Program Overview

Introduction to the Urban Worlds Major

The Urban Worlds Major is a new degree program offered at Simon Fraser University, with courses available at all three campuses. This program allows students to explore cities from multiple perspectives, examining them as sites of culture, politics, economy, and human creativity. By studying the Urban Worlds Major, students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to become urban problem solvers and shape cities for the better.

Program Structure

The Urban Worlds Major is a collaboration between the Faculty of Environment and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The program is structured into two streams: Urban Change and Urban Studies.

Urban Change Stream

The Urban Change stream focuses on the geographic dimensions of urban change. Students in this stream will acquire a deep understanding of how cities have evolved, how urban change continues to shape social change, and how to shape cities and urban life for the better in the future. This stream is strongly based in Geography and draws from many Geography courses.

• Focuses on the geography of urban change
• Place-based, exploring spatial relationships that constitute cities, urban regions, and global interurban relationships
• Foregrounds the dynamics of urban spaces by exploring the geographies of place, politics, gentrification, crisis, food, community, migration, and other fundamental place-based processes
• Grounds understanding in constructive and critical professional and civic engagement with the world through urban practice courses

Urban Studies Stream

The Urban Studies stream explores the richness and diversity of human settlement in cities, focusing on historical, cultural, economic, and political dimensions. Students in this stream will develop their capacity to appreciate and improve human agency in city-making outcomes.

• Historical, cultural, economic, political
• Develops students' skills in discovering the richness and diversity of human settlement in cities
• Understands common factors that draw people to live and work in cities through the appreciation of the culture, creativity, and communication that occur when people share and shape a community
• Equips students to perceive and interpret the cultural, economic, historical, and political dimensions of urban society

Topics of Study

The Urban Worlds Major covers a wide range of topics, including:

• Gentrification
• Housing and homelessness
• Climate change
• Culture and place
• Migration
• Spread of infectious disease
• Age-friendly cities and communities
• Racism and sexism
• Community-engaged place-making
• Transportation
• City's role as a node of extraction in the global economy

Career Areas

Graduates of the Urban Worlds Major can pursue various career paths in:

• Business development officers
• City construction
• Economic development
• Emergency management
• Market researchers and analysts
• Production utilities
• Sustainability
• Transportation
• Urban and land-use planning

Accelerated Masters

As part of the Urban Worlds Major, students have the opportunity to take graduate-level courses and apply those courses toward their undergraduate and graduate degrees at SFU. This allows students to earn both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree simultaneously.

Program Requirements

The Urban Worlds Major is a collaboration between the Faculty of Environment and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The program structure allows students to choose from two streams: Urban Change and Urban Studies.

• Foundation Year: Students take courses together
• Years 2 & 3: Students choose a stream focused on their areas of interest - Urban Change (FENV) or Urban Studies (FASS)
• Year 4: Students reconnect for capstone projects

Students graduate together with a degree that will create opportunities for graduate studies as well as jobs and career pathways.