Program: Urban Studies Certificate - California State University, Long Beach

Mar 30, 2025

2020-2021 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog

The Urban Studies Certificate, housed in the Department of Geography, takes an interdisciplinary approach. Students take a core of courses in Geography and take courses from one of two concentrations (Urban Theory and Practice or Applied Urban Geography). For further information, go to www.csulb.edu/geography.

This certificate program is eligible for Financial Aid. Please see the department web site for required Federal disclosure information.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree, which may be earned concurrently.
Consultation with the certificate advisor in the Geography Department.

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 464 - Urban Geography: Sustainable Cities (3 units)
Prerequisite: GEOG 100 , GEOG 120 , or GEOG 160 or GEOG 301 or consent of instructor; GEOG 360 recommended.
or
GEOG 564 - Urban Geography: Sustainable Cities (3 units)

Concentration Requirement (minimum 17 units)

Choose One Option:

Concentration A - Urban Planning:

Take one from each category:

Planning Course:

GEOG 446 - Land Use Planning (3 units)

GIS Course:

GEOG 485 - Principles of Geographic Information Science (4 units) *
or
GEOG 585 - Principles of Geographic Information Science (4 units) *
or
GEOG 371 - Geospatial Science for Health (3 units)

Note

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

Policy Course:

GEOG 467 - Urban Geography: Metropolitan Problems and Solutions (3 units)
or
GEOG 567 - Urban Geography: Metropolitan Problems and Solutions (3 units)
or
CAFF 322 - Family Housing and the Urban Community (3 units)
or
CAFF 422 - Housing Policies: Public and Private (3 units)

Applications course:

GEOG 487B - Applications of Geographic Information Science (GIS): Urban and Economic (4 units)
or
GEOG 587B - Applications of Geographic Information Science (GIS): Urban and Economic (4 units)
or
GEOG 488 - Geographic Information Science (GIS) Programming (4 units)
or
GEOG 588 - Geographic Information Science (GIS) Programming (4 units)
or
GEOG 492 - Applied Internship (3 units)

Electives:

as needed to reach 23 units total. Any course listed above or any of the following:

CHLS 320 - Wealth and Poverty in Latino Communities (3 units)
CHLS 421 - Street Gangs in Comparative Perspective (3 units)
HIST 474 - The History and Culture of American Cities (3 units)
ANTH 416 - Urban Anthropology (3 units)
or
ANTH 516 - Urban Anthropology (3 units)
POSC 327 - Urban Politics (3 units)
DESN 367 - History and Theory of Architecture (3 units)
GEOG 468 - World Cities/Cities of the World (3 units)
GEOG 469 - Cities and Social Justice (3 units)
or
GEOG 569 - Cities and Social Justice (3 units)

Concentration B - Urban Theory and Praxis:

Two courses from the following:

Place, Space, and Power:

POSC 327 - Urban Politics (3 units)
CHLS 421 - Street Gangs in Comparative Perspective (3 units)
GEOG 452 - Geography of the Global Economy (3 units)
GEOG 462 - Gender, Place and Culture (3 units)
or
GEOG 562 - Gender, Place and Culture (3 units)
GEOG 465 - Social Geography (3 units)
or
GEOG 565 - Social Geography (3 units)
or
GEOG 469 - Cities and Social Justice (3 units)
or
GEOG 569 - Cities and Social Justice (3 units)

One from each of the following:

Electives:

Additional courses as needed from either concentration

Urban Studies Certificate

Requirements

A minimum of 23 units distributed as follows:

Core requirements (6 units):

Take the following courses:

Concentration Requirement (minimum 17 units)

Concentration A - Urban Planning:

Planning Course:

GIS Course:

Note

Policy Course:

Applications course:

Electives:

Concentration B - Urban Theory and Praxis:

Two courses from the following:

Place, Space, and Power:

One from each of the following:

Policy:

Community Development:

Planning or Design:

Electives: