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Students pursuing Urban Studies aim to create meaningful change by addressing real-world urban challenges. Through their studies, they explore urban history and contemporary issues, gaining insights into how national policies and global economic forces shape local communities down to the neighborhood level. The core academic focus of Urban Studies examines the relationship between people and their environments across various geographic scales. Decision-making by individuals, organizations, and policymakers influences the spatial distribution of populations and resources, ultimately shaping urban landscapes. Urban Studies students apply this knowledge to analyze urban conditions and strive to develop communities that promote fairness, improved public health, ecological balance, and enhanced living standards. Along with their urban studies curriculum and specialized concentration courses, all students complete a credit-bearing internship and conduct independent research.
International applicant should have completed a program of secondary education that would enable you to enter a university in your own country (e.g., A-levels, Abitur).
A strong command of the English language is necessary for successful study at Penn. Applicants whose families do not speak English at home, or applicants who have not attended a high school or secondary school where the primary language of instruction is English, are asked to take the TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language, administered by the Educational Testing Service. In the event the TOEFL is not readily accessible, Penn will accept results from the IELTS, the International English Language Testing System.