Department Website
Program Description
Urban studies is an established and interdisciplinary area of inquiry—focusing on cities and their regions, urban social life, cultures, the built and natural environment, economics, politics, and policy—that is strengthened when students are strongly grounded in a traditional academic discipline. History, meanwhile, deploys archival research, oral histories, and the analysis of past texts, maps, and narratives as crucial tools for the study of the rise and transformation of cities, and examines the evolution of urban policy, politics, and planning; the growth of urban economies in the past; and the trajectory of urban social movements and migrations over time. The joint major in Urban Studies and History introduces students to different approaches to the study of cities and metropolitan areas past and present and provides an overview of the diversity of social scientific and humanistic theories that inform much research on cities.
The major takes full advantage of NYU’s location and builds on the University’s long-standing relationships with key urban institutions, both public and private, ranging from planning agencies to urban arts and culture institutions.
This program of study trains students in geographic information systems (GIS), a powerful mapping tool that many will find useful in their future careers. The major prepares students for careers in urban policy and planning; community organization and advocacy; civic affairs; the law; public history and museums; libraries and archives; scholarly research in urban humanities and social science; and careers in teaching and academia.
Students should consult with advisers in both the Department of History and the Program in Urban Studies.
Honors Program
This major program of study does not currently offer an honors track.
Admissions
New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.
Program Requirements
The joint major requires twelve 4-credit courses (48 credits) completed with a grade of C or better (courses graded Pass/Fail do not count). It comprises six courses in urban studies (24 credits; students must take crosslisted courses under the URBS-UA rubric) and six in history (24 credits) as outlined below. All major electives must be chosen from a list of approved courses and/or in consultation with a major adviser.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have acquired:
- Broad knowledge of the development of cities and metropolitan areas.
- Familiarity with the diversity of social scientific and humanistic theories that inform urban research.
- An understanding of cities in historical perspective with an emphasis on change over time; of differences between nation and region; and of cities in the context of historical processes such as urbanization, imperialism, industrialization, and global capitalism.
- The ability to conduct research on urban topics using appropriate historical methods, especially archival research or oral history.
Policies
Program Policies
Double Counting of Courses
Majors may share (double count) two courses with a second major (or a minor), with permission from the other department/program.
Restrictions on Declaring Other Majors and Minors
Students majoring in Urban Studies and History cannot declare a second major and/or a minor in Africana Studies, American Studies, Asian/Pacific/American Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Metropolitan Studies (replaced by the joint Urban Studies majors as of fall 2025), Latino Studies, Social and Cultural Analysis, History, or Global Public Health and History. Declaring the minors in Native American and Indigenous Studies, Science and Society, and South Asian Studies (all administered by the Department of History) may be allowed on a case-by-case basis; students must consult with the department.
Advanced Standing Credit by Examination
Credits from Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and any other similar examinations cannot count toward the requirements of this major.
Transfer Students
In accordance with College of Arts and Science policy, transfer students must complete at least one-half of this major while in residence at New York University. In addition, at least half of the urban studies courses and half of the history courses for this major must be completed at NYU. Transfer students may petition the Department of History and/or the Program in Urban Studies (as appropriate) with syllabi and reading lists to count specific transfer courses toward the major.
Note that all transfer students (whether internal or external) must satisfy a residency requirement of 64 credits in College of Arts and Science (-UA) coursework to earn their NYU baccalaureate degree. Although this major may allow (with advisement) some courses in other NYU schools (and at NYU portal campuses) to count as urban studies major electives, transfer students cannot count them toward the 64-credit -UA requirement.
College of Arts and Science Policies
A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.
NYU Policies
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.