Critical Thinking and Analysis Skills
** thinking about scale: understanding how
various interdependent processes (economic, political, social)
play out at international, regional, national and local scales
in interconnected ways
** problem-solving: problem recognition and definition; research design; qualification of pertinent data; statistical manipulation, interpretation, and presentation
** spatial analysis of socioeconomic patterns, problems,
and forces: distribution of goods, services and people;
social, racial, and ethnic settlement patterns; application of
urban theory to urban issues: housing, poverty, transportation,
regional economic development, retailing, and labor markets
Technical Skills
** computer skills: ability to use spreadsheet,
statistical, and database software; e-mail and the Internet, and
work with large data bases
** population analysis: demographic (cohort) analysis; working with census data; applying migration theory
** economic analysis: input-output analysis, location analysis, shift/share analysis, regional econometric modeling and economic impact analysis
** statistical analysis: descriptive statistics, simple statistical relationships, comparative statistics, multivariate analysis, regression analysis
** sampling techniques: designing, operationalizing,
and interpreting surveys, questionnaires and case studies
** data acquisition and analysis: database design and data structuring; data resolution; determining data quality; geocoding; identifying data sources; data retrieval, classification, manipulation and display
** map design: GIS analysis; making maps that communicate effectively
** ability to use land-use data: parcel, lot &
property boundary data
** resource optimization modeling: cost-benefit
analysis; resource analysis
** urban-regional transportation analysis
Research and Presentation Skills
** ability to make graphs, tables and charts
** library research techniques
** writing skills, including integrating conceptual questions and frameworks with analytical results