Continuing students looking for information on the Community Development degree that has been updated into the below program should check out the archived CD information page.
BA/BS in Community, Urban Studies, and Planning
Community, Urban Studies, and Planning situates complex issues in local places. The program equips students with the knowledge and skills to act in neighborhoods, cities, and regions to create just and equitable communities. Bringing together theory and practice, CUSP students learn how to identify and understand how cities and communities function and change and about issues and forces that shape places. Climate change, affordable housing, healthy communities, and transit justice are just a few of the topics addressed in the program. CUSP students also learn how to understand the dreams and needs of, build relationships in, and advocate for the people and local communities affected by major issues.
Students develop participatory methods to identify community goals, build partnerships, and organize residents to act for change, as well as analytical tools to assess and mobilize spatial, economic, and social data. The CUSP program teaches students actions, programs, policies, and plans to achieve community goals. Students learn in classrooms, online, and in the field through individual and teamwork. Community based learning, working with community partners directly, is a hallmark of the program.
Community, Urban Studies, and Planning practitioners work at the intersection of topics and scales in community-oriented and public service careers. They may run nonprofit programs, work in local or state government, or support community members organizing for political and social change. They can pursue further study in graduate or professional schools to specialize in fields such as urban and regional planning, public policy, real estate, architecture, law, environmental policy, sustainable development, or landscape architecture.