Bachelor of Arts - Urban and Regional Studies (Optional Co-op)

The Bachelor of Arts - Urban and Regional Studies (URS) delves into the physical, social, economic and political factors that shape people's cities. It looks at the role of planning to manage dynamic forces of change such as immigration, global warming, aging populations, energy conservation, congestion, urban forests, homelessness and smog, to name just a few.

As a URS student at the University of Lethbridge, students will learn to approach contemporary development challenges from various frames of reference. Issues include the evolving social, ethnic and architectural character of urban neighborhoods, the decline of agricultural service centers in the west or the governance of urban sprawl.

This multidisciplinary major will provide students with a broad range of conceptual and practical tools to understand cities and regions. URS is housed in the Department of Geography & Environment, but as a multidisciplinary major, the program includes courses outside the department’s offerings, such as anthropology, economics, political science, sociology and statistics.

The knowledge and experience students gain in the URS program will provide an exceptional stepping stone, whether they choose to continue their studies to the master’s or doctoral level or to enter the working world. Either way, students will have the educational background to play an important role in providing an understanding of, and solutions for, some of everyone's most pressing urban and regional concerns.