The BA in Urban Studies
As of fall 2020, students declaring the major in Urban Studies must take 34-47 credits, including Senior Seminars I and II. Students who have declared the major in Urban Studies before fall 2020 but wish to follow the current curriculum can consult
their Student Success advisor about submitting a Change-of-Catalog-Year request.
Students must earn a grade of B or better in the introductory courses to declare the major and a C or higher in all courses to meet the requirements. Only specific courses satisfy the Urban Studies major requirements, including electives. See the university
course catalog for spring 2023 Urban Studies courses that fulfill these requirements. Not all courses are offered each semester. Track your progress using the program worksheet (below).
Note for Lang Students:
In addition to the requirements outlined in this program worksheet, Lang has general requirements, including a minimum number of credits in liberal arts courses as well as college residency requirements. All Lang students should read Lang’s General Degree Requirements and consult both their Student Success advisor and the Departmental Faculty Advisor of Urban Studies each semester to ensure they are on track to graduate. Lang students should declare their major by following the process outlined in Declaring a Major (Lang Students).
All students:
To be sure their Degree Works account reflects the same information in this worksheet, students should forward any approved exceptions of the following requirements to their Student Success advisor.
Bachelor’s-Master’s Program
Undergraduates in the BA/MA program can earn up to 18 credits (depending on the master's program) in New School master's courses and apply those graduate credits to both their BA and their MA. Submission of the Bachelor’s-Master’s
application is required (members of the direct entry cohort do not have to submit an application but do have to declare the Bachelor's-Master's combination they wish to pursue). Students should consult their Departmental Faculty Advisor and their Student
Success advisor if they are pursuing a BA/MA, including those offered in Urban Studies:
- BA Urban Studies – MS Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management
- BA Urban Studies – MS Public and Urban Policy
Requirements for the BA in Urban Studies
Introductory course (3 credits):
Choose either:*
- ULEC 2620 Urban Worlds: Lecture/Discussion* (fall)
Other required courses (27-36 credits):
- One (1) Urban Methods elective** (varies by semester; 3-4 credits).
Examples include UURB 3210 Spatial Thinking with GIS, URRB 3112 Ethnographic Writing Workshop, LLSJ 3505 Visualizing Data, LMTH 2030 Statistics with SPSS, UURB 3xxx Urban Photography, and UURB 3xxx Urban Community Lab.
- One (1) NYC Experiential Learning elective** (varies by semester; 3-4 credits).
Examples include UURB 3xxx Urban Community Lab and UURB 3xxx Culture City.
- One (1) UURB 2000-level elective** (varies by semester; 3-4 credits). Examples include UURB 2610 Gentrification and the Media and UURB 2026 City of Islands.
- Four (4) UURB 3000-level electives** (varies by semester; total 12-16 credits). Examples include UURB 3111 Freedom Cities: Black Geographies and Social Activism, UURB 3112 Ethnographic Writing Workshop, UURB 3210 Spatial Thinking with GIS, UURB 3501 New York City: Past, Present, UURB 3629 The Suburbs: Divided We Sprawl, UURB 3xxx Spaces of Urban Protest, UURB 3xxx Urban Community Lab, UURB 3xxx Chinese Cities, UURB 3xxx Urban Photography, and UURB 3xxx Culture City.
- Two (2) UURB 4000-level electives** (varies by semester; total 6-8 credits). Examples include UURB 4100 Urban Century, UURB 4417 Infrastructure and Social Compact, UURB 4521 Political Economy of the City, UURB 4139 Smart Cities and Urban Values, UURB 4xxx Housing Policy, UURB 45xx African Cities, and UURB 45xx Urban Informality.
*Students can also take ULEC 2620 Urban Worlds: Social Justice and the Lived City to satisfy the introductory course requirement.
**Elective course offerings vary from semester to semester and may include courses with other prefixes. Please consult the Urban Studies Course Bulletin or contact the Departmental Faculty Advisor for a complete course listing.
Senior Capstone (4-8 credits). Senior Seminars can be taken for a range of credits (1-4), depending on the nature and extent of the senior capstone project. A minimum of 4 credits combined must be allocated to the two courses together.
- UURB 4900 Senior Seminar I (fall; 1-4 credits)
- UURB 4901 Senior Seminar II (spring 1-4 credits)
Total credits: 34-47