Academic Director: Michael Fortner
CUNY School of Professional Studies
Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education
25 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
Email Contact: Samina Shahidi, samina.shahidi@cuny.edu
The Program
The 30-credit MA in Urban Studies is designed for students pursuing both scholarly and professional interests in the political, economic, and social dynamics of modern urban life. It offers a particular emphasis on urban problems, public policy, community organization, the urban workforce, the administration of public agencies, and the delivery of public services.
The field of Urban Studies draws on the perspectives and methods of social science disciplines such as sociology, economics, political science and anthropology to analyze the modern city. Urban Studies students explore how cities grow and evolve, govern themselves, distribute goods and services, serve the public, and employ their residents. In addition, by selecting one of three Urban Studies tracks (Public Policy and Administration, Health Care Policy and Administration or the Urban Workforce) students will gain advanced knowledge and skills in their particular area of interest.
Students in the Master’s Degree in Urban Studies program have the opportunity to learn from and work with nationally known faculty from The City University of New York, as well as with expert practitioners in the fields of public and health care administration, municipal politics, workforce development, labor and community organizing.
The program is offered through CUNY SPS’s Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies.
Admission Criteria
In addition to the admission criteria for graduate degree programs, a background in labor, related fields, and/or social science is an advantage but not essential.
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