Program in Urban Studies Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Fordham University

Fordham University's Unique M.A. in Urban Studies in High Demand

Fordham University's unique interdisciplinary M.A. in Urban Studies graduate program is one of very few in the United States. A natural outgrowth of Fordham's popular undergraduate program in urban studies, the graduate-level program came about largely because so many Fordham students asked for it.

Taught at Fordham's Lincoln Center campus in Manhattan and Rose Hill campus in the Bronx, the urban studies program is located quite appropriately in the world's most amazing city -- New York City.

The Urban Studies Master's Degree is Excellent Preparation for a Wide Variety of Careers

The importance and popularity of Fordham's interdisciplinary M.A. in Urban Studies graduate program can be explained with one statistic: over half of the world's population now lives in urban areas, a percentage that will continue to increase in future decades.

The urban studies master's degree provides future leaders with an outstanding interdisciplinary, humanistic approach to the study of the society, community, culture, and history of the city, the metropolitan community, and the urban experience.

The program's integrated, innovative curriculum opens students' minds to understanding the interconnected dimensions of metropolitan development and encourages them to think creatively about the future of cities and their urban regions. An M.A. degree in Urban Studies from an NYC university is excellent preparation for a wide variety of careers.

The M.A. in Urban Studies interdisciplinary curriculum covers important aspects and influences on urbanization and urban life such as immigrant communities and Latin American and Latino cultures, New York City politics, microeconomics, economic development, and urban politics in the U.S. and Western Europe. Other courses delve into cultural studies and criticisms, urban problems, African-American history, Jewish ethnography, 20th-century social and labor history, history of architecture and planning, modern France, and U.S. health and social policy.

Interdisciplinary Faculty Members Teach the Facets of Urbanization

The interdisciplinary urban studies program features a dedicated faculty drawn from other Fordham departments such as history, economics, psychology, visual arts, sociology, political science, English, anthropology, architecture, theatre visual arts, Latin American and Latino cultures, and African-American studies.

Urban studies graduate students select one of three areas of concentration for their studies: race, class, gender, and ethnicity; urban society and culture; and the city and globalization. Elective courses from the other two concentrations must also be taken.

A 16-month program for full-time students, the M.A. in Urban Studies curriculum begins with three core courses. These courses introduce students to the current debates about the urban experience; examine urban political systems, concentrating on the primary institutions and processes that comprise the urban political milieu; and introduce students to research designs, methods, and approaches.

Next, students select four courses in their chosen concentration area and three courses from two other concentrations. A very exciting component of the urban studies master's program is an internship or field work. Students get hands-on, practical experience in a 3-credit internship or field study in New York City or another large American or foreign city, depending on the student's interests.

This real-world experience can lead directly to the program's final component, which is an extensive research project (3-6 credits) based on the student's personal interests, the internship, or the field study.

: Active Research and International Partnerships in Urban Studies at Fordham University

Faculty members at Fordham are actively involved in urban studies research in the United States and around the world. For example, Mark Street, assistant professor of visual arts, has produced critically acclaimed short films, "Mark Street in Person: Experiments in Urban Fascination and Alienation," which address urban questions and situations that result in a cohesive and organic slice of the city experience.

Other professors are actively involved in the creation of international partnerships for urban studies with world cities such as Berlin. A recent faculty trip to Berlin revealed how urban political processes can affect the growth of a city's culture.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, East Berlin was filled with abandoned buildings, shops, and stores. Instead of bulldozing them, the government invited artists to live in them free of charge and create their art until the buildings were rented by commercial interests. This grass-roots occupancy used culture as an economic development engine and has helped turn Berlin into a mecca for young visual and performing artists around the world.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Master of Arts (MA)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees Not reported
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Not reported
• Evening/weekend programs available? Not reported
• Distance learning programs available? Not reported
• Terminal master's degree available? Not reported

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Internship or field work, research project
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied21
• Accepted20
• Acceptance Rate95%
• Enrolled15
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic Not Reported
• Application Fee - International Not Reported
• Electronic applications accepted? Not Reported
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Not Reported
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Winter deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Spring deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Entrance Requirements
• Master's DegreesNot Reported
• Doctoral's DegreesNot Reported
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced DegreesNot Reported
• International DegreesNot Reported

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *$30,480
• Out-of-state tuition *$30,480
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year fees$586.00
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitNot Reported
• Application deadlines for financial awardsNot Reported
• Types of financial support availableNot Reported

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students24
• Female Percentage71%
• Male Percentage29%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students24
• Part-time Percentage54%
• Full-time Percentage46%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino9%
• Black / African American18%
• White / Caucasian27%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native0%
• Asian9%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander0%
• Two or more races0%
• Unknown37%

• Existing Research
• Focus of faculty researchNot Reported
• Externally sponsored research expenditures last year$34,000