Yes, but approval is on a case-by-case basis. You are advised to talk to the Head of Study before going abroad and taking the course. And we prefer you take Introduction to Urban Studies and Urban Theory at Yale-NUS.
Yes. According to Yale-NUS graduation requirement, a maximum of 20 major credits can be taken outside of Yale-NUS.
Yes. We would like you to take at least 2 of your 5 courses in Urban Studies with Yale-NUS, and we recommend they include Urban Theory and Introduction to Urban Studies. This is because of the specificities of the syllabus offered here.
No, but students are encouraged to take the Introduction to Urban Studies course and the Urban Theory course at Yale-NUS. This is because of the specificities of the syllabus offered here.
The best times for Urban Studies majors to study abroad is Semester Two Year 2 and Semester One Year 3.
If you plan to study abroad in Semester One of Year 3 (Junior Year), then you need to complete Introduction to Urban Studies by the end of Year 2.
If you plan to study abroad in Semester Two of Year 3 (Junior Year), then you need to complete your Introduction to Urban Studies and Urban Theory sequence by the end of Year 2.
It is recommended that students contemplating Urban Studies as a major, complete Introduction to Urban Studies as soon as they can, and preferably before they declare into the major (that is, in Semester Two of Year 1 or Semester One of Year 2).
This can happen. In this case you should email the Head of Study to seek approval before registering for courses. You should send along the syllabus along with your request, and be sure to include in the email details of what you have already completed towards your major.
Yes, your Advisor/Head of Study can write letters of support. They will need plenty of notice (at least two weeks ahead of the deadline) and you should meet with them before making this request.
You should also ensure whomever is writing for you understands where you are in your progress in fulfilling the requirements of the major, and why you are pursuing this choice with study abroad. This means the letter writer should have:
- Your transcript
- A sense of why you want to study abroad and why this specific institution.
Amherst College
Location: this is not an urban location so if that is what you are looking for then this might not be for you
Related Programs: Architectural Studies programme at Amherst emphasizes not the techniques of architecture, but rather the ideas behind it, so good if you like an architectural focus without a design requirement
Offerings: Amherst students can access the “Five Colleges” programmes, which includes Smith College which has a minor in Urban Studies
https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/architectural_studies
https://www.smith.edu/urbanstudies/courses.php
Sciences Po (English language)
Location: It is Paris!
Related Programs: No specialist urban studies program but many urban, development, sociology, political science and public policy courses
Offerings: Good range of courses (from geography, politics, sociology) that might count towards topical requirements of Urban Studies major
http://college.sciences-po.fr/siteparis/english-elective-courses
http://college.sciences-po.fr/siteparis/english-elective-courses-spring
Swathmore
Location: Small town College experience in Pennsylvania.
Related programs: Swathmore has no Urban Studies program, but has a number of urban themed courses. Bryn Mawr College is linked to Swathmore in the Tri-College system and that has Growth and Structure of Cities program.
Offerings: Many urban courses offered at both Swathmore and Bryn Mawr.
https://www.swarthmore.edu/search?keys=urban
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Spanish speakers only)
Location: Santiago, Chile.
Related programs: Minor in Urban and Regional Studies, run by the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urban Studies. Good if you have an interest in development and Global South contexts.
Offerings: There are a good range of courses from development focus through to more urban design focus.
http://estudiosurbanos.uc.cl/programas/pregrado
University College London Arts & Sciences
Location: Central London, Bloomsbury
Related programs: This is a specialist liberal arts program and you are expected to take two courses in the Liberal Arts program, and two courses from anywhere else in UCL, including the Bartlett School of Architecture and Urban Planning as well as Geography.
Offerings: The Liberal Arts program offers a number of interdisciplinary courses, which includes courses with urban content. There are many urban courses linked to the various urban related majors. You can find out about them through the UCL Urban Laboratory portal. The UCL Urban Lab also hosts many speaker series which you can attend. urban, planning and architecture programmes in Bartlett School (Planning and Architecture) and Geography
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/urbanlab/programmes
University of Virginia
Location: Small city of Charlottesville, so not that much of an urban experience if that is what you are looking for.
Related programs: The School of Architecture runs a range of programs including Urban and Environmental Planning, and Architectural Studies, which is non-design based. School of Public Policy and Sociology programme also offers urban related courses. The institution has an excellent reputation for architectural and urban planning programs.
Offerings: There is a wide range of offerings, including specialist historical preservation courses.
http://www.arch.virginia.edu/undergrad-minor
http://www.arch.virginia.edu/urban-environmental-planning
Vassar College
Location: Located in small town Poughkeepsie, but this is a shortih railway rise north of New York, so you get a small town, college feel with access to NYC.
Related programs: Has a defined Urban Studies programme with lots of recognizable courses, and good interdisciplinary scope, this includes an Urban Theory course.
Courses: Introduction to Urban Studies and urban Theory courses can count as required courses, although we do not recommend both taken at Vassar.
http://urbanstudies.vassar.edu/
Yale University
Location: New Haven has had some key urban texts written about it and sports some architecturally famous buildings in part because of Yale Architecture School.
Program: Yale has an Urban Studies minor, with strengths in community development and architecture. The minor is headed by Prof Elihu Ruben, who has taught at Yale-NUS
http://urbanstudies.yale.edu/
Columbia University & Barnard College
Location: NYC
Program: strong urban and architectural programs, at both Columbia and Barnard
Courses: Many courses but access to them can be very competitive and past students did not always get courses of choice.
In the start up phase of Yale-NUS a number of students pursued this option.
https://urban.barnard.edu/
http://bulletin.columbia.edu/columbia-college/departments-instruction/urban-studies/
Cornell University
Location: Ithaca, small city in state of New York.
Program: There is an specific non professional, interdisciplinary, liberal arts undergraduate Urban and Regional Studies program offered through the Department of City and Regional Planning.
Courses: Many great courses to choose from.
https://aap.cornell.edu/academics/crp/undergraduate
https://aap.cornell.edu/academics/crp/courses-syllabi
Manchester University
Location: Manchester UK
Program: Strong in urban studies (home of the Manchester Urban Institute and affiliated centres), and at undergraduate level has Bachelors in Urban and Regional Planning, as well as Geography, Development Studies and Architecture.
Courses: Many courses in urban area.
In the start up phase of Yale-NUS a number of students pursued this option.
http://www.seed.manchester.ac.uk/planning/study/courses/
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2017/?s=PL
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Location: Hong Kong!
Program: CUHK has a major and minor in Urban Studies.
Courses: Many of the courses map onto those offered in Urban Studies at Yale-NUS.
http://www.urbanstudies.cuhk.edu.hk/
http://www.urbanstudies.cuhk.edu.hk/programme/course
Hong Kong University
Location: Hong Kong!
Program: The long-standing Department of Urban Planning and Design is not offering a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies
Courses: These are likely a little more professional in emphasis.
http://www.arch.hku.hk/programmes/upad/bachelor-of-arts-in-urban-studies/
MIT
Location: Cambridge Mass. USA (Boston metropolitan area)
Program: Minors in public policy, urban studies, as well as development are offered out of the Dept Urban Studies and Planning.
Courses: Many to select from and planning & public policy strengths.
http://dusp.mit.edu/degrees/undergraduate
NYU
Location: New York
Program: The Metropolitan Studies program is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program run out of the School of Social and Cultural Analysis.
Courses: There is a wide range of courses, with a strong social science emphasis.
http://metropolitanstudies.as.nyu.edu/page/home
Stanford University
Location: Silicon Valley, California (south of San Francisco)
Program: Has an identified undergraduate Urban Studies program which is interdisciplinary and combines academic approaches with real world experiences.
Courses: Good range many of which map on to Yale-NUS offerings.
https://urbanstudies.stanford.edu/
https://urbanstudies.stanford.edu/courses/urbanst
University of Sheffield
Location: City of Sheffield, UK.
Program: It has a Bachelor of Arts in urban Studies. This is an interdisciplinary program. Sheffield is well known for its planning school, which has a strong social science emphasis.
Courses: Many offerings to choose from.
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/undergraduates/courses/baus
