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Social Sciences · Urban Studies Rank #9 of 25

Urban Studiesat University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Graduates earn $46,712/yr in their first year — about 14.0% above the national Urban Studies average. Base-case 10-year earnings $512K; scenarios range from $479K to $513K depending on AI disruption.

Las Vegas, NV Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
50 AVERAGE
50
Optimistic
46
Pessimistic
Earnings
$46,712
1-year post-graduation
ROI
11.8x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$512K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
45% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Your strong outcomes from UNLV's Urban Studies/Affairs program highlight the unique "living laboratory" that Las Vegas offers. This rapidly evolving metropolitan area constantly grapples with issues of growth, resource management, and community development, creating a significant demand for professionals who understand complex urban dynamics. The program likely benefits from deep ties to local government, planning agencies, and development firms, providing practical experience and direct pipelines into the regional job market. You'll find opportunities in city planning, public administration, community leadership, and even the private sector managing urban projects. Given the potential for AI to automate some data analysis tasks in this field, focus on developing your critical thinking, policy development, and human-centered community engagement skills to ensure your long-term career resilience.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$479K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score46/100
Earnings Multiple13.1x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$512K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score50/100
Earnings Multiple14.0x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$513K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score50/100
Earnings Multiple14.0x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to University of Nevada-Las Vegas's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Urban Studies graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Managers, all other
+4.5% 10-yr growth · 106,700 openings/yr
$136,550/yr
Moderate
2
Sociologists
+3.6% 10-yr growth · 300 openings/yr
$101,690/yr
High
3
Urban and regional planners
+3.4% 10-yr growth · 3,400 openings/yr
$83,720/yr
Moderate
4
Social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other
+1.7% 10-yr growth · 1,500 openings/yr
$75,040/yr
Low
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Urban Studies

How University of Nevada-Las Vegas stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
University of California-Berkeley
CA · Public
69
DW Score
$58K
1-yr earn
16.7x
ROI
San Francisco State University
CA · Public
60
DW Score
$50K
1-yr earn
18.5x
ROI
Brown University
RI · Private nonprofit
40
DW Score
$49K
1-yr earn
0.8x
ROI
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
WA · Public
57
DW Score
$48K
1-yr earn
12.1x
ROI
University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
WA · Public
57
DW Score
$48K
1-yr earn
11.9x
ROI
Also at University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Other top programs at University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Other highest-scoring programs offered at University of Nevada-Las Vegas, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Urban Studies at University of Nevada-Las Vegas

What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Urban Studies at University of Nevada-Las Vegas?

A score of 50/100 puts this program in competitive territory — solid outcomes, though not at the top of the Urban Studies field.

Will AI replace Urban Studies careers?

With 37% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $478,948 in decade earnings vs $513,189 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.