Colleges with good Urban Planning/Studies/Design Majors?

momrath
Sun, 07 Oct 2018 03:05:05 +0000

@Lehoe, I spent some time perusing the Urban Planning (or whatever they call it) departments of the schools that you list. The breadth and variety of approaches is truly mind-boggling. Penn said it best

Urban Studies is a difficult “subject” to define - so if you are looking for a simple, static definition, this isn’t the major for you. However, Urban Studies scholars share some common interests and approaches to problem-solving.

First I believe the following schools do not offer an undergraduate degree in urban planning, studies or whatever name they choose for their graduate programs: UMCP, U of Minnesota, U of Pittsburgh, U of Chicago, WUSTL, Columbia.
You may be able to draw on the graduate school offerings and to patch together a multi-disciplinary undergraduate degree that would put you in good standing for a Masters. However, their UG degree paths are not as straightforward as some of the others.

Second, Urban planning programs are often defined by the graduate school that they are aligned with. Roughly speaking, some fall under the school of architecture with a primary focus on design; Some are in the schools of public policy, social work or public health with a focus on policy; Some are more ecology, environment and sustainability focused.

Of course, most urban majors would encompass ALL of the above, but the emphasis of the curriculum and the career paths of the graduates would vary. It’s important to study the curriculums carefully to decide which channel appeals to you most.

Since you’ve had internships with planning firms, you might want to talk to the firms’ principals about their own educational backgrounds and what they look for in hiring.

I suggest that you look at Cornell’s BS in Urban and Regional Studies which sits within the Art, Architecture and Planning Department.
https://aap.cornell.edu/academics/crp/undergraduate/faq

I would also note that it’s not strictly necessary to major in urban studies as an undergrad in order to get accepted to a top-rated Masters program. It’s possible to get a BA, BS in just about anything from just about anywhere, then specialize in urban studies in graduate school.

Whatever you decide for undergrad, a career in planning will most likely eventually include a graduate degree, which could be in planning itself or could be in a related field such as architecture, policy or law. You’ll want to look at finances carefully too as funding for advanced degrees can be unreliable.