Urban Policy & Practice

Student Testimonials

Jane Reid, MSc Urban Policy and Practice 2012-13

Urban Studies at the University of Glasgow is, quite simply, a unique programme and a unique culture. What attracted me in the first place was the ability to study both policy issues and urban planning/regeneration in one degree. I found that the range of courses (and the freedom of choice among them) allowed me to gain knowledge both in the directly policy-related fields and in the more geographical forms of analysis that are found on the planning side of urban research. The programme is deeply interdisciplinary, meaning that it not only involves people from many academic disciplines but also that it combines a range of approaches that are themselves interdisciplinary. My own degree is in ‘Urban Policy and Practice,’ but I was mingling every day with people (both fellow-students and staff) whose interests were in ‘City and Regional Planning,’ ‘Housing Studies,’ and other key areas.

Another great advantage lay in the diversity of the graduate students in the programme. Of course, their intellectual interests were wide-ranging within the urban field, and that in itself led to many rewarding conversations both in seminar classes and in pubs and coffee shops afterwards.

I’m hugely grateful too to the professors and staff. I entered the programme not having done undergraduate work specifically in urban areas of study, and I wondered at first if I would feel that I was out of place. Instead, I was made welcome from the start by my instructors, and I immediately recognized that this was a place where people were open to hearing and valuing what I had to say and write. The courses always involved discussion, with field trips and invited guest speakers, and lots of intellectual leadership. The staff were happy to further explore topics raised in class. The people who were directly supervising and assessing my work were supportive and friendly at all times – and especially at the times (familiar to every graduate student) when I was struggling to clarify my ideas.

Glasgow itself is a wonderful place to live. I found it easy to settle into living in the West End, and I loved being able to walk both to the University and to the City Centre. It is a vibrant and young city with a great nightlife, a sporting culture second to none, an excellent music scene, and many cultural events of every kind to discover.

Other students' comments

Economic Development and Employment - "Before under-taking the course I very much viewed economic development projects in isolation without considering the bigger picture. The course helped me learn how the economy is intrinsically linked to social/lifestyle issues and the growing importance of sustainability."

Staff - "I was impressed by the depth of knowledge of the staff and their ability to weave our experiences into the subject matter. As a mature student with considerable practical experience I was heartened to feel that this was of value to my learning, and helped to bring alive the academic debate."

Coursework - "Learning to write a better standard of essay has helped me professionally on numerous occasions. The process of clearly defining the problem, breaking it into components, analysing both theory and evidence before making a conclusion transfers directly to critical aspects of my job."

Programme Structure - "The range of options gives a good overview of a number of quite different areas of urban policy. As a generalist this has helped to refine areas where I was comfortable and take me out of my comfort zone in areas I was less familiar with."