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CUPPA
Launches New Undergraduate Degree
Beginning Fall Semester 2007, UIC’s College of Urban Planning and
Public Affairs will offer an undergraduate program of study for the first
time in the college’s history. The Bachelor of Arts with a major
in Urban and Public Affairs (UPA) will use the Chicago metropolitan region
as a home for investigation. Students will experience and analyze urban
issues from many different academic perspectives. UPA will feature an interdisciplinary
curriculum offered jointly by CUPPA’s two academic programs – the
Public Administration Program and the Urban Planning and Policy Program.
“ UPA is a very exciting opportunity in CUPPA for undergraduates. We see
this as a completely new and innovative way to cross disciplines and lead
students to a highly successful career path in the civic arena,” said
CUPPA Dean Robin Hambleton.
The UPA program will provide students with the training needed for entry-level
employment with public and private sector organizations, as well as prepare
them to succeed in graduate programs such as public administration, urban
planning, law, business, sociology, political science, or others. It will
offer opportunities to participate in engaged research projects with one
of CUPPA’s seven research centers, partake of service learning activities,
and take part in a wide selection of internship and study abroad experiences.
Coursework within the program emphasizes experiential learning in university
and city settings, which enable students to learn in contexts closely linked
to their job and career interests.
“
For example,” said Jim Marek, assistant dean for student services, “students
learn not just how to find work, but what that work means in relation to
other choices and to the many economic, social, physical, cultural, and
political impacts associated with urban policy.”
Individuals with an interest or background in areas such as sociology,
economics, geography, government, law, architecture, information technology,
public health, civics, urban studies, or urban environments – to
name only a few – might find the program especially appealing.
“ Anyone with an interest in any one of the numerous topics that affect
the urban environment who is looking for a program that offers multidisciplinary
curriculum, professional experience, and the possibility of working toward
improving the conditions around us in everyday life should consider this
degree,” Hambleton said.
For more information on this dynamic new undergraduate degree, see www.uic.edu/cuppa.