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All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.
Cities are now home to more than half of the people on earth—and this proportion is increasing rapidly. According to the United Nations, the global urban population in 2014 was 3.9 billion. This number of city dwellers is projected to grow to 6.4 billion by 2050, making the planet’s population two-thirds urban. Global urbanization is one of the twenty-first century’s most complex and transformative trends worldwide. The United Nations has thus adopted a New Urban Agenda in 2016 to set global standards for sustainable urban development, addressing how cities are planned, designed, financed, developed, governed, and managed. Sustainable urban development will require a significant change in the ways in which we plan, build, and live in cities. Cities across the world will need to balance population growth, land scarcity, social and economic equity, demographic shifts, and climate-change related adaption.
The Urban Studies and Planning Program is an undergraduate community of students with diverse interests and goals. The program has an undergraduate student club and student chapters or affiliations with prominent organizations such as NAIOP, the Urban Land Institute, the American Planning Association, the Association of Environmental Professionals, and the Construction Management Association of America. Urban Studies and Planning provides students with the opportunity to engage in experiential learning, place-based research, and practicum experiences focused on issues such as community economic development, urban design, affordable housing, sustainable development, active living, and healthy aging. The Urban Studies and Planning Program provides students with a solid foundation for graduate study or for professional work in a number of fields. After graduation, some alumni pursue graduate work in social science disciplines. Others pursue graduate studies in planning, real estate, development, public policy, law, or architecture. Urban Studies and Planning also attracts students interested in medicine and public-health issues who continue to study in these areas at schools of medicine or public health. Many students find employment opportunities through internship placements. More generally, graduates of the Urban Studies and Planning Program will have the analytic skills to think clearly and act creatively about the problems and prospects of cities and metropolitan regions.
The urban studies and planning major provides students with a variety of perspectives for understanding the development, growth, and culture of cities and the communities within them. Course work introduces students to the ways different disciplines understand cities and the societies of which they are a part. Upper-division requirements educate students about the parameters within which urban choices are made. The Urban Studies and Planning major is the oldest and most comprehensive undergraduate urban planning degree program in the University of California system.
One of the outstanding features of the Urban Studies and Planning Program is the upper-division senior sequence—an integrated research, internship, and writing requirement. During the two-quarter senior sequence, designed to be taken in the fall and winter of the senior year, all USP majors learn how to write a research proposal, carry out the proposed research, and share the results in the form of a scholarly thesis, poster, and video. The posters go on display at USP’s well-attended annual Urban Expo. The senior sequence allows students to self-select a topic of interest and work on specific planning, policy, urban design, and development projects in San Diego and the surrounding region, including sites across the international border in Mexico. Eligible students may choose to enroll in USP 190 in the spring to write an honors thesis. The honors option is an opportunity to do advanced research and writing that builds on work already completed in the senior sequence.
A bachelor of arts degree in urban studies and planning will be given to students who satisfactorily complete the general-education requirements of Muir, Revelle, Marshall, Warren, Roosevelt, or Sixth College in addition to the urban studies and planning courses described below. The undergraduate program in urban studies and planning requires a three-quarter lower-division sequence in urban studies (USP 1-2-3), Political Science 30, and twelve courses in upper-division urban studies and planning. Students are encouraged to complete the lower-division prerequisites before they enroll in the upper-division courses.
In accordance with campus academic regulations, courses used to satisfy the major cannot be applied toward a minor, although some overlap is allowed for double majors. All lower-division and upper-division requirements must be taken for a letter grade. A 2.0 grade point average is required in the major, and students must earn at least C– in each course used for the major. Transfer students should see the USP major affairs adviser to determine whether courses taken elsewhere satisfy USP major requirements. No more than one special studies course, USP 198 or USP 199, will be accepted to count toward the major.
Students majoring in urban studies and planning must complete the introductory sequence:
USP 1. History of US Urban Communities (4)
USP 2. Urban World System (4)
USP 3. The City and Social Theory (4)
and
Political Science 30. Political Inquiry (4)
(Psychology 60, Introduction to Statistics, or Sociology 60, The Practice of Social Research, may be substituted for Political Science 30.)
The upper-division requirements in urban studies and planning are
Foundation courses provide the conceptual tools for the major. Students are to choose two of
USP 100. Introduction to Urban Planning (4)
USP 102. Urban Economics (Economics 135) (4)
USP 104. Ethnic Diversity and the City (Ethnic Studies 105) (4)
USP 105. Urban Sociology (Sociology 153) (4)
USP 106/HIUS 129. The History of Race and Ethnicity in American Cities (4)
USP 107. Urban Politics (Political Science 102E) (4)
USP 124. Land Use Planning (4)
USP 173. History of Urban Planning and Design (4)
Students are to choose one course of:
USP 110/Political Science 102J. Advanced Topics in Urban Politics (4)
USP 125. The Design of Social Research (4)
USP 129. Research Methods: Studying Racial and Ethnic Communities (Ethnic Studies 190) (4)
USP 130. Fieldwork in Racial and Ethnic Communities (Ethnic Studies 107) (4)
USP 146. Research Methods for Built Environment and Active Living (4)
USP 174. Regional Governance and Planning Reconsidered (4)
USP 191. GIS for Urban Community Planning (4)
USP 193. San Diego Community Research (4)
In their senior year, all students must complete the senior sequence: USP 186 in the fall, and USP 187 in the winter. These courses must be taken in order. The sequence develops each student’s ability to (1) critically review research literature; (2) formulate interesting research questions of their own; (3) design an original research project and investigative strategy; (4) conduct research; and (5) analyze, interpret, and write up findings. The final requirement of USP 186 is a research proposal. By the end of USP 187, each student must complete a Senior Research Project that includes a scholarly thesis coupled with a poster and video designed to share the research with select audiences.
Because the senior sequence includes an internship, no other internship or field placement will be counted toward the major.
Candidates for Honors in Urban Studies and Planning are required to take USP 190, Senior Honors Seminar, in which students write a senior thesis. Prerequisites for enrolling in USP 190, are a minimum 3.5 GPA in the major, senior standing, USP 186 and USP 187, and consent of instructor. Majors who plan to enroll in USP 190 must declare their intent fall quarter in USP 186.
USP 190. Senior Honors Seminar (4)
Students are encouraged to pick an area of concentration, and choose upper-division electives listed under that cluster. Students may also define their own area of concentration and design an appropriate curriculum drawn from courses offered by USP and other related departments. USP 199, Independent Study, taken for Pass/Not Pass counts for one USP upper-division elective course.
USP 100. Introduction to Urban Planning
USP 101/Political Science 160AA. Introduction to Policy Analysis
USP 102/Economics 135. Urban Economics
USP 107/Political Science 102E. Urban Politics
USP 109/Political Science 103A. California Government and Politics
USP 110/Political Science 102J. Advanced Topics in Urban Politics
USP 111/Political Science 102JJ. Field Research in Urban Politics
USP 113/Political Science 103B. Politics and Policymaking in Los Angeles
USP 115/Political Science 103C. Politics and Policymaking in San Diego
USP 116. California Local Government: Finance and Administration
USP 120. Urban Planning, Infrastructure, and Real Estate
USP 121. Real Estate Law and Regulation
USP 122. Redevelopment Planning, Policymaking, and Law
USP 123. Law, Planning, and Public Policy
USP 124. Land Use Planning
USP 126. Comparative Land Use and Resource Management
USP 133/Sociology 152. Social Inequality and Public Policy
USP 136. Collaborative Community Leadership
USP 137. Housing and Community Development Policy and Practice
USP 138. Urban Economic Development
USP 139. Urban Design and Economic Development
USP 146. Research Methods for Built Environment and Active Living
USP 154. Global Justice in Theory and Action
USP 170. Sustainable Planning
USP 171. Sustainable Development
USP 173. History of Urban Planning and Design
USP 174. Regional Governance and Planning Reconsidered
USP 175. Site Analysis: Opportunities and Constraints
USP 176. Binational Regional Governance
USP 180. Transportation Planning
USP 181. Public Transportation
USP 189. Special Topics in Urban Planning
USP 191. GIS for Urban and Community Planning
USP 193. San Diego Community Research
Anthropology (ANBI) 132/Biology (BIEB) 176. Conservation and the Human Predicament
Economics 116. Economic Development
Economics 118. Law and Economics: Torts, Property, and Crime
Economics 130. Public Policy
Economics 131. Economics of the Environment
Economics 139. Labor Economics
Economics 150. Economics of the Public Sector: Taxation
Economics 151. Economics of the Public Sector: Expenditures
Economics 155. Political Economics
Envi. 102. Selected Topics in Environmental Studies
Envi. 130. Environmental Issues: Social Sciences
Political Science 160AB. Introduction to Policy Analysis
Political Science 162. Environmental Policy
Political Science 168. Policy Assessment
Sociology 121. Economy and Society
Sociology 146. Law Enforcement in America
Sociology 155. The City of San Diego
Sociology 169. Citizenship, Community, and Culture
Sociology 179. Social Change
Sociology 180. Social Movements and Social Protest
USP 124. Land Use Planning
USP 137. Housing and Community Development Policy and Practice
USP 139. Urban Design and Economic Development
USP 170. Sustainable Planning
USP 171. Sustainable Development
USP 173. History of Urban Planning and Design
USP 174. Regional Governance and Planning Reconsidered
USP 175. Site Analysis: Opportunities and Constraints
USP 177. Urban Design Practicum
USP 178. Urban Design for Redevelopment
USP 179. Urban Design, Theory, and Practice
USP 180. Transportation Planning
USP 191. GIS for Urban and Community Planning
USP 193. San Diego Community Research
ENVR 102. Selected Topics in Environmental Studies
ENVR 110. Environmental Law
ENVR 130. Environmental Issues: Social Sciences
Ethnic Studies 103. Environmental Racism
Ethnic Studies 104. Race, Space, and Segregation
History (HISC) 172/272. Building America: Technology, Culture, and the Built Environment in the United States
Political Science 125A. Communities and the Environment
Political Science 162. Environmental Policy
Visual Arts 110G. The Natural and Altered Environment
Visual Arts 111. Structure of Art
USP 101/Political Science 160AA. Introduction to Policy Analysis
USP 133/Sociology 152. Social Inequality and Public Policy
USP 134. Community Youth Development
USP 136. Collaborative Community Leadership
USP 143. The US Health-Care System
USP 144. Environmental and Preventive Health Issues
USP 145. Aging—Social and Health Policy Issues
USP 146. Research Methods for Built Environment and Active Living
USP 147. Case Studies in Health Care Programs/Poor and Underserved Populations
USP 154/Political Science 111B. Global Justice in Theory and Action
Economics 130. Public Policy
Economics 139. Labor Economics
Economics 150. Economics of the Public Sector: Taxation
Economics 151. Economics of the Public Sector: Expenditures
Economics 155. Political Economics
Education Studies 130. Introduction to Academic Mentoring of Elementary School Students
Ethnic Studies 142. Medicine, Race, and the Global Politics of Inequality
Philosophy 163. Biomedical Ethics
Political Science 168. Policy Assessment
Psychology 104. Introduction in Social Psychology
Sociology 112. Social Psychology
Sociology 117/EDS 117. Language, Culture, and Education
Sociology 123. Sociology of Work
Sociology 126/EDS 126. Social Organization of Education
Sociology 132. Gender and Work
Sociology 135. Medical Sociology
Sociology 136E. Sociology of Mental Illness: A Historical Approach
Sociology 136F. Sociology of Mental Illness in Contemporary Society
Sociology 141. Crime and Society
Sociology 159. Special Topics in Social Organizations and Institutions
USP 104/Ethnic Studies 105. Ethnic Diversity and the City
USP 106/History (HIUS) 129. History of Race and Ethnicity in American Cities
USP 129/Ethnic Studies 190. Research Methods: Studying Racial and Ethnic Communities
USP 130/Ethnic Studies 107. Fieldwork in Racial and Ethnic Communities
USP 132/Ethnic Studies 188. African Americans, Religion, and the City
USP 135/Ethnic Studies 129. Asian and Latina Immigrant Workers in the Global Economy
USP 149. Madness and Urbanization
USP 154/Political Science 111B. Global Justice in Theory and Action
Anthropology (ANSC) 131. Urban Cultures in Latin America
Ethnic Studies 118. Contemporary Immigration Issues
Ethnic Studies 121. Contemporary Asian American History
Ethnic Studies 123. Asian American Politics
Ethnic Studies 131/History (HIUS) 159. Social and Economic History of the Southwest II
Ethnic Studies 151. Ethnic Politics in America
Ethnic Studies 161. Black Politics and Protest Since 1941
Ethnic Studies 184. Black Intellectuals in the Twentieth Century
History (HILA) 115. The Latin American City, a History
History (HILA) 121. History of Brazil
History (HITO) 180. Housing in the Developing World
History (HIUS) 114. California History
History (HIUS) 117. History of Los Angeles
History (HIUS) 180/Ethnic Studies 134. Immigration and Ethnicity in Modern American Society
Political Science 100H. Race and Ethnicity in American Politics
Political Science 105A. Latino Politics in the U.S.
Political Science 100J. Race in American Political Development
Political Science 150A. Politics of Immigration
Sociology 100. Classical Sociological Theory
Sociology 125. Sociology of Immigration
Sociology 139. Social Inequality: Class, Race, and Gender
Sociology 144. Forms of Social Control
Sociology 148. Political Sociology
Sociology 148E. Inequality and Jobs
Sociology 151. Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations
USP 105/Sociology 153. Urban Sociology
USP 106/History (HIUS) 129. The History of Race and Ethnicity in American Cities
USP 107/Political Science 102E. Urban Politics
USP 167/History (HIUS) 123. History of New York City
USP 168/History (HIUS) 117. History of Los Angeles
USP 173. History of Urban Planning and Design
Anthropology (ANSC) 131. Urban Cultures in Latin America
Economics 116. Economic Development
Ethnic Studies 121. Contemporary Asian American History
Ethnic Studies 131/History (HIUS) 159. Social and Economic History of the Southwest II
History (HIEU) 129. Paris, Past and Present
History (HILA) 115. The Latin American City, a History
History (HILA) 121. History of Brazil
History (HIUS) 114. California History
History (HIUS) 117. History of Los Angeles
History (HIUS) 124/ETHN 125. Asian American History
History (HIUS) 139. African American History in the Twentieth Century
History (HIUS) 140/Economics 158A. Economic History
History (HIUS) 141/Economics 158B. Economic History of the United States II
History (HIUS) 154. Western Environmental History
The urban studies and planning minor consists of seven courses in urban studies and planning, selected with the prior approval of the USP student affairs adviser. Students who wish to minor in urban studies may do so by taking any two courses from among the lower-division sequence and the upper-division foundation courses, and five upper-division courses from among those that serve the USP major. All courses must be taken for a letter grade not lower than a C–. Courses selected need approval from the USP program adviser. Students can declare the minor online.
The real estate and development (RED) major at UC San Diego is one of the most comprehensive undergraduate programs of its kind in the country. It recognizes that the next generation of real estate and development innovators will need to understand the nexus between real estate finance and development, data analysis, urban planning and design, environmental regulations, and new technologies. The major also emphasizes the importance of public-private partnerships and knowledge of the role and function of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors at the neighborhood, city, and regional level. It recognizes the importance of supplementing classroom instruction with professional development opportunities and uses the San Diego-Tijuana city-region as a living laboratory for hands-on, project-based learning.
The curriculum for the bachelor of science in RED is broad and interdisciplinary in response to the diverse ways in which real estate impacts the ways people live, work, and enrich their lives. Required courses include economics, business management, urban planning, real estate finance, real estate law, sustainable development, and urban design. All course work is designed to facilitate qualitative, quantitative, analytical, strategic, design, and problem-solving, solutions-oriented skills. Students pursuing the RED major are encouraged to pair their degree with a minor degree in urban studies and planning or one of the many minor degrees offered at UC San Diego, particularly those offered by the Rady School of Management including the minor in business and the minor in entrepreneurship and innovation.
One of the outstanding features of the real estate and development major is the upper-division capstone studio requirement. During a two-quarter “Capstone Studio Sequence,” designed to be taken in fall and winter of the senior year, all RED majors are guided through a hands-on, actual real estate finance and development project. Through project-based learning, students work in teams culminating with the presentation of their findings at the annual Urban Expo hosted by the Urban Studies and Planning Program.
A bachelor of science degree in RED will be given to students who satisfactorily complete the general-education requirements of Muir, Revelle, Marshall, Warren, Roosevelt, or Sixth College in addition to the real estate and sustainable development courses described below. The undergraduate RED major requires seven lower-division courses, ten upper-division courses, and the required two-quarter Capstone Studio Sequence. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the lower-division requirements before they enroll in the upper-division courses.
Students majoring in real estate and development must complete
USP 1. History of US Urban Communities OR USP 2. Urban World System
USP 5. Introduction to the Real Estate and Development Process
USP 15. Applied Urban Economics for Planning and Development (to be taken after completion of Economics 1)
Mathematics 10A. Calculus 1 OR Mathematics 20A. Calculus for Science and Engineering OR MGT 3. Quantitative Methods
Economics 1. Principles of Microeconomics
Economics 4/MGT 4. Financial Accounting
MGT 5 (Economics 4/MGT 4 and MGT 5 may be replaced with MGT 45)
The upper-division requirements in real estate and development are
Foundation courses provide the conceptual tools for the major. Students are to complete the following:
USP 124. Land Use Planning
USP 150. Real Estate and Development Law and Regulation
USP 151. Real Estate Planning and Development
USP 152. Real Estate Development Finance and Investment
USP 153. Real Estate and Development Market Analysis
USP 171. Sustainable Development
MGT 172. Business Project Management
Students are to choose one course (four units) of the following:
USP 172. Graphics, Visual Communication, and Urban Information
USP 175. Site Analysis
USP 177. Urban Design Practicum
USP 191. GIS for Urban and Community Planning
Students are to choose two courses (or eight units) from:
Economics 116. Economic Development
Economics 125. Demographic Analysis and Forecasting
Economics 131. Economics of the Environment
USP 120. Urban Planning, Infrastructure, and Real Estate
USP 137. Housing and Community Development Policy and Practice
USP 155. Real Estate Development in Global and Comparative Perspective
USP 170. Sustainable Planning
USP 173. History of Urban Planning and Design
USP 179. Urban Design, Theory, and Practice
USP 180. Transportation Planning
USP 181. Public Transportation
MGT 112. Global Business Strategy
MGT 153. Business Analytics
MGT 157. Real Estate Securitization
MGT 158. Real Estate and the Tech Sector
MGT 162. Negotiation
MGT 164. Business and Organizational Leadership
MGT 166. Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
In their senior year, all RED majors must complete the Capstone Studio Sequence: USP 185A in fall, and USP 185B in winter. These courses must be taken in order. Working in teams, the real estate and development studio advances each student’s ability to (1) critically approach the real estate finance, development, and design process; (2) gather and manage complex sources of research and knowledge as part of an integrated team approach; (3) prepare a detailed pro forma financial analysis; (4) evaluate all site constraints and opportunities; (5) evaluate all market constraints and opportunities; (6) develop a complete urban design program; (7) develop a plan to market, lease, and/or sell the development; and (8) analyze, interpret, and write up the findings. Each team will prepare a final written report and presentation drawings. The studio will culminate with a public presentation of the students’ work at the USP Program’s annual Urban Expo held every March to showcase undergraduate research.
The real estate and development minor (RED) consists of seven courses (28 units). Students who wish to minor in real estate and development may do so by taking two required lower-division courses, four required upper-division courses, and one upper-division elective. All courses must be taken for a letter grade not lower than a C–. Courses selected need approval from the USP program adviser. Students can declare the minor online.
Students minoring in real estate development must complete
USP 5. Introduction to the Real Estate and Development Process
USP 15. Applied Urban Economics for Planning and Development
The upper-division requirements in real estate and development are
Foundation courses provide the conceptual tools for the major. Students are required to complete the following:
USP 124. Land Use Planning
USP 150. Real Estate and Development Law and Regulation
USP 151. Real Estate Planning and Development
MGT 181. Enterprise Finance
Students are to choose one of the following:
USP 120. Urban Planning, Infrastructure, and Real Estate
USP 137. Housing and Community Development Policy and Practice
USP 152. Real Estate Development Finance and Investment
USP 153. Real Estate and Development Market Analysis
USP 155. Real Estate Development in Global and Comparative Perspective
USP 170. Sustainable Planning
USP 171. Sustainable Development
USP 172. Graphics, Visual Communication, and Urban Information
USP 173. History of Urban Planning and Design
USP 175. Site Analysis
USP 177. Urban Design Practicum
USP 179. Urban Design, Theory, and Practice
USP 180. Transportation Planning
USP 181. Public Transportation
USP 191. GIS for Urban and Community Planning
MGT 112. Global Business Strategy
MGT 153. Business Analytics
MGT 157. Real Estate Securitization
MGT 158. Real Estate and the Tech Sector
MGT 162. Negotiation
MGT 164. Business and Organizational Leadership
MGT 166. Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
MGT 172. Business Project Management
Students are encouraged to participate in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) or Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) while still making progress toward completing their major. For more information on EAP, see the section of this catalog on the Education Abroad Program or visit http://studyabroad.ucsd.edu/. Students considering this option are advised to discuss their plans with the USP student affairs adviser before going abroad.
