Degree Requirements

Major

A total of 11 courses, including the following: (you can find descriptions for individual courses on the Art, Economics, History, Political Science and Sociology websites).

• ECO 113 Principles of Microeconomics
• POL 122 Metropolitan Complex
• SOC 111 Community and the Modern Metropolis
• HIS 316 U.S. Urban Environmental History
  or ART 249/349 The Designed Environment (art credit)
  HIS 249/349 The Designed Environment (history credit)
• SOC 362 Statistical Analysis
  or POL 483 Political/Statistics/Methodology
• SOC 363 Research Methods
  or POL 484 Political Analysis Seminar
• SOC 381 The City and Metro-Urban Planning
• INS 399 Internship
• URB492 Keystone in the City and the Environment (this is the keystone requirement for majors who declared and Urban Studies major in Fall 2012 or later)

Plus two additional approved urban-related electives. For electives, please see the following list, which is not exhaustive. Consult the director of metro-urban studies for other elective possibilities that suit your career interests, including off-campus study such as ACTC courses, HECUA or study abroad.

• ART243 History of Architecture to 1750
• ART244 History of Architecture after 1750
• ECO365 Environmental Economics
• ENV100 Environmental Connections
• HIS225 History of the Twin Cities (not regularly offered)
• HIS335 American Urban History (not regularly offered)
• POL241 Environmental and River Politics
• POL325 Politics and Public Policy
• SOC265 Race, Class and Gender
• SOC295 Special Topics: Sustainable Cities (various locations, study abroad)
• SOC349 Sociology of Organizations
• SOC395 Living in Jurassic Park: Sociology of Disasters

Students who are thinking of careers in urban planning are highly encouraged to take courses in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at Macalester College (Geography 225, 364 and 365) or at the University of St. Thomas (Geography 221, 321 and 322). HECUA off-campus programs are highly recommended, especially the Metro-Urban Studies Term (MUST) Twin Cities program, described below.

Graduation skills in Critical Thinking (CT), Speaking (S), Quantitative Reasoning (QR), and Writing (W) are embedded throughout the offered courses and are met by completing the major. SOC 381, taken in conjunction with INS 399, fulfills the Keystone requirement.

Transfer students must consult an adviser about potential adjustments to their course requirements to fulfill each of these skills.

Minor

A total of five courses are required for a Metro Urban Studies minor, including:

• POL 122 Metropolitan Complex
• SOC 111 Human Community and the Modern Metropolis
• SOC381 City and Metro Planning
• One urban studies elective (this includes ECO113 Principles of Microeconomics)

Plus one of the following:

• HIS 316 Urban Environmental History or ART 249/349 The Designed Environment