Major map compass icon
2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Urban and Regional Studies

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Arts and Sciences: General Studies (Germanna Community College)
Germanna Community College
Germanna Community College
Program description

The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs is a creative, interdisciplinary grouping of programs in the social sciences and professional arenas that provides students with the knowledge, skills and experience necessary for success in public service.   The Wilder School brings together faculty from multiple disciplines that share a common interest in public affairs. The Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies requires 120 credits, including 40 credits within the major. The program is designed so that students may enter as late as their junior year and provides a solid foundation for professional work or advanced study aimed at addressing some of the most important challenges and issues facing the U.S. and other world regions, such as urban sprawl, economic marginalization, ethnic and racial conflict and environmental degradation. The program covers a wide range of topics related to these issues, including transportation, housing, land use, environmental management, regional and international development, human-environment interaction, globalization and socioeconomic change. Students can focus on the subject matter of their interest by choosing to concentrate in either urban planning and policy or regional analysis and development; alternatively they may opt for a generalized course of study. Nine core courses and a lab (28 credits total) are required for all majors. These courses provide fundamental background knowledge in an array of disciplines that form the foundations of urban and regional studies, such as urban planning and design, human and physical geography, economics, environmental management, urban and public policy, and geographic information systems. Students complete their remaining 12 credits within one of the two concentrations or through a generalized course of study. 

Career opportunities

The program helps develop a theoretical and methodological background as well as analytical skills that can be used to address a wide range of issues and problems. Students acquire marketable skills in qualitative and quantitative analysis, computer usage, problem solving and communication — as well as a broad perspective on environment and society — that are essential for many occupations.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Advocate
  • City and Regional Planning Aides
  • Environmental Restoration Planner
  • Geospatial Information Scientists and Technicians
  • Housing Specialist
  • Real Estate Associate
  • Research Assistant
  • Social and Community Service Manager
  • Transportation Manager
  • Transportation Planner
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Government Agency Administrator
  • Nonprofit Director
  • Researcher
  • Urban & Regional Planner
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Highest level of math required
  • STAT 210
Science required
  • Core only
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Urban and Regional Studies

Germanna Community College (Associate of Arts and Sciences: General Studies)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
  • Register for SDV 100.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Attend cultural events at community college and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
  • Browse careers related to Urban and Regional Studies through the career coach.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
  • Take a career assessment through the career coach.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Use SDV 100 to create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Work with career services to build resume.
Experience Year 2
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Visit the VCU Wilder School website to become familiar with upcoming course offerings, syllabi, and professors.
  • Use Navigate to remain on your pathway.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Wilder School, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Take service-learning classes or volunteer to address a current issue in your community.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Wilder School-related events.
  • Consider learning a foreign language, or make a plan for undertaking that study at VCU.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Find out about VCU REAL.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • Run for leadership in your student organization.
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
  • Register for SDV 100.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Attend cultural events at community college and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Browse careers related to Urban and Regional Studies through the career coach.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Take a career assessment through the career coach.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Use SDV 100 to create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Work with career services to build resume.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Visit the VCU Wilder School website to become familiar with upcoming course offerings, syllabi, and professors.
  • Use Navigate to remain on your pathway.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Wilder School, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Take service-learning classes or volunteer to address a current issue in your community.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Wilder School-related events.
  • Consider learning a foreign language, or make a plan for undertaking that study at VCU.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Find out about VCU REAL.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • Run for leadership in your student organization.
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Urban and Regional Studies

Germanna Community College (Associate of Arts and Sciences: General Studies)

Germanna Community College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
HIS Western Civilization or World History (select 1): HIS 101, 102, 111, 112 HIST 3 General education
MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning MATH 131 3 General education
Transfer elective ITE 115 or transfer elective VCU equivalent 3 Elective
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
HIS U.S. History (select 1): HIS 121, 122 HIST 3 General education
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Major
CST 100 Public Speaking (or CST 110 or CST 126) SPCH 121 3 Elective
Transfer elective GEO 200 Physical Geography URSP 204 3 Major
Laboratory Science Laboratory Science (select 1): BIO 101, CHM 101, GOL 105, PHY 201. VCU equivalent 4 General education
Humanities Any 200-level ENG literature course (select 1): ENG 241, 242, 243, 244, 251, 252 ENGL 3 General education
Transfer elective Transfer elective (foreign language 101 recommended; see note below about VCU's foreign language requirement) VCU equivalent 3 to 4 General education
Humanities Humanities elective (select 1): ART 101, 102, HUM 100, MUS 121, PHI 101, REL 231, 232 VCU equivalent 3 General education
Social/Behavioral Science Social/Behavioral Science (select 1): PSY 200, SOC 200, SOC 211, PLS 211, PLS 241 VCU equivalent 3 General education
Laboratory Science Laboratory Science: BIO 101, 102, CHM 101, 102, GOL 105, 106, PHY 201, 202. VCU equivalent 4 General education
Humanities Humanities elective (select 1): ART 101, 102, HUM 100, MUS 121, PHI 101, REL 231 or additional ENG literature class VCU equivalent 3 General education
Transfer elective Transfer elective (foreign language 102 recommended; see note below about VCU's foreign language requirement) VCU equivalent 3 to 4 General education
Social/Behavioral Science Social/Behavioral Science (select 1): PSY 200, SOC 200, SOC 211, PLS 211, PLS 241 VCU equivalent 3 General education
Transfer elective GEO 210 People and the Land URSP 102 3 Major
Germanna CC credits transferred to VCU 60 to 62
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Foreign language through the 102 level. If not completed at Germanna. (This requirement can be fulfilled by means of completion of the 102-level of a language or waived if the student completed up through the third level of a foreign language in high school. Additionally, language waiver and placement testing options are available for native or heritage speakers of a non-english language.) 0 to 8 General education
URSP 116 Introduction to the City 3 Major
URSZ 204 Physical Geography Laboratory 1 Major
URSP 306 Economic Geography 3 Major
URSP 310 Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning 3 Major
URSP 313 Research and Field Methods in Urban and Regional Studies 3 Major
URSP/ENVS 332 Environmental Management 3 Major
URSP 360 Community and Regional Analysis and GIS 3 Major
URSP 428 Land Use and Infrastructure Planning 3 Major
URSP 440 Senior Capstone Seminar in Urban and Regional Studies 3 Major
URSP Urban and regional studies electives (Select nine additional upper-level credits from any URSP courses.) 9 Major
Upper-level electives (300- or 400-level courses): consider a minor or a second major Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. 15 Elective
Open electives 9 to 11 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 58 to 60
Bachelor's degree total 120