Faculty Highlights  Urban Studies Program Professor Challenges Students to See Transformative Powers of Architecture   In the heart of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a 12-story, two-year-old residential building sits at the corner of Houston and Pitt Streets, looking every bit like one of the new luxury towers that have sprouted in the area in the last decade.   However, The Lee, as it is known, has more in common with the nearby Hamilton Fish public housing project, as the LEED Gold building provides affordable housing for 264 formerly homeless adults and at-risk youths. MORE >> Middle East Urbanism Meets East Coast Gentrification in Anthropologist’s Work     One might not normally associate postwar Beirut with postindustrial Soho, but for associate professor Aseel Sawalha, Ph.D., it’s not that much of a leap. Sawalha’s anthropology deals in the recent past with a focus on reclaimed neighborhoods.    Whether abandoned because of a sluggish economy or violent warfare, the spaces she studies are eventually redefined and revitalized by artists and/or activists. At the heart of her work lies a tension between neighborhood stakeholders and corporate interests. MORE >>

Urban Studies M.A. Program Designed as an interdisciplinary program, Urban Studies offers a broad introduction to the city and the urban environment, ranging from subjects like urban design and architecture, urban policy and politics, and community development and culture. Students combine course work with hands-on experience in New York City.   The program moves away from conventional disciplines and instead offers an integrated, innovative curriculum, providing future leaders with an interdisciplinary, humanistic approach to the city and the urban experience. The program aims to broaden and deepen understanding of the interconnected dimensions of metropolitan development and encourages creativity in thinking about the future of cities and urban regions. Our Students The program prepares students for numerous professional careers in the public and private sectors, including urban planning, community development, and public policy work. Click here to see a list of current thesis titles for Fordham Urban Studies M.A. students. Our Faculty As an interdisciplinary program, the Urban Studies M.A. Program offers its students access to the best of Fordham's faculty. With numerous specialties and broad research backgrounds, our professors are an invaluable resource for students.   Please note: Applications for fall 2013 are no longer being accepted. Please visit the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website after September, 2013 to apply for admission in fall 2014.