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SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

S.02-3

Senate Committee on University Priorities

Memorandum

TO:

RE: Proposal for a Graduate Diploma in

DATE: 11 Dece

Urban Studies

Attached is a proposal from Dr. Jock Munro and the Department of Geography for a

Graduate Diploma in Urban Studies (GDUS).

The Senate Committee on University Priorities reviewed the proposal at its

December 5, 2001 meeting. The proposal was unanimously approved.

Once approved by Senate, the proposal is to be submitted to the Board of Governors.

Motion

is ?

That Senate approves and recommends to the Board of Governors the proposal for

a Graduate Diploma in Urban Studies as outlined in

PROPOSAL FOR A GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN URBAN STUDIES

A. INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE

December 5, 2001

SCUP 01 -.75

Name of Department: Department of Geography

2. Credential: Graduate Diploma in Urban Studies (GDUS)

Development of Proposal

This proposal originates with the Graduate Urban Studies Steering Committee (GUSSC). This

committee was established by the Dean of Arts in 1998 to supervise the offering of Urban Studies

600 and 601 and to consider further steps to implement the School of Urban Studies proposal (see

below) in Light of the experience in offering these two courses. The University's development of

urban studies programming has been an interdepartmental initiative that has involved faculty from

six departments. The Committee has worked closely with the Department of Geography, the

academic "home" for graduate urban studies, in preparing this proposal.

The Graduate Urban Studies Steering Committee (GUSSC) is now proposing an expansion of graduate

urban studies programming to offer a Graduate Diploma in Urban Studies (GDUS). This proposal for

further graduate urban program expansion is being brought forward one year earlier than

anticipated in 1998. The main rationales for this acceleration are:

Demonstrated student interest in a more substantial graduate urban studies program that Leads

to a credential;

The need to continue support for the development of the City Program;

Acting in advance of possible steps by UBC to mount a more comprehensive urban program.

The GDUS would require a minimum curriculum of six 4-hour courses, or their equivalent, for a 24-

hour Graduate Diploma. We are proposing 10 new courses and the deletion of the two existing

graduate urban courses. The intention would be to offer two or three courses in each of the fall

and spring semesters and perhaps one course in the summer semester. Our aim is to have the GDUS

approved in January, 2002 and to have the first courses offered in 02-3.

The GDUS would be the University's third graduate diploma program. The Graduate Diploma in

Business Administration (GDBA) requires 24 hours of graduate courses and the Graduate Diploma in

Advanced Professional Studies in Education (GDAPS) requires 30 hours of graduate courses. The

Graduate General Regulations specify 22 hours as the minimum requirement for a Graduate Diploma.

Rationale Statement

GUSSC believes that the GDUS proposal is consistent with the academic planning themes of the

University as expressed over the last decade. The Presidents Committee on University Planning

said in its final report (1996) that new graduate programs of an interdisciplinary character offered

considerable opportunity for University development. In addition to strong academic foundations,

such programs were to emphasize adaptability to changing professional requirements and co-

operative education.

The 2001-04 academic plans of the Department of Geography and the Dean of Arts include the GDUS

as an anticipated new program. The first academic goal on the 2001-04 Plan of the Vice President,

isAcademic is to "reaffirm our commitment to the arts and sciences while enabling development of

applied and professional programs." One of the means to achieve this goal is "the development of

cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary programs." The GDUS, which is referred to in this section of

the Plan, is such a program. The Plan also encourages the development of applied and professional

programs. The ongoing program development in urban studies referred to in this proposal could in

the future lead to a professional program that would complement the essentially academic GDUS

program.

An urban university is defined not only by its location, but also by its philosophy and programs, its

interactive relationships, and a commitment to intellectual participation in the community that

permeates the campus. Thus, a program with an explicit urban theme is especially appropriate for

the Harbour Centre campus. As approved by Senate (S88-33), a key factor in the programmatic

development of Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre has been the unique location of the

campus in the core of British Columbia's principal urban, national and international centre. Situated

within the province's highest concentration of business, professional, cultural and governmental

enterprises, a criterion for proposing and approving programs at Harbour Centre has been that

they would be strengthened by beinglocated in this urban centre with proximity not only to

intended students but also to special community resources.

It is widely recognized that the transformation of Greater Vancouver's urban core presents

possibilities and problems that involve significant intellectual and policy issues. Vancouver is in

many respects quite unlike most North American cities. No urban core in North America is

undergoing such a rapid transformation towards a mixed residential and business city, with some

60,000 new jobs predicted to be added in the next two decades. The opportunities for creating

one of the most interesting and liveable cities in North America are quite phenomenal. At the core

of this development is Simon Fraser University's downtown campus. We should ensure that the

campus is not only in the city but also of the city and thus participates in the city's future.

This is similar to the rationale that was used in 1997-98 to support a proposal for a trial set of

graduate urban courses in 1999-2001. The current proposal for a Graduate Diploma in Urban

Studies is based on experience with the graduate urban studies "experiment", which is described

below. The opinions of students and course instructors concerning these courses have been

uniformly favourable and there has also been strong support for further development of graduate

urban studies.

COURSE CHANGES

New Courses:

Urban Studies 605-2

Introduction to Urban Studies

Urban Studies 610-4

Urban Design

Urban Studies 620-4

Urban Communities and Culture

Urban Studies

630-4

Urban Development, Planning and Policy

Urban Studies 640-4

Urban Regions and Urban Change

Urban Studies 650-4

Urban Governance

Urban Studies 660-4

Economy, Land Use and Transportation in Cities

Urban Studies 690-4

The City in Art and Culture

Urban Studies 695-4

Selected Topics in Urban Studies

Urban Studies 698-2 Seminar in Urban Studies

; ?

2. Existing Courses To Be Discontinued:

Urban Studies 600-4 Urban Transformations

Urban Studies 601-4 Urban Issues and Solutions

Existing Credential to Be Discontinued

GUSSC believes that it would make sense to discontinue the current Post-baccalaureate Diploma in

Urban Studies when the GDUS begins. This would avoid program overlap and confusion if there

were to be two programs with somewhat similar objectives. Current PBD students who wished to

complete their PBD would be accommodated.

C. BACKGROUND

Urban Studies Programming, 1991-2001

In an attempt to address the University's urban programming needs and, two initiatives were

undertaken in the early 1990s. A Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Urban Studies and a Certificate in

Urban Studies were established in 1991 (S. 91-55) to combine courses offered by the Departments

of Geography, Political Science and Sociology and Anthropology into a coherent programmatic

stream. Also, the non-credit City Program was established in Continuing Studies in 1992 to offer

non-credit mid-career courses for urban professionals, public lectures and short courses,

community outreach projects and special events which together provide a forum for the

exploration of current urban issues. The program has been an outstanding success and has served

over 14,000 people. The achievements of the City Program have been recognized throughout the

community and have resulted in substantial contributions to the City Program Endowment Fund

from the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia and the Lohn Foundation. The City Program has

won several awards for its innovative and effective programming.

School of Urban Studies Proposal

Beyond the two initiatives described above, the question arose as to whether there were other

educational needs unmet by existing university credit programs. Consequently, the Dean of Arts

appointed Professor Alan Artibise of the School of Community and Regional Planning at UBC (SCARP)

as urban program consultant.

In March, 1995 a proposal for a School of Urban Studies was completed by Professor Artibise and

Professor Nick Blomley of the SFU Department of Geography. This proposal was considered by the

Faculty of Arts Graduate Studies Committee and received "approval for further planning" from the

Senate Committee on Academic Planning in June, 1995 (SCAP 95-32).

Further planning work was undertaken by Professors Artibise and Blomley through 1995, including a

survey of Planning Institute of B.C. members concerning the need for a School of Urban Studies. A

final report and recommendations were submitted to the Dean of Arts in March, 1996. The Dean

appointed N. Blomley (Geography), W. Gill (Geography), and J. Munro (Economics) to carry out the

next stages in planning and implementation. J. Oberlander, Director of the City Program in

Continuing Studies, was also asked to participate.

One of the ideas discussed by this committee was a joint School of Urban Studies with UBC. This

could have allowed SFU to expand its programming in this area and benefit from existing UBC

capabilities and interests. Two meetings were held with UBC faculty members from SCARP to

consider how the two institutions might co-operate. In the end, it appeared that tangible progress

would require a Simon Fraser-only initiative, especially since the planning orientation of SCARP and

. ?

its decreasing interest in urban programming seemed to argue against a meaningful practical

collaboration.

3. Graduate Urban Studies Programming, 1999-2001

In May, 1998 the Senate Graduate Studies Committee authorized experimental graduate urban

studies programming. Two courses were approved: Urban Studies 600-4 (Urban Transformations)

and Urban Studies 601-4 (Urban Issues and Solutions), URB 600 was designed with three modules

(economic, political , and social) and URB 601 was to linked to two suitable City Program short

courses. URB 600 was offered to 8 students in 99-3 and 14 students in 00-3; URB 601 was offered to

6 students in 00-1 and 5 students in 01-1. In addition, five students from URB 600 and 601 in 99-3

and 00-1 took GEOG 795 (Sustainable Urban Development) in 00-3 and followed it with POL 852

(Urban Government and Politics) in 01-1 and POL 856 (Global Cities) in 01-3. These students are

keen to continue with other graduate urban studies courses and to obtain a credential. The

offering of these courses has been facilitated by administrative support provided by the

Department of Geography.

The basis on which URB 600 and 601 were approved was that they would not continue beyond the

review if the review were "not positive". (The review was to consider demand, instructional

experience, and student response.) If the review were positive, there was nothing in the approval

that would prevent these courses from being offered into the future. However, a positive review

was to lead to the development of "a proposal for the next stage in Urban Studies implementation at

Simon Fraser". The graduate diploma was specifically mentioned in connection with this next stage.

D. STUDENTS AND ADMISSION

1. Student Demand

The experimental graduate Urban Studies courses attracted 22 students in 99/00 and 00/01. This

level of interest despite the inherent unattractiveness of credit graduate courses that did not Lead

to a credential, makes us quite confident that the GDUS could meet its enrollment target of 20

students. Further support for this view is provided in the surveys that were done during the

preparation of the School of Urban Studies proposal.

Admission Criteria

Applicants for admission would normally be required to hold an undergraduate degree in one of the

urban studies base disciplines (economics, geography, political science, sociology and

anthropology). Applications from students with other degrees or with equivalent professional

training and experience would also be considered. Admissions decisions would be based on

undergraduate grades, a statement of student interest in the program, and letters of reference.

E. BUDGET AND RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

At Least the equivalent of one new faculty position to support administration and instruction in a

GDUS Program is required. GUSSC believes that this position should be in Geography and that it

must be incremental to current faculty replacement planning in the Department of Geography.

In addition, provision should be made for the equivalent of two courses per year to be taught by

faculty members on overload as Sessional Lecturers ($15,000). A half-time administrative position

at the Program Assistant level will be needed ($20,000) and the GDUS would need in the range of

$15,000 annually for non-salary operating expenses. The administrative work that GDUS would

require should not be a burden on the budget of the Department of Geography.

The University's Library resources in urban studies are reasonably strong. Additional journal

subscriptions and a broadening of the monograph collection profile would require $9,335 in

recurring funding and one-time additions to the collection would require $7,500.

A portion of these increased costs would be offset by revenue increases. The GDUS would, as a

professional program, have a premium tuition fee. Since the GDUS would be a new program, its

initial tuition fee would not be affected by the tuition fee freeze. The standard graduate fee is

S ?

approximately $77 per hour. MPub charges about $120 per hour. The GDBA fee is $356.25 per hour

and the GDAPS fee is $145.90 per hour. If GDUS had a tuition fee of $125 per hour, the seven

courses (totaling 24 hours) planned for the 2002/03 academic year with an estimated 15 students

each would generate $45,000 in additional revenue annually for the University.

5. There is an endowment of $120,000 attached to the present PBD in Urban Studies. With the

permission of the donors, the Downtown Vancouver Association and the Building Owners and

Managers Association, this would be transferred to the GDUS and its income made available for

student financial assistance. We expect that further urban program development would generate

additional endowment

gifts.

FUTURE URBAN STUDIES PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

If this proposal is approved, GUSSC intends to continue with further program development planning.

Approval of the current proposal would thus imply some level of support for further development.

The next stage would be to plan a Master's Program in Urban Studies and to explore the feasibility

of a research institute. We would expect that the courses we are proposing for the GDUS would be

suitable for a graduate degree program with the addition of a few courses plus a research

requirement. We would not expect a Master's Program to be in place until 2005, at the earliest.

G. CALENDAR ENTRY

The graduate diploma in urban studies (GDUS) is an interdisciplinary program that provides an

opportunity to study the city and its functions from several perspectives. The program is aimed at

those with a background in the urban professions as well as to those who would simply like to learn

more about cities. The GDUS provides a strong foundation in various urban-related disciplines and

semphasizes the application of these disciplines to real-world problems and situations.

The GDUS is offered at the University's Harbour Centre campus, located in the core of British

Columbia's principal urban, national and international centre. The program draws particularly on

Vancouver's experience but also encompasses study of cities in other places and from other times.

Admission

Applicants for admission would normally be required to hold an undergraduate degree in one of the

urban studies base disciplines (economics, geography, political science, sociology and

anthropology). Applications from students with other degrees or with equivalent professional

training and experience would also be considered. Admissions decisions will be based on

undergraduate grades (normally, a G.P.A. of 3.0 is required), a one-page statement of student

interest in the program, and Letters of reference.

Application

Candidates must submit the following documentation when applying for the program.

• Simon Fraser University's

Application for Admission to the Graduate Diploma In Urban Studies

• Official copy of transcript of undergraduate grades (mailed directly from the granting

institution)

• Two confidential letters of reference (mailed directly from the referees)

• TOEFL and TWE test scores may be required for applicants whose first language is not English

Financial Assistance

Limited student financial assistance is available.

Diploma Requirements

To qualify for the graduate diploma in urban studies, students must complete a total of 24 credit

hours drawn from the following courses.

URB 605-2 Introduction to Urban Studies

URB 610-4 Urban Design

URB 620-4 Urban Communities and Culture

URB 630-4 Urban Development, Planning and Policy

URB 640-4 Urban Regions and Urban Change

URB 650-4 Urban Governance

URB 660-4 Economy, Land Use and Transportation in Cities

URB 690-4 The City in Art and Culture

URB 695-4 Selected Topics in Urban Studies

URB 698-2 Seminar in Urban Studies

be ?

for

from this list.

• ?

Up to two other graduate courses may

substituted ?

courses

•

URB 605 and URB 698 are required courses.

NOTE: New course proposal forms for the above courses are 

available on request 