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Urban Studies/Affairs

Types of Degrees Urban Studies/Affairs Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Urban Studies/Affairs can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	10
Bachelor’s Degree	904
Master’s Degree	394
Doctor’s Degree	35

What Urban Studies/Affairs Majors Need to Know

Studies in Urban Studies/Affairs build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Urban Studies/Affairs graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Urban Studies/Affairs emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Urban Studies/Affairs program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Urban Studies/Affairs careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Urban Studies/Affairs graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Urban Studies/Affairs professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Urban Studies/Affairs graduates include:

• Industrial Arts Teacher
• Urban Planning Professor
• Survey Research Professor
• Social Science Professor
• Urban Planning Teacher
• Labor Relations Teacher
• College Teacher
• Liberal Arts Teacher
• Family Consumer Science Teacher
• Naval Science Teacher
• Lecturer
• Humanities Teacher
• Survey Research Teacher
• Science Teacher
• Weight Control Lecturer

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Urban Studies/Affairs graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	54.8%
Master’s degree	12.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	8.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	6.3%
Doctoral degree	6.3%
Postsecondary certificate	4.1%
Some college courses	3.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.6%
Post-doctoral training	1.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%
First professional degree	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Urban Studies/Affairs?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 54.6% women and 45.4% men among Urban Studies/Affairs graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	733	54.6%
Men	610	45.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Urban Studies/Affairs graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	588	43.8%
Asian	138	10.3%
Hispanic or Latino	251	18.7%
Black or African American	167	12.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.2%
Two or More Races	77	5.7%
Race Unknown	19	1.4%
International Students	98	7.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Urban Studies/Affairs Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Urban Studies/Affairs graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$47,147
4 years	$60,363
5 years	$65,763

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $65,763 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Urban Studies/Affairs Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Urban Studies/Affairs. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	2	3
Master’s	1	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Urban Studies/Affairs Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Urban Studies/Affairs graduates earn a median of $60,363 four years after completion — roughly 59% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Urban Studies/Affairs	45.12
Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods	45.0102
Rural Sociology	45.1103
Sociology, Other	45.1199
Survey Research/Methodology	45.0103
Applied Demography	45.0502
Applied/Public Sociology	45.1102
Criminology	45.0401
Demography and Population Studies	45.0501
Demography, Other	45.0599

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.