Urban Studies Certificate

The Urban Studies Certificate, housed in the Department of Geography, takes an interdisciplinary approach. Students take a core of courses in Geography and take a selection of electives to match their interests.

This certificate is state supported.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree, which may be earned concurrently.
Consultation with the certificate advisor in the Geography Department.
Post baccalaureate students must take classes at the 5xx level when available.
Students enrolled in the B. S. in Geography, Urban pathway may not earn the Urban Studies Certificate.

A minimum of 23 units distributed as follows:

Core requirements (6 units):

Take the following courses:

GEOG 301 - The Urban Scene (3 units)
Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement, one or more Exploration courses, and upper division standing.
GEOG 469 - Cities and Social Justice (3 units)
Prerequisite: GEOG 100 , GEOG 120 , GEOG 175 or GEOG 301 or consent of instructor; GEOG 360 recommended.
or
GEOG 569 - Cities and Social Justice (3 units)

Take four courses from the following (12-15 units):

Choose four courses from the following:

CAFF 322 - Family Housing and the Urban Community (3 units)
* CAFF 422 - Housing Policies: Public and Private (3 units)
GEOG 446 - Land Use Planning (3 units)
GEOG 452 - Geography of Globalization (3 units)
GEOG 462 - Gender, Place and Culture (3 units)
Or WGSS 462 - Gender, Place and Culture
GEOG 464 - Urban Geography: Sustainable Cities (3 units)
Or GEOG 564 - Urban Geography: Sustainable Cities
GEOG 465 - Social Geography (3 units)
Or GEOG 565 - Social Geography
GEOG 467 - Urban Geography: Metropolitan Problems and Solutions (3 units)
Or GEOG 567 - Urban Geography: Metropolitan Problems and Solutions
GEOG 468 - World Cities/Cities of the World (3 units)
* GEOG 485 - Principles of Geographic Information Science (4 units)
Or *GEOG 585 - Principles of Geographic Information Science Or GEOG 371 - Geospatial Science for Health Or GEOG 471 - Geographic Information Science (GISci) for Justice
GEOG 487B - Urban GIS (4 units)
Or GEOG 587B - Urban GIS
GEOG 488 - Geographic Information Science (GIS) Programming (4 units)
Or GEOG 588 - Geographic Information Science (GIS) Programming
GEOG 492 - Applied Internship (3 units)

Note

*GEOG 485 /GEOG 585 prerequisite: GEOG 280 or GEOG 371 or GEOG 471 or GEOG 481 . GEOG 280 and GEOG 481 do not count toward the Certificate.

Electives (2-5 units):

Take 1-2 courses as needed to reach 23 units total. Any course listed above or any of the following:

AMST 399 - Labor Activism in Los Angeles (3 units)
AMST 419 - The Suburbs (3 units)
CHLS 320 - Wealth and Poverty in Latino Communities (3 units)
CHLS 421 - Street Gangs in Comparative Perspective (3 units)
DESN 367 - History and Theory of Architecture (3 units)
* ECON 437 - Urban Economics (3 units)
HIST 474 - The History and Culture of American Cities (3 units)
POSC 327 - Urban Politics (3 units)
REC 371 - Human Services Programming in Urban Areas (3 units)
SOC 353 - Urban and Social Policy Analysis (3 units)

Note:

*ECON 437 prerequisite: ECON 310 and ECON 100 or ECON 101, or MATH 115, or MATH 119a or MATH 122.