The Certificate in Urban Studies is highly relevant to students interested in addressing emerging and persistent issues of the 21st century—social justice, climate change, environmental conservation, sustainable development, mobility and access, public health, and economic prosperity—each of which has local, urban, and regional dimensions.
The Certificate in Urban Studies is no longer available. Students earning the Certificate in Urban Studies may choose to complete that certificate or instead decide to earn the minor in urban studies.
The minor is available beginning in the spring 2022 semester; see the minor in urban studies in the Catalog.
The undergraduate Certificate in Urban Studies requires 18 s.h. of courses taken at the University of Iowa. Students must earn a g.p.a. of at least 3.00 in certificate coursework. Coursework for the certificate may not be taken pass/nonpass. The certificate may be earned by any student admitted to the University of Iowa who is not concurrently enrolled in a UI graduate or professional degree program.
Students may be able to count no more than 9 s.h. earned in certificate courses toward requirements for other undergraduate majors, minors, or certificates.
Students begin certificate work with URP:3001/GEOG:3920 Planning Livable Cities, which provides an introduction to urban studies, policy, and planning. In addition, students choose 15 s.h. in approved electives.
The Certificate in Urban Studies requires the following coursework.
Core Course
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| This course: | ||
| URP:3001/GEOG:3920 | Planning Livable Cities | 3 |
Elective Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 15 s.h. from these: | ||
| URP:3350/ECON:3750/GEOG:3940 | Transportation Economics | 3 |
| URP:4170 | Megacities Seminar | 1-3 |
| URP:4225 | Applied GIS for Planning and Policy Making | 3 |
| URP:4245 | Growth Management | 3 |
| URP:4253 | Designing Sustainable and Healthy Cities | 1-3 |
| URP:4256 | Environmental Policy | 3 |
| URP:4260 | Transportation Policy and Planning | 3 |
| URP:4266 | Transportation and Land Use Planning | 3 |
| URP:4271 | Housing Policy | 3 |
| URP:4273 | Community Development Through Creative Placemaking | 3 |
| URP:4280 | Planning for Disaster Mitigation and Recovery | 2-3 |
| URP:4295 | Economic Development Policy | 3 |
| URP:4297 | Financing Economic Development for Poverty Alleviation | 3 |
| URP:4752 | Eight Generation Planning: Envisioning Regenerative Cities | 3 |
Declaring the Certificate
To enter the certificate program, students must:
- first complete URP:3001/GEOG:3920 Planning Livable Cities with a grade of B or higher, and
- have completed 30 s.h. at the University of Iowa with a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.00.
Students may then declare the certificate in MyUI.
Students interested in pursuing the Certificate in Urban Studies must meet with the certificate advisor, be briefed on the certificate's expectations for performance, and complete a plan of study that must be approved by the certificate advisor.