INSTRUCTION

Preparing the next generation of thinkers, doers, and scholars

Penn IUR seeks to provide new opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students to enrich their exploration of the urban experience in the classroom and the field. Our programs for academic instruction include: the Undergraduate Urban Research Course, the Master of Urban Spatial Analytics, and the Penn Urban Doctoral Symposium.

Undergraduate Urban Research Course

Penn IUR is currently sponsoring the Undergraduate Urban Research Course (UURC). This innovative research program pairs faculty conducting urban-focused scholarship with undergraduates that have an interest in developing research skills in a semester-long, credit-bearing seminar. The course is cross-listed between PennDesign’s department of City and Regional Planning and the School of Arts and Science’s Urban Studies program.

Each fall, Penn IUR accepts applications for the following spring.

Master of Urban Spatial Analytics

The MUSA (Master of Urban Spatial Analytics) degree is a 12-month masters program coupling spatial analysis skills-most notably Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-with substantive knowledge in an urban content area of the student's choosing. These include: criminology, design, economic and community development, education, local and state government, public health, real estate, urban land use planning, social welfare, transportation, and urban demography. While there are many university and college programs offering certificates in GIS, Penn is only U.S. university to integrate spatial analysis with multiple disciplines. To view examples of student work, please click here.

The program is administered jointly by the Penn Institute for Urban Research and PennDesign. For more information on the MUSA program, please visit PennDesign.

Penn Urban Doctoral Symposium

Prior to graduation in May, Penn IUR, in collaboration with the Urban Studies program, hosts the Penn Urban Doctoral Symposium. This symposium celebrates and shares the work of Penn’s doctoral students who have completed dissertations on urban-focused topics in the past year. The event increases awareness among participants of recent urban research and also exposes aspiring doctoral candidates to the scope of contemporary urban questions addressed at Penn.

If you are a doctoral student graduating this year, please contact Penn IUR at penniur@pobox.upenn.edu for more details about participating in the symposium.