About UCS Page Graphic

The Urban and Community Studies (UCS) major at the University of Connecticut is a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The UCS major integrates the study of cities, suburbs, neighborhoods, and communities through core courses drawn from the fields of Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Public Policy, Sociology and Urban Studies. It offers a solid foundation in analytical techniques, including quantitative and qualitative methods, survey research, geographic information systems and archival research.

The UCS major provides students with...

      • a comprehensive education on the forces that transform communities & urban areas
      • a flexible and interdisciplinary curriculum
      • opportunities for service learning and community-based internships
      • a solid foundation for many rewarding careers
      • first-rate preparation for graduate school

UCS is an interdisciplinary major for students who seek meaningful career opportunities in public service, human services, urban and social change, as well as many other rewarding fields. Our flexible curriculum offers students the ability to take courses within the major based on their own personal career or graduate school aspirations. The program offers emphasis areas in Criminal Justice and Law, Nonprofit and Public Management, Public Health, Public Policy and Social Service and Community Organizing as well as a Fast Track to the Master of Public Administration or coursework information for those interested in pursuing a Pre-Med concentration. Students are welcome also to personalize their degree plan based on their academic interests.

UCS is a perfect major for those who are interested in pursuing
a career in fields such as or graduate studies in…

      • Community Organizing
      • Counseling
      • Education
      • Law/Criminal Justice
      • Public and Nonprofit Management
      • Public Administration
      • Public Health
      • Public Policy
      • Social Work
      • Survey Research
      • Urban & Regional Planning
      • and many more rewarding fields

For further information on potential career and graduate fields, view our What Can I Do With An Urban & Community Studies Degree? flyer.

Students may earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban and Community Studies at the Hartford, Storrs and Waterbury campuses. For the greatest variety, students are welcome to enroll in courses across campuses.

The first two years: general education courses

While students are completing their general education requirements, they may want to consider the following courses which will provide an excellent introduction to the 2000-level courses in the UCS major:

      • GEOG/URBN 1200 - The City in the Western Tradition
      • ECON 1201 - Principles of Microeconomics
      • POLS 1602 - Introduction to American Politics
      • PP 1001 - Introduction to Public Policy
      • SOCI 1001 - Introduction to Sociology and/or SOCI 1251 - Social Problems
      • STAT 1000Q - Introduction to Statistics or STATS 1100Q Elementary Concepts of Stat.
      • URBN 1300 (W) - Exploring Your Community

Of course, students may select other courses. It is important for students to meet with their advisor to develop an individual plan of study.