Do you love cities and communities? Want to learn more about urban issues? Choose an Urban Studies Minor- open to all Georgia State University majors.

This minor provides a good foundation for students contemplating graduate work in urban planning, environmental policy, economics, public administration, public policy, law, or social work. It also is an exciting interdisciplinary focus because understanding urban phenomena requires synthesizing knowledge from a broad range of subjects.

Students must take a total of 15 Credit Hours, which includes two required courses offered within the Urban Studies Institute and three courses chosen from an extensive list of possible electives.

Course Sequence

Required Courses: (6 Credit Hours)

• URB 3010: Contemporary US Cities
• URB 3020: The Global Evolution of Cities
• URB 3030: Power in the City

Eligible Electives: (9 Credit Hours)

For a list of eligible electives, please consult the academic catalog.

Interested in urban issues like inclusive development, transit, economic resilience or environmental sustainability? So are we.

Join GSU’s urban studies master’s program for a deep dive into these urban phenomena. Offering an interdisciplinary perspective on urban studies, students follow a core trajectory of shared courses and have the freedom to specialize by individually selecting from a large offer of elective courses. Students work with a faculty advisor throughout their studies and have the opportunity to join the Urban Studies student association with like minded peers.

Our flexible degree structure enables students to explore the issues and concerns shaping their interest in urban studies – from gentrification, community development, and transport equity to climate change, global pandemics, and the future of the suburbs – through a variety of perspectives. MIS graduates have the ability to conduct rigorous urban research with strong policy relevance, informed by a strong commitment to realizing more equitable and inclusive forms of urban development.

When attended full-time this program can be completed in 18 months. You can learn more by joining our mailing list here.

Course Sequence

The Urban Studies masters program is 30 credit hours. This can be completed in 18 months, full-time.

Required Core Courses: (12 credits)

• URB 8010: Urban Theory & Praxis — in this seminar course, students examine the conceptual dilemmas presented when analyzing cities and ‘the urban’ and explore the insights offered by various theoretical perspectives.
• URB 8020: The Remaking of Cities— this course provides students with an understanding of the development of cities in time and space. Discussions compare and debate urban processes from the ancient polis to the mega-cities of the twenty-first century.
• URB 8097, GEOG 6532 or PMAP 8561: Geographical Information Systems —GIS is a vital and in-demand skill for urban researchers, and provides students with an adaptive methodological toolkit for data visualization and analysis.
• URB 8030: Urban Statistics and Social Justice – students develop statistical reasoning and analysis skills in studying a range of social justice phenomena.

Electives: (12 credits) Elective Course Descriptions

Capstone Experience: (6 credits)                                                                              Students will choose one of two capstone tracks:

• • Professional Track: Students complete a master’s project or research paper under the supervision of USI core or affiliate faculty (3 credits) and a 175-hour internship working with a public, private, or non-profit organization engaged in urban research, advocacy, or decision-making (3 credits).
  • Research Track: Students complete a dual paper option. The two research papers(3 credit hours each) are supervised by USI core or affiliate faculty. Research track students develop and conduct original research that rigorously investigates empirical and conceptual urban challenges in their area of interest.