Introduction

Please click here to see Geography and Environmental Sciences Department information.

The urban studies and planning minor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences provide non-geography undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue studies in the professional field of planning. Geography majors can pursue the urban studies option, so this minor would not be available to these majors.

Geography and urban and regional planning share a common concern for the spatial configuration of the places we inhabit and enjoy. In recognition of this close association, there is currently an articulation agreement between the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences and the College of Architecture and Planning that provides students with a mechanism for acceleration through the Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) degree program, if accepted into that graduate program. Those students completing the requirements for an undergraduate planning minor may also be eligible to pursue an accelerated MURP degree. If interested in this option, the student should work closely with the minor advisor in selecting coursework. (Please see the Graduate Catalog for more information on this graduate program.)

These program requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their major, minor, and CLAS advisors to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.

Program Delivery

• This is an on-campus program.

Declaring This Minor

• Please see your advisor.
• Please click here to go to information about declaring a major/minor.

General Requirements

Students must satisfy all requirements as outlined below and by the department offering the minor.

• Click here for information about Academic Policies

Program Requirements

1. Students must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours from approved courses.
2. Students must complete a minimum of 12 upper-division (3000- level and above) credit hours from approved courses.
3. Students must earn a minimum grade of C- (1.7) in all courses that apply to the minor and must achieve a minimum cumulative minor GPA of 2.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to program requirements.
4. Students must complete a minimum of nine credit hours of approved coursework with CU Denver faculty.

Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations

1. Although the three core courses may be taken in any order, it is advisable to begin with GEOG 1602 Urban Studies and Planning, since this course familiarize students with many key concepts used in other classes.
2. All undergraduate students, except geography majors, are eligible for this minor.
3. Students interested in applying for the articulated MURP degree program must achieve a grade of B (3.0) or higher in required courses.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete the following required courses:		9
GEOG 1602	Urban Studies and Planning
GEOG 4640	Urban Geography: Denver and the U.S.
GEOG 4680	Urban Sustainability and Resiliency: Perspectives and Practice
Complete two of the following elective courses:		6
GEOG 4085	GIS Applications for the Urban Environment
GEOG 4230	Hazard Mitigation and Vulnerability Assessment
GEOG 4235	GIS Applications in the Health Sciences
GEOG 4450	Urban Food and Agriculture: Perspectives and Research
GEOG 4460	Sustainable Urban Agriculture Field Study I
GEOG 4710	Disasters, Climate Change, and Health
URPL 5000	Planning History and Theory
URPL 5010	Planning Methods
Total Hours		15

To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.