Urban Policy & Practice

Programme Structure

Students taking the MSc in Urban Policy and Practice take 120 taught credits and complete a 60 credit dissertation.  There are three core courses:

• Contemporary Government and Government (20 credits)
• Changing Cities and Neighbourhoods (20 credits)
• Policy Analysis (20 credits)

Students can then choose options from amongst a range of optional courses:

• Regenerating Cities: strategies and Evaluation (20 credits)
• Economic Development & Employment (20 credits)
• Sustainable Housing Development (20 credits)
• Community Participation in Neighbourhood Regeneration (10 credits)
• Crime and Community Safety A (10 credits)
• Crime and Community Safety B (10 credits)
• Designing Places (10 credits)
• Evaluation and Public Policy (10 credits) 
• Community Planning and Partnership (10 credits)
• Remaking Urban Neighbourhoods (10 credits)
• Researching and Evidencing the Policy Process (10 credits)
• Spatial Planning Strategies (10 credits)
• Strategic Management and Decision Making (10 credits)

The timetable is very flexible. Students studying on a part-time or modular basis are not required to complete core courses before topic courses, for instance.

Some students choose to take a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip - 120 credits). This covers the same taught modules but does not include the dissertation. It is also possible to enrol for the short Postgraduate Certificate in Public Policy (PGCert - 60 credits).

To complete the MSc, students need to achieve a higher standard on the taught modules than is required for the PGDip or PGCert qualifications. Students who fail to achieve this standard will not be permitted to undertake the dissertation and progress to an MSc.