• Aerial view of the Las Vegas Strip and City Center
  • A view of downtown
  • Map of Las Vegas

Urban Studies

Make a difference in your community.
Photos courtesy of Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau

About the Program

The Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies (BSUS) is the degree for individuals desiring to make a difference in their community. The BSUS at 51ԹϺ is an undergraduate degree that provides students with the conceptual knowledge and technical skills they need to understand and analyze the physical, social, political, and economic environment of large and small urban communities. A majority of courses are offered both online and in-class. Students planning to get a B.S. in Urban Studies have the option to complete it all online.

Career Paths

The designed learning objectives of the urban studies program will equip the graduates with the matching skill sets and knowledge required for the following occupations. There can be many other occupations for the graduates of the urban studies program, but the occupations listed below are some examples the graduates can easily qualify for with their B.S. in Urban Studies.

Community and Social Service

Number of projected new jobs (2016-26): 26,500
Christina headshot

Regulatory Affairs

Number of projected new jobs (2016-26): 25,900
Robin

Public Relations

Number of projected new jobs (2016-26): 22,900
John

Public Policy

Number of projected new jobs (2016-26): 25,900
Miranda Berrie

Education Administration

Number of projected new jobs (2016-26): 4,100
Pete

Other Example Careers

  • Compliance Officer
  • Legislator
  • Management Analyst
  • Social and Community Service Managers
  • Fundraiser

My continuous passion for listening and learning at 51ԹϺ inspired me; additionally, I used my mantra “to make a difference” to apply all the information I took in to use it in the real world and grasp its outcomes.

Robin Mendoza, a graduate, former City of Las Vegas Employee and Ph.D. student in Public Affairs at 51ԹϺ

Program Competencies

Competence in urban studies means that graduates have the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to identify urban solutions.

Find out more about each of the core competencies and their relevant, related courses by expanding the items below. You can also view the university catalog for additional information.

Sustainability and urban resilience.

Required Courses

  • URST 301: Theories of Urban Communities
  • URST 303: Introduction to Urbanization and Demography
  • URST 498: Capstone in Urban Studies
Wheel of Urban Solutions Core Competencies with the first competency highlighted

Leadership, collaboration, communication, and personal growth in ethnically and racially diverse urban communities.

Required Courses

  • URST 498: Capstone in Urban Studies
Urban Solutions core competencies wheel with the second competency highlighted

Good indicators (e.g. representation, accountability, stability, etc.). Bad indicators (e.g. corruption, not sharing information about problems in a community, crime, etc.).

Required Courses

  • URST 241: Governance in the U.S.: An Urban Focus
  • URST 498: Capstone in Urban Studies
Urban Solutions core competencies wheel with the third competency highlighted

Search for information at a library, evaluate information sources, and academic references.

Required Courses

  • URST 498: Capstone in Urban Studies
Urban Solutions core competencies wheel with the fourth competency highlighted

How to get, organize, and evaluate data. Descriptive statistics and data visualizations. Statistical tests. Interpretation of results.

Required Courses

  • URST 305: Data Analysis for Urban Studies
  • URST 498: Capstone in Urban Studies
Urban Solutions core competencies wheel with the fifth competency highlighted

My experience learning at 51ԹϺ has helped me gain a greater insight of the global infrastructure and how spatial information can be analyzed to model how our world can be more efficiently organized and understood.

Shirley Lim, a graduate and GIS Technician for Apple