Urban Planning MSc

Program Overview

The MSc Urban Planning program equips students with the skills and knowledge to address contemporary urban challenges, focusing on sustainability, smart cities, urban design, and social equity. Utilizing Dubai as an urban laboratory, the program emphasizes interdisciplinary research and real-world engagement, preparing graduates for careers in urban planning, government, and sustainability sectors.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The MSc Urban Planning program is designed to train the next generation of urban planners who can address contemporary challenges and solve problems faced by urban regions. It is accredited by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education. It draws upon the University's expertise in Planning, Environmental Science, Public Health, and Critical Urban Studies.

Key areas of understanding and skills that students will develop:

• Challenges urban areas face in delivering sustainable, inclusive, and healthy places and mitigation measures.
• Opportunities and threats posed to urban areas by globalization, new technologies, and rapid societal change.
• Impact of urban growth on the natural environment (e.g., pollution) and approaches to mitigate related pressures.
• Changing living patterns in urban areas, migration, social polarization, and meeting the needs of diverse communities.

Outline:

Core Modules:

• The Planner in Contemporary Societies: This module explores the role of planners in addressing contemporary urban challenges, including sustainability, social equity, and technological advancements.
• Sustainable Cities: This module examines the principles and practices of sustainable urban development, focusing on environmental, social, and economic aspects.
• Smart Cities: This module delves into the concept of smart cities, exploring technologies, data analytics, and urban governance strategies for creating more efficient and resilient urban environments.
• Urban Design and Property Development: This module focuses on the principles of urban design and the process of property development, including planning regulations, design considerations, and economic feasibility.
• Urban Lives: This module examines the social and cultural dimensions of urban life, exploring issues such as migration, social inequality, and community engagement.
• Dissertation: This module provides students with the opportunity to conduct independent research on a topic related to urban planning.

Teaching:

• The program utilizes a variety of teaching approaches, including lectures, seminars, practitioner talks, site visits, fieldwork, and studio work.
• Emphasis is placed on real-world engagement, utilizing Dubai as an urban laboratory.
• Tutorial support is integral to student learning.
• One-to-one supervision and dissertation lab classes support independent dissertation study.

Assessment:

• Assessment methods include essays, presentations, case study reports, urban design plans, and the extended research project.
• Assessments are challenging and authentic, focusing on real-world problems and engaging with examples in Dubai.
• Coursework reflects the needs of employers, such as government-style reports and master plans.
• All coursework includes formative elements.
• The dissertation is a major part of the assessment, involving individual research with full support from a supervisor.

Careers:

• The program prepares graduates for a wide range of careers in urban planning and related fields.
• Potential career paths include:
• Government ministries
• Public sector employment (e.g., planning, environment, transport)
• Urban development firms
• Consultants (e.g., KPMG, McKinsey)
• Global organizations (e.g., UN, World Bank)
• Graduates will be equipped to articulate the science behind critical urban issues and provide solutions, making them highly sought after in traditional planning spheres and emerging sustainability sectors.

Other:

• The program emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach, ensuring graduates can articulate the science behind critical urban issues.
• The program is designed to accommodate working professionals with evening and weekend classes.
• The program offers potential for internships and fieldwork in Kathmandu to learn from urban planning in a different context.
• The program is based on world-leading research undertaken in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences.
• The program confronts the major challenges that rapidly expanding urban areas face.
• Graduates will be able to articulate complex environmental urban problems to a broad range of end users.
• The program will enable graduates to make genuine impacts on environmental and sustainability issues.