People who help shape places. That’s how our Urban Studies majors might define themselves. With its broad, multidisciplinary curriculum, our program has become a hub for Wheaton’s engagement with local and global urban communities.
Within six months of graduation, nearly 99% of Wheaton’s Class of 2021 found work in their field or continued their education.
One of the country’s largest, most diverse metropolitan areas is a short train or car ride away.
Every Urban Studies major or minor pursued at least one internship, many that counted toward a second major.
You can reach us anytime via admissions@wheaton.edu.
Urban Studies majors make their mark on communities around the world. After graduation, they go into teaching, law, ministry, city-level government, public health, urban planning, advocacy, social entrepreneurship, and other professions engaged with the complexities of urban contexts.
Urban Studies majors explore and discover their calling to urban communities and places through core and elective courses such as:
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Live, work, and learn with classmates and professors during a semester-long experience in Chicago. Wheaton in Chicago offers experiential coursework tailored to the city, internships to explore vocational interests, and opportunities to explore one of the most vibrant metropolitan areas in the country.
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Interdisciplinary by design, Wheaton’s Urban Studies program boasts a unique, diverse faculty: historians, anthropologists, artists, policymakers, demographers, and more. Their research interests include urban anthropology, community development, religion and ritual, political theology, entrepreneurship, activism, social movements, and place-making through art and literature.
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As part of the Anthropology, Sociology, and Urban Studies Department, we benefit from the rich intersection of these interrelated disciplines. Campus-affiliated programs and centers like Wheaton in Chicago, the Center for Urban Engagement, Aequitas Fellows Program in Urban Leadership, the Urban Leadership Studio, and HoneyRock Center for Leadership Development give students real-world learning experiences and unique access to faculty experts and visiting scholars and practitioners.
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Our majors immerse themselves in urban environments through field trips, experiential programs, and study abroad. They learn more about the inner workings of cities through internships, practicums, and research. And they gain leadership experience on campus in numerous ways, from serving as orientation leaders and resident assistants to spearheading student organizations.
Interdisciplinary learning is a way of life at Wheaton. Aside from your work within your chosen major, you can enrich your educational experience and connect with peers and professors across campus (and beyond) in many ways.
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A Wheaton education is built on the foundation of our unique Christ at the Core general education curriculum. As an urban studies major, you will integrate biblical and theological knowledge with the academic study of cities and urban life, and learn how the urban environment can shape your call to a particular place and community.
Learn More About Christ at the CoreWhether they go right into the workforce after graduation or their career path leads them to an advanced degree, our alumni make a difference in cities large and small.
Recent Urban Studies majors and minors have taken positions such as:
Recent alumni have pursued advanced degrees in programs such as:
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-- Abigail Chen '21"I came to understand purpose as inseparable from place... Because of the interdisciplinary approach of Urban Studies at Wheaton, the webs of interconnectedness among people and communities, past and present, institutions and systems are vibrant threads that inspire my curiosity daily."
Whether managing advertising sales for the campus newspaper, serving as class president of student government, or volunteering with urban ministiries, Abigail Chen '21 took full advantage of the real-world learning experiences available at Wheaton College. A hallmark experience for her was Wheaton in Chicago, where she interned in the digital sales division of BBC Midwest -- and made plenty of professional connections with fellow Wheaties living in Chicagoland. This experience directly impacted her decision to start her career in Chicago after graduation.
Abigail, who majored in economics with minors in political science and urban studies, works as a small business sales associate for LinkedIn
Interested in Urban Studies at Wheaton? Request more information or start your application today.