Urban Studies

Develop the urban research skills valued by municipalities, NGOs, federal and provincial governments, and private sector employers. Understand the city, its functions and its dynamics, offering insights into today's social, economic and environmental challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Urban studies courses are offered in the evenings at Simon Fraser University's Harbour Centre campus in Vancouver. The Urban Studies Program offers both full-time and part-time options for its master's and diploma programs.* Students receive an education in economic, geographic, political, and social analysis techniques that enable them to address real-world urban problems.

The program focuses on Vancouver as a city, but also includes the study of other urban areas in the past and present.

* Students may apply to the master's and graduate diploma program in urban studies simultaneously. They can also apply to transfer from the diploma program to the master's program later.

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Get in touch

Got questions? Contact Urban Studies at urban@sfu.ca.

Program website

New! Urban Worlds undergraduate major

With over half of the world’s population living in urban spaces, cities matter. They produce, reflect, and amplify most of the dynamics, potential, and problems of global society. With planetary pressures like population growth and climate change, urban spaces need to be more resilient and sustainable for society to thrive in a turbulent world. Students in SFU’s new Bachelor of Arts (BA), Major in Urban Worlds program gain the knowledge and skills to shape cities and urban life for better in the future.

Degree: Bachelor of Arts from either the Faculty of Environment (Urban Change Stream) or the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (Urban Studies Stream)

Department: Urban Studies

All students build a foundation in the first 4 courses:

URB 101: What is a city?
GEOG 161: Urban Change: An introduction to dynamic places
PLAN 100: Introduction to Planning
INDG 101: Introduction to Indigenous Studies

You then choose one of two streams: Urban Change, offered through the Faculty of Environment, or Urban Studies, offered through the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. In the final year, the two streams come together, and students apply what they’ve learned to real-world, local contexts, through partnerships with local urban agencies. Practicum options are available.

Urban Worlds

Potential careers

The world is changing rapidly and so is the full range of career opportunities that await. Armed with the necessary knowledge and skills, graduates pursue careers in fields such as:

Urban and land-use planners
Senior managers in government, construction, transportation, production utilities
Social and community service workers
Business development officers
Market researches/analysts consultants (policy, planning, research)
and more

Is Urban Worlds for you?

Are you interested in cities, how they work, and how they change?
Do you want a career that shapes your city for the better?

If you answered "yes" to one or both, then Urban Worlds is for you! Reach out to urban@sfu.ca to talk to us.

This major tackles topics including: Gentrification, homelessness, housing crises, climate change, migration, spread of infectious disease, racism, city’s role as a node of extraction in the global economy.

Program Options

Learn more about the different degrees and programs available to you at Urban Studies

Undergraduate options

Major

Urban Worlds Bachelor of Arts

Certificate and Diploma

Urban Studies Certificate

New! Urban Worlds Major

Starting Fall 2024, SFU students are invited to major in Urban Worlds. This innovative new major is a collaboration between SFU's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and SFU's Faculty of Environment, bringing together expertise from several fields of knowledge to give you an incredible education on everything urban, from the local to the global.

One of the foundational courses of this major, URB 101: What is a City?, is being offered Fall 2024. If Urban Worlds interests you, we encourage you to enrol in URB 101. There are no prerequistes, and there is no final exam.

More information on Urban Worlds to come! Stay tuned.

Graduate options

Master

Urban Studies Master of Urban Studies

Certificate and Diploma (Graduate)

Urban Studies Graduate Diploma

Career Pathways

Urban studies is for graduate students who are aspiring and practicing professionals (e.g. planners, managers, researchers, analysts and activists) seeking to develop the urban research skills that are vlaued by municipalities, NGOs, federal and provincial governments and private sector employers.

Possible career paths include:

Urban and regional planner
Public admnistration
Government policy analyst or researcher
Manager in private business or the non-profit sector
Consultant in the public or private sector
Local and international development agencies
Education and academia

Get ahead of your career

"I chose Urban Studies at SFU because I was adamant about conducting industry-relevant research, and sought a program with a strong tradition of faculty and graduate students engaging with the city that it is located in."

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences