Classes for my urban studies major: good choices?

[zzguy2]

Hello Again,

So I made it official a few weeks ago: I am now a double Spanish and Urban Studies Major with a double minor in English and either GIS, Human Geography, or Sociology. Although our program is being improved with more requirements being added, I want to prepare myself for as much of graduate school as possible. I'm not sure where I want to go to graduate school (either DePaul Chicago or UIC Chicago), but the two programs are different: DePaul is mangagement and UIC is accrediated planning. So, with al that in mind, I'm kind of chooisng the classes I have to take on my own. What do you guys think of this curriculum?

These Classes I will take for sure:
History of Suburbia
History of Cities
Urban Geograpy
Statistics
Majority-Minority Relations (Sociology)
Economic Geography
Principles and Practices of Urban Planning
Internship
2 GIS Courses

Thinking about:
Social Research
Business Law
1 more GIS class, or just getting a full minor
Public Policy and Administration
Metropolitan Government
--more sociology classes for a minor?
--more geography classes for a minor?
some sort of micro/macro economics????


Also, Ive read that it's good to be good at GIS...but not too good, or you'll become the "GIS person" on the job. So maybe just take a few classes in it, then get a minor in human geography or sociology instead?


Thanks

[Raf]

Does your school offer such classes as planning theory, planning law, or environmental planning law? Also, i found it really helpful to take a sustainability class because a lot from what i learned in that class in "theory" is moving forward in the real world today. I would definitely do the public policy class, and i did business law as an elective and it has been one of the few elective classes that i use to "drop" the knowledge some folks. Good luck.

[cch]

In addition to the Planning Law and Environmental Law, a soils class would be helpful, as would a transportation or civil engineering class that students not majoring in CE can take. Basic architectural history or historic preservation classes are good too. And hopefully you have to take Statistics for your major.

[danthonyjr]

More than likely, you'll take a Land Use Controls class in grad school, which will cover some land/environmental law.