What can I do with a degree in Urban Studies?

Urban Studies prepares graduates for a variety of fields and careers in the private, for-profit world as well as the public and private non-profit sectors. 

Career Paths

Many of our graduates work in community development corporations, government and private planning departments, and local and state government offices—to name just a few employers.

As the following select examples of positions held by recent alumni below indicate, Urban Studies majors pursue careers in:

  • Planning  (Cincinnati City Planner; Pittsburgh City Planning Department)
  • Community Organization  (Citizen City Initiative, Pittsburgh; Program Manager at City Parks Alliance)
  • Public Administration (Borough Manager for Mt Oliver (near Pittsburgh))
  • Economic Development (Planner at Alta Planning & Design, Atlanta)
  • Housing (City Planner for the NYC Housing Authority)
  • Education (there are numerous secondary and higher level teachers)
  • Journalism and Government (most notably city and town administration)
  • Private business (a former chief of Staff for a City Councilman is now a Manager at Uber, another is a Consumer Insights Strategist at Olson Zaltman

Graduate Education

Many of our students continue on to graduate school in:

  • Planning
  • Public Administration
  • Public Health
  • Law
  • Criminal Justice
  • Education