PlotFuture PlotFuture
PlotFuture / Majors / 45.12

What can you do with a
Urban Studies/Affairs degree?

Urban Studies/Affairs is mid-paying, AI barely touches it, and you would have escape routes.

Is this major worth the money?

Real graduate earnings vs. the debt you'd carry — and how long it takes to pay off.
8.5 yrs
to pay back the degree
+$14k
earnings premium vs no degree
Median earnings
$58,890
Typical debt
$20,750
4-yr net cost
$59,504
Monthly loan payment
$236/mo
If you earn:

Where this major actually leads

4 careers it opens — bar color = AI risk, tag = how hard the path is.
Regulatory Affairs Managerscommon
AI risk 7 → 56 future · +4.5% demand
$145,000
Information Technology Project Managersleap
AI risk 50 → 60 future · +0% demand
$80,111
Urban and Regional Plannersstretch
AI risk 10 → 48 future · +3.4% demand
$78,499
Sociologistsstretch
AI risk 38 → 54 future · +3.6% demand
$73,000
● green = AI-safe · red = AI-exposed · click any career for the full breakdown
How this is built. We take every career this major leads to (CIP→SOC official crosswalk), then join each one's real salary (BLS/DOL), AI exposure (O*NET + model), demand growth, and skill-based escape routes. ROI from College Scorecard. Every figure here is joined from official sources, not estimated.