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    • Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis
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  • Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies and Planning
  • B.S. in Urban Studies and Planning Curriculum

B.S. in Urban Studies and Planning Curriculum

in this section

  • Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies and Planning
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*Curriculum information here effective Fall 2020. For those admitted prior, pleaseclick here.

Core Curriculum (22 units)

bs-usp-curriculum

Includes 2 units of internship and 4 units of capstone

PPD 240g – Citizenship and Public Ethics (4 units)

PPD 245g – The Urban Context for Policy and Planning (4 units)

PPD 300 – Social Justice Issues in Public Policy and Urban Planning (4 units)

PPD 301 – PPD Practices: Internship Seminar (2 units) (see below page for more information)

PPD 303 – Statistics for Policy, Planning, and Development (4 units)

Urban Studies and Planning Core (20 units)

PPD 227 – Urban Planning and Development (4-units)

PPD 427L – Geographic Information Systems and Planning Applications (4 units)

PPD 430 – Urban Informatics (4 units)

RED 417 – History of Planning and Development (4 units)

RED 425 – Designing Livable Communities (4 units)

Urban Studies and Planning Electives (16 units)

Students in this major select 16 units of electives. Students may petition to take elective outside of the list below.

PPD 250m – Cities in the Developing World (4 units)

PPD 306 – Visual Methods in Policy, Management, Planning and Development (4 units)

PPD 357 – Government and Business (4 units)

PPD 358 – Urban and Regional Economics (4 units)

PPD 360 – Urban Transportation Planning and Policy (4 units)

PPD 361 – Sustainable Communities, Policy and Planning (4 units)

PPD 364 – Technology and the City (4 units)

PPD 382 – International Development (4 units)

PPD 410 – Comparative Urban Development (4 units)

PPD 414 – Community Health Policy and Planning (4 units)

PPD 416 – Food Policy and Planning (2 units)

PPD 420 – Environmental Impact Assessment (4 units)

PPD 421 – Land Use, Environment, and Housing in Developing Countries (4 units)

PPD 422 – Transportation and Technology and the Future of Mobility (4 units)

PPD 438 – Local Economic Development (4 units)

PPD 439 – Housing and Community Development (4 units)

PPD 478 – Social Innovation (4 units)

RED 362 – Real Estate Development Fundamentals (4 units)

Additional Requirements

Cross-cutting Topics Courses (required, 4 units)

Students will be required to take 4 units of cross-cutting topics course (PPD 400), preferably in junior year after they have completed the core curriculum.

Capstone

Students must have 90 units to pursue the capstone options.

1. PPD 431 Undergraduate Policy, Planning and Development Studio (4-units) — Studio class, four-units, designed to be project based, experiential or service learning, and integrative across multiple tracks.

2. PPD 497ab Senior Thesis (2-units each) — Students engage in a track-spanning research project, with a professional or academic paper as the final deliverable. Students wishing to enroll in PPD 497a and PPD 497b must have a 3.7 GPA in PPD courses and an overall 3.5 GPA.

Pre-Major Requirements (8 -units)

  • Math 117 (Introduction to Mathematics for Business and Economics)
  • Econ 203 (Principles of Microeconomics)

Writing Courses (8 units)

General Education

Students beginning college starting in Fall 2015 or later (32 – 40 units)

Students beginning college before Fall 2015 (28 units)

Internships

PPD 301 – PPD Practices: Internship Seminar (2-units)

Urban Studies and Planning majors are required to complete 140 hours of internship by enrolling in PPD 301 or the Washington, D.C., Semester internship. Internships are matched as closely as possible to the student’s interests and skills.

PPD 301 and the internship in a position provide numerous opportunities to develop and formulate future career goals, as well as to gain personal and professional experience while completing the undergraduate degree.

USC Price School of Public Policy

USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

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