Program Overview

Urban and Regional Studies, Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

The Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies requires 120 credits, including 40 credits within the major. The program is designed so that students may enter as late as their junior year and provides a solid foundation for professional work or advanced study aimed at addressing some of the most important challenges and issues facing the U.S. and other world regions, such as urban sprawl, economic marginalization, ethnic and racial conflict, and environmental degradation.

Program Overview

The program covers a wide range of topics related to these issues, including transportation, housing, land use, environmental management, regional and international development, human-environment interaction, globalization, and socioeconomic change. Students can focus on the subject matter of their interest by choosing to concentrate in either urban planning and policy or regional analysis and development; alternatively, they may opt for a generalized course of study.

Core Courses and Requirements

Nine core courses and a lab (28 credits total) are required for all majors. These courses provide fundamental background knowledge in an array of disciplines that form the foundations of urban and regional studies, such as urban planning and design, human and physical geography, economics, environmental management, urban and public policy, and geographic information systems. Students complete their remaining 12 credits within one of the two concentrations or through a generalized course of study.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this program, students will have acquired the following:

• A multidisciplinary understanding of urban and regional dynamics and planning
• Mastery of general and major-specific skills, including oral, written, and graphic communication, social science and planning methods, and computer proficiency
• Ethics and a sense of social and personal responsibility rooted in an understanding of and sensitivity to the complex notions of the public good, human needs, and the ethical dimensions of social conflict

Special Requirements

Proof of competency with Excel software is a prerequisite for URSP 306; URSP 116 is a prerequisite for URSP 310; URSP 204 (or permission of instructor) is a prerequisite for URSP 332/ENVS 332; URSP 310 is a prerequisite for URSP 428; URSP 310, URSP 313, and senior standing are prerequisites for URSP 440; and URSP 102 and URSP 306 are prerequisites for URSP 502.

Degree Requirements

The degree requirements for the Urban and Regional Studies, Bachelor of Science (B.S.) include:

• General education: 30 credits
• Major requirements:
  • Major core requirements: 28 credits
    • URSP 102: Introduction to Human Geography
    • URSP 116: Introduction to the City
    • URSP 204 & URSZ 204: Physical Geography and Physical Geography Laboratory
    • URSP 306: Economic Geography
    • URSP 310: Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning
    • URSP 313: Research and Field Methods in Urban and Regional Studies
    • URSP/ENVS 332: Environmental Management
    • URSP 360: Community and Regional Analysis and GIS
    • URSP 428: Land Use and Infrastructure Planning
    • URSP 440: Senior Capstone Seminar in Urban and Regional Studies
  • Major electives: 9 credits
• Ancillary requirements: 6 credits
  • GVPA 100: Making Policy Real: Social Problems and Policy Solutions
  • STAT 208: Statistical Thinking
• Open electives: 47 credits

Sample Plan of Study

A sample plan of study is provided to meet the prescribed requirements within a four-year course of study at VCU. The plan includes:

• Freshman year: Introduction to Human Geography, Introduction to the City, and other general education courses
• Sophomore year: Physical Geography, Economic Geography, and other major and general education courses
• Junior year: Research and Field Methods in Urban and Regional Studies, Environmental Management, and other major and open elective courses
• Senior year: Community and Regional Analysis and GIS, Land Use and Infrastructure Planning, Senior Capstone Seminar in Urban and Regional Studies, and other open elective courses

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120. Students who complete the requirements for this degree will receive a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies.