The great majority of U.S. citizens, and a growing proportion of people throughout the world, live in cities. Cities provide the environment in which people work, learn, play, and make decisions together. Local governments make critical interventions in the quality of life. At the same time, the cities of the world are increasingly linked in a global economic system, making diverse contributions to the international division of labor.

Urban studies and planning is an interdisciplinary program providing students with a variety of perspectives for understanding the development, growth, and culture of cities and the communities within them. Course work introduces students to the ways different disciplines understand cities and the societies of which they are a part.

Upper-division requirements educate students about the parameters within which urban choices are made. One of the outstanding features of the Urban Studies and Planning Program is the upper- division research requirement. During a two-quarter sequence designed to be taken in the fall and winter of the senior year, all USP majors are guided through a research internship and writing process.

The upper-division field studies sequence allows students to work on specific policy projects in the San Diego region. Eligible students may choose to enroll in USP 190 in the spring to write an honors thesis. The honors option is an opportunity to do advanced research and writing that builds on work already completed in the senior sequence.

Urban studies and planning is an undergraduate community of students with diverse interests and goals. After graduation some majors pursue graduate work in social science disciplines. Others pursue graduate study in public policy, law, planning, or architecture. Urban studies has always also attracted students interested in medicine and public health issues, who continue to study in these areas at schools of medicine or public health.

Urban studies and planning provides students with a solid liberal arts background for graduate study or for professional work in a number of fields. Many students find employment opportunities through their internship placement. More generally, graduates of urban studies and planning will have the analytic skills to think clearly and act creatively about the problems and prospects of the urban environment.

The Urban Studies and Planning Major

A bachelor of arts degree in urban studies and planning will be given to students who satisfactorily complete the general-education requirements of Revelle, Muir, Marshall, Warren, Roosevelt, or Sixth College in addition to the urban studies and planning courses.

The undergraduate program in Urban Studies and Planning requires a three-quarter lower-division sequence in urban studies; USP 1, USP 2, USP 3, and POLI 30 Political Inquiry; and twelve upper-division courses that serve the Urban Studies and Planning major. Students are encouraged to complete the lower-division courses before they enroll in the upper-division courses. In accordance with campus academic regulations, courses used to satisfy the major cannot be applied toward a minor, although some overlap is allowed for double majors. Lower-division and upper-division requirements must be taken for a letter grade, and graded C- or higher to count toward the major. A 2.0 grade-point average is required for all courses in the major. Transfer students should see the USP student affairs advisor to determine whether courses taken elsewhere satisfy USP major requirements. No more than one special studies course, USP 198, USP 199, will be accepted to count towards the major.

USP Senior Sequence

All students majoring in Urban Studies and Planning must complete the Senior Sequence during their senior year. The sequence is made up of two classes including USP 186 Senior Sequence Research Proposal in the fall quarter, and USP 187 Senior Sequence Research Project in the winter quarter. These courses must be taken in order. Students will not be allowed to enroll for USP 187 without having first taken USP 186.

The Senior Sequence introduces students to the challenges and problems of social inquiry, field research and scholarly writing. The objective is for students to learn how to:

1. Critically review research literature
2. Formulate interesting research questions of their own
3. Design an original research project and investigative strategy
4. Conduct research
5. Analyze, interpret, and write-up findings

Student’s SRP topics have related to housing and community development, city-region economic development and planning, environmental planning and policy, land use planning, transportation planning and policy, urban design, architecture and historic preservation, health and human services, social planning and analysis, educational policy and programs, planning support systems, and GIS and spatial analysis.

During the Senior Sequence each student is required to do 100 hours of an internship in a placement of their own choosing to collect data for their research project (e.g., by doing a case study or policy analysis related to the internship placement), and gain work experience in a professional setting. The USP program office maintains possible internships and assists students in their placement. Students prepare their resume, select an internship, write a cover letter, and schedule an interview with the internship supervisor. Students are expected to have their internship placement completed and the internship contract agreement signed by the middle of fall quarter. (Matching the subject matter of the internship and SRP is advised, but students are allowed to do their SRP on a subject unrelated to their internship.)

The lecture component of USP 186 and USP 187 includes instruction in research methods, and is designed to provide students with a framework in which they may critically examine ethical and professional aspects of scholarly research as well as practical aspects of their internship experience. Students present their senior research project at the USP EXPO the tenth week of winter quarter.

Senior Honors Seminar

Candidates for Honors in Urban Studies and Planning are required to take USP 190: Senior Honors Seminar, in which students write a senior thesis. Prerequisites for enrolling in USP 190 are a minimum 3.5 GPA in the major, senior standing, USP 186 and USP 187, and consent of the instructor. Majors who plan to enroll in USP 190 must declare their intent in USP 186, fall quarter.

A senior thesis is an extensive research paper ranging in length from 25 to 75 pages. The thesis must include both a survey of relevant literature and original research. The original component of the research may be a case study, archival or historical research, a comparative analysis, a statistical study, or an evaluation of a particular program or policy. The final paper is expected to be a polished essay, suitable to submit for publication, present to a potential employer, or enclose with an application to graduate school.

USP students are encouraged to review the complete library collection of written senior honors theses located in the Urban Studies and Planning Program office, SSB 315.