career prospects

Urban Studies prepares graduates for a variety of fields and careers. Many of the graduates work after graduation in fields such as urban economic development, low-income housing development, community services, journalism, education, arts and culture, policy research, and government. Frequently, they work for public or private non-profit organizations. Urban Studies graduates also work in private, for-profit settings within fields such as real estate, law, and financial management.

About two-thirds of Urban Studies graduates go to graduate school either immediately after college or within a few years after graduating. A large percentage of those who attend graduate school are in schools of law or in public policy and planning programs. Other students have returned to schools to study anthropology, economics, medicine, education, and sociology. The goals of these continuing students might include traditional law and business careers, public policy or government positions, or teaching and research. In a recent survey of graduates from 1986 to 1992, almost all said that their undergraduate course work had been helpful to them in their chosen careers or in graduate school. Many identified the internship as critical to their career decision-making and in preparing them for the world after school. Most Urban Studies graduates are working in fields related to Urban Studies. Findings from the surveys of graduates are available in the Urban Studies office.

Photo: Jonathan Tannenwald '06