<p>I'm very interested in Urban Planning and would like to major in Urban Studies in college. Does anyone know of any very good or interesting, prestigious, insightful Urban Studies programs? I would love to find one in a liberal arts setting, hopefully in an urban area.</p>
<p>So far I'm looking at Brown, UPenn, Wellesley (dual-degree with MIT), Wash U, and University of Toronto. </p>
<p>I'm looking for some slightly more realistic choices as well as more affordable!</p>
<p>Rhodes College - liberal arts, located in the heart of Memphis, strong relationships with the local neighborhood associations, multiple grant-funded projects around urban planning. Anthro, Sociology, and Archaeology programs offer good complements to the major.
[Rhodes</a> College | Interdisciplinary Study](<a href=“http://www.rhodes.edu/academics/6946.asp#urban]Rhodes”>http://www.rhodes.edu/academics/6946.asp#urban)</p>
<p>Why not consider Chicago and Northwestern for urban studies? Chicago is one of the best places to study cities.</p>
<p>Arizona
[UA</a> School of Geography and Development](<a href=“http://geog.arizona.edu/]UA”>http://geog.arizona.edu/)</p>
<p>ASU
[School</a> Of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning | Arizona State University](<a href=“http://geoplan.asu.edu/]School”>http://geoplan.asu.edu/)</p>
<p>Barnard/Columbia
[Urban</a> Studies Program - Barnard College-Columbia University](<a href=“http://www.barnard.edu/urban/]Urban”>http://www.barnard.edu/urban/)</p>
<p>Berkeley
[Department</a> of City and Regional Planning - UC Berkeley - Department of City & Regional Planning](<a href=“http://dcrp.ced.berkeley.edu/]Department”>http://dcrp.ced.berkeley.edu/)</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr/Haverford
[Bryn</a> Mawr College: Growth and Structure of Cities Department](<a href=“http://www.brynmawr.edu/cities/]Bryn”>Growth and Structure of Cities)</p>
<p>Butler
[Urban</a> Affairs Major - Butler University](<a href=“http://www.butler.edu/sociology-criminology/curriculum/urban-affairs-major]Urban”>http://www.butler.edu/sociology-criminology/curriculum/urban-affairs-major)</p>
<p>Cincinnati
[School</a> of Planning](<a href=“http://www.daap.uc.edu/planning/]School”>http://www.daap.uc.edu/planning/)</p>
<p>College of Charleston
[Urban</a> Studies Department](<a href=“http://spinner.cofc.edu/urbanstudies/?referrer=webcluster&]Urban”>http://spinner.cofc.edu/urbanstudies/?referrer=webcluster&)</p>
<p>Cornell
[Cornell</a> / Department of City and Regional Planning](<a href=“http://aap.cornell.edu/crp/]Cornell”>Department of City and Regional Planning)</p>
<p>Fordham
[Urban</a> Studies](<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/urban_studies/index.asp]Urban”>http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/urban_studies/index.asp)</p>
<p>Illinois
[Department</a> of Urban & Regional Planning: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign](<a href=“404 | Department of Urban & Regional Planning”>http://www.urban.illinois.edu/)</p>
<p>Miami U
[Miami</a> University: Geography: My Page Title](<a href=“Department of Geography, College of Arts and Science | Miami University”>Department of Geography, College of Arts and Science | Miami University)</p>
<p>Minnesota
[Urban</a> Studies : University of Minnesota](<a href=“Urban Studies | Geography, Environment & Society | College of Liberal Arts”>http://urbanstudies.cla.umn.edu/)</p>
<p>NYU
[New</a> York University > Metropolitan Studies](<a href=“Metropolitan Studies”>Metropolitan Studies)
[NYU</a> > Art History > Urban Design and Architecture Studies Program](<a href=“Department of Art History”>Department of Art History)</p>
<p>Ohio State
[Knowlton</a> School: City & Regional Planning](<a href=“Knowlton School”>Knowlton School)</p>
<p>Pitt
[Urban</a> Studies Program | University of Pittsburgh](<a href=“http://www.urbanstudies.pitt.edu/]Urban”>http://www.urbanstudies.pitt.edu/)</p>
<p>Stanford
[Program</a> on Urban Studies](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/dept/URBS/]Program”>http://www.stanford.edu/dept/URBS/)</p>
<p>Temple
[The</a> Department of Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University](<a href=“http://www.temple.edu/gus/]The”>http://www.temple.edu/gus/)</p>
<p>U Conn
[Urban</a> and Community Studies: Hartford - Storrs - Waterbury - Torrington](<a href=“http://web2.uconn.edu/ucstricampus/index.php]Urban”>http://web2.uconn.edu/ucstricampus/index.php)</p>
<p>UT Austin
[UT</a> Urban Studies](<a href=“Geography and the Environment | Liberal Arts | UT - Austin”>Geography and the Environment | Liberal Arts | UT - Austin)</p>
<p>UVA
[UVa</a> School of Architecture | Urban & Environmental Planning](<a href=“http://www.arch.virginia.edu/planning/]UVa”>http://www.arch.virginia.edu/planning/)</p>
<p>Some of the best graduate programs in urban studies/planning do not offer undergraduate programs, though they often offer minors. Such a minor in conjunction with a strong program in sociology, public policy, or geography may well be more valuable than some of the above programs.</p>
<p>Clark
[Home</a> | Urban Development and Social Change | Clark University](<a href=“http://www.clarku.edu/departments/urban/]Home”>http://www.clarku.edu/departments/urban/)
[School</a> of Geography | Clark University](<a href=“http://www.clarku.edu/departments/geography/]School”>Graduate School of Geography - Clark University)</p>
<p>Syracuse
[Syracuse</a> University Geography](<a href=“http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/geo/default.htm]Syracuse”>http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/geo/default.htm)</p>
<p>UCLA
[Undergraduate</a> Programs | UCLA School of Public Affairs](<a href=“http://www.publicaffairs.ucla.edu/content/undergraduate-programs-0]Undergraduate”>http://www.publicaffairs.ucla.edu/content/undergraduate-programs-0)</p>
<p>UNC Chapel Hill
[UNC</a> Department of City and Regional Planning](<a href=“http://www.planning.unc.edu/]UNC”>http://www.planning.unc.edu/)
[UNC</a> - Department of Geography](<a href=“http://geography.unc.edu/]UNC”>http://geography.unc.edu/)
[UNC</a> - Chapel Hill Department of Sociology](<a href=“http://sociology.unc.edu/]UNC”>http://sociology.unc.edu/)</p>
<p>Wisconsin
[Geography</a> Undergraduate Program](<a href=“http://geography.wisc.edu/admissions/undergrad.htm]Geography”>http://geography.wisc.edu/admissions/undergrad.htm)</p>
<p>University of Cincinnati’s Urban Planning Program in the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning is the very best undergraduate program in Planning in the US.</p>
<p>Definitely check it out. Cincinnati is a really neat livable city and UC is an urban campus. It is a good laboratory for urban revitalization.</p>
<p>Penn’s urban studies program is great. Philadelphia is their playground</p>
<p>Another thing to keep in mind is go to school in the region that you want to study. East Coast schools will emphasize New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. Ditto for Chicago and Detroit in the Midwest, and LA and San Francisco on the West Coast. You will also do fieldwork as part of your assignments.</p>
<p>Since I wanted to study Chicago in my college days, it made no sense for me to attend schools like Columbia or UCLA.</p>
<p>Thanks so much, everyone!</p>
<p>I’m definitely looking into Rhodes. Tenisghs, I’ve considered Chicago and Northwestern, but they are very expensive and my family and I are worried about not receiving much aid, so I have to think realistically. But thank you for the tip on what will be studied, that’s very good to know!</p>
<p>Thanks for the long list, warblersrule86! I wish I could go to Berkeley, but that’s another very expensive school for an OOS like me :(</p>
<p>I’ve looked into Cincinnati and it sounds interesting! I’d prefer something a little more prestigious, but I know I should keep my mind open. </p>
<p>I visited Penn and loved the campus, surrounding area, etc. but I met with the woman who runs the Urban Studies program and she didn’t seem too excited about it! I’m incredibly passionate about Urban Studies/Planning; perhaps she’s just not an overly enthusiastic person. </p>
<p>Thanks again for all the suggestions!</p>
<p>I seem to remember that Trinity College in Connecticut makes pretty big deal about involvement with the community and had a number of interesting programs although I don’t know about an urban studies major particularly. If your scores are above their 75% level you might be able to get merit aid at an LAC like Trinity. Maybe someone mentioned it already but the University of Minnesota is a bargain for out-of-state students and it’s in Minneapolis.</p>
<p>I’d be hard-pressed to believe that the woman running the program doesn’t care about it! 
You probably just caught her on a bad day, or she was tired/worn out from some recent occurrence…</p>
<p>I apologize for being unclear, I’m sure the woman cares about Urban Studies, but she just didn’t seem enthusiastic about it or care about how enthusiastic I am about it!</p>
<p>U of Washington has a very good program that is well known for design.</p>
<p>I’d check U of Illinois Chicago as well.</p>