SB Urban Science and Planning with Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT
Those students who choose the joint major with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science will earn a Bachelor of Urban Science and Planning with Computer Science(SB), a major integrating social and technical skills with theoretical foundations and applied experience, designed to prepare students for careers in both the public and private sectors.
The major provides a foundation for students intending to do graduate work in applied data analytics, public policy, economic development, urban design, management, and planning.
Majors take a set of common core courses in one of four streams:
- fundamentals of computer science
- fundamentals of urban planning
- machine learning, probability, and statistics
- policy and ethics
In addition, students will participate in an applied urban science synthesis lab, where high-tech tools will be brought together to solve real-world problems.
The courses in the major teach students how the tools of ethics and justice, statistics, data science, geospatial analysis, visualization, robotics, and machine learning can be applied to craft solutions to complex problems that require new strategies, technologies, types of data, and approaches to science. Students will also learn the skills and responsibilities of planners who seek to promote effective and equitable social change.The Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science offer a diverse range of possibilities for creating a major tailored to your needs and interests in the following categories:
- Urban planning and policy
- Statistics, data science, geospatial analysis and visualization
- Computer science and machine learning
- Integrated, hand-on experience working with data and new technologies to address real urban problems