The MS in Urban Strategy is a two year, interdisciplinary 48-credit Graduate Program, offered with academic support from the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation and housed in the Department of Architecture, Design & Urbanism in the Westphal College of Media, Arts & Design. Courses are taught by faculty from the Urban Strategy program, in partnership with faculty from Drexel’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Dornsife School of Public Health,and the LeBow College of Business, generating an interdisciplinary curriculum focused on problem solving and collaboration in the domains of history, urban planning, design, health, systems thinking, public policy, and community economic development.

The program provides a forum for students to pursue paths of inquiry within a first-year core curriculum augmented by a customized set of electives and a second-year thesis project.  Students have access to numerous University research entities, and work with fellows from the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation, who teach and advise students in their area of expertise. This experiential approach to interdisciplinary exploration and investigation creates a learning environment where students take ownership over their course of study.

The MS Urban Strategy utilizes a collaborative teaching approach that is unique and impactful. Professors from different disciplinary backgrounds come together to offer students multiple points of entry into complex urban problems. Students benefit from robust discourse derived from those different approaches, while simultaneously cultivating their own points of view.

Drexel has a network of community and industry partnerships designed to support the learning of students in the MS Urban Strategy. Experiential, community-based learning encourages students to participate in real world problem solving, from the beginning of the program to the end.  Students develop meaningful connections with communities they hope to impact throughout their careers, learning in real-time, and creating realistic expectations of what their role should and can be in the urban big picture.

Students begin their studies with eight core required courses (24 credits), and continue with four elective courses (12 credits), interwoven with 12 credits of thesis work in a client-driven studio setting. Students develop their individual focus through by selecting electives from across the University, and have an opportunity to work with individual faculty members in an area of identified research. The program has a built-in flexibility that allows students to focus on a compelling urban issue and investigate varying viewpoints towards a collaborative, collective solution. See Drexel’s Course Catalog for more details on specific course offerings and plans of study.

Drexel is on a quarter system, and the degree can be completed in 5 quarters of full time attendance, and one additional quarter of part-time attendance.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND PLAN OF STUDY

The following links to the Course Catalog are for review purposes only. Several factors influence the length of the program and the sequencing of courses. Students should contact Program Director Andrew Zitcer with questions.

About The Program

Degree Requirements

Please click on the linked course numbers for the course description.

Sample Plan Of Study