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[adriannj]

Hello everyone!

I am considering a PhD program in urban systems.
Is anyone familiar with this kind of program and/or its value?
It has a focus in educational policy, which I am interested in.
But what kind of career prospects are available from it?

[helpful]

What kind of department is it?

[adriannj]

It is a joint program among 3 research universities in the North East.  It does not seem to be housed in a specific department.

[helpful]

Check to see what departments the core faculty are working in. I bet it is education, sociology, urban planning?

[zharkov]

Reading between the lines, it looks like a degree for someone working in public health/community health or in (urban) education.  It is a part time program for people with relevant master's degrees, and for what I'd consider mid career adult students who are working. 


http://www.umdnj.edu/urbsyweb/FAQ/index.html

[1233312]

If you want a job as a TT professor, you should probably go for a criminology-related degree. If you want to go for a job in a city's planning or economic development dept, a master's degree is more common.

[helpful]

However, if you want to be adaptable to work in different, and complex, kinds of contexts, go for the Urban Systems degree.

[prof_smartypants]

However, if you want to be adaptable to work in different, and complex, kinds of contexts, go for the Urban Systems degree.

Unless you want to actually get a job as a professor. If you want to do education policy, get a PhD in that - look into public admin/public policy PhD schools with a concentration in ed policy.

I have a phd in urban planning. PM me if you want.

[helpful]

With an interdisciplinary degree such as one in urban systems,  OP could get a job in a number of interdisciplinary programs. Specializing in one discipline restricts the OP to that discipline. I say this as long as the OP has experience in one of the disciplines that the urban systems degree covers. Experience plus an interdisciplinary degree will give the OP two important assets.

If the OP doesn't have experience in one of the disciplines covered by the Phd degree in urban systems, then I agree with others that you should get a Phd in one of those disciplines.

We often respond to potential grad students assuming they don't have work experience in a discipline that academia offers. When they do have that work experience, that should be considered in asking questions of the OP, and giving advice.