The urban studies major at Canisius provides students with a variety of approaches and tools that enable them to effectively analyze the 21st century urban center. The course work examines the social, legal, economic, ethnic and political forces that affect cities and towns – from the challenges of the public education system to housing and real estate development, crime, health issues, human services and transportation. The specialized program helps students understand economic growth and decline, racial and ethnic issues, community development, and other factors that influence the growth and prosperity of a city.
Because the program is designed to be one half of a dual major, students who choose urban studies must also select a second major in another discipline such as criminal justice, economics, political science history, sociology or anthropology. Within the major, students then select one of the following:
option 1: liberal arts, which examines urban phenomena from several different perspectives
option 2: urban public management, which prepares the student for a career as a public administrator.
Recent urban studies majors have interned in the offices of the following agencies:
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Erie County Industrial Development Agency
- Erie County Department of Environment and Planning
- City of Buffalo Planning Department
- New York State Senate and Assembly.