degree that emphasizes the study of the historical and modern city.

The major in Urban Studies and Planning requires all students to complete a set of lower division introductory courses and upper division core courses. This part of the curriculum is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the urban environment and training in the appropriate principles and methods of planning and urban analysis. In addition to the lower division and core course requirements, students must complete a set of elective courses.

As a complement to the coursework, students are required to complete supervised field research and an internship with a public agency, a nonprofit organization or a private-sector organization conducting planning-related work. These experiences help to provide students with professional experience to begin careers in planning and with the skills to find solutions to urban problems and situations.

A. Core Course Requirements (34 units)

All Urban Studies and Planning majors are required to complete the lower division required courses and the upper division core courses. Students must then choose three elective courses from the list under the electives in Section B.

1. Lower Division Required Courses (9 units)

URBS 206 Introduction to Graphic Communication Tools Used by Urban Studies and Planning Professionals (3)
URBS 220 Climate Change and Cities (3)
URBS 251 Socially Just City (3)

2. Upper Division Required Courses (24 units)

URBS 300 Planning Theory (3)
URBS 340A Quantitative Urban Research Methods (3)
URBS 340B Qualitative Urban Research Methods (3)
URBS 345 The General Plan and Zoning (3)
URBS 440 Community-Based Urban Design (3)
URBS 450 Senior Seminar in Urban Studies and Planning (3)
URBS 460 Legal Foundations of Planning (3)
URBS 480 Urban Transportation Planning (3)

3. Fieldwork and Internship (7 units)

URBS 490C Fieldwork (4)
URBS 494C Internship (3)

B. Electives Requirement (9 units)

Choose three of the following elective courses:

GEOG 206/L Introduction to Geographical Information Science and Lab (2/1)
GEOG 306/L Intermediate Geographical Information Science and Lab (2/1)
URBS 310 Growth and Sustainable Development of Cities (3)
URBS 350 Cities of the Developing World (3)
URBS 400 Planning for the Natural and Built Environment (3)
URBS 415 The California Environmental Quality Act for Urban Planners (3)
URBS 416 Urban Housing (3)
URBS 425 Social Policy, Environmental Justice and the City (3)
URBS 435 Planning for Community Development (3)
URBS 495A-Z Selected Topics in Urban Planning (3)

C. General Education (43 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 43 units of General Education as described in this Catalog, including 3 units of coursework meeting the Ethnic Studies (E.S.) requirement.

6 units are satisfied by the following courses in the major: URBS 220 satisfies Area 1B Critical Thinking; and URBS 340A satisfies Area 2 Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning, Upper Division. URBS 340A taken at CSUN may count as Writing Intensive.

If taken, GEOG 206/L satisfies Basic Skills Area 2 Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning and fulfills the Information Competence requirement; URBS 310 satisfies 3 units of upper division Area 4 Social and Behavioral Sciences; and URBS 350 satisfies 3 units of upper division CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies.

D. Campus Requirements (6 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 6 units of Campus Requirements as described in this Catalog. If taken, GEOG 206/L meets the Lifelong Learning requirement.

Total Units in the Major: 49

General Education Units: 37

Campus Requirement Units: 6

Additional Units: 28

Total Units Required for the B.A. Degree: 120