Urban Innovation and Policy MPA

About this degree

Cities are now recognised as critical levers for social, economic and environmental change. They are home to more than half the world’s population and account for nearly seventy per cent of the world’s carbon emissions.

Increasingly, cities are seeking new innovations and policy strategies to solve urban challenges and tackle pressing issues such as growth, climate change and social inequality. However, the practice of enabling change and deploying innovation is challenging. Urban policy professionals need specific skills and expertise on how change happens, and the processes by which innovations or experiments can be piloted, evaluated and scaled.

This MPA helps students to develop the skills and expertise required to work in the public, private or third sectors, helping to find solutions to major urban challenges. The programme covers a range of urban challenges, tackling key questions such as:

• What roles do the government, private firms and NGOs play in shaping social, economic, environmental or technological change in cities?

• How could emerging forms of technological or policy innovation help address pressing issues like urban inequality, air pollution or car-dependence?

• Are smart technologies changing our cities for the better, enabling more efficient monitoring and measurement of urban systems, or for the worse, ushering in a new era of urban surveillance?

• What will it take to decarbonise our urban economies and infrastructures, and adapt to a changing climate?

• What is the role of the arts and culture in shaping change in cities?

This Master's of Public Administration (MPA) is designed for professionals who want to lead change in urban policy and to understand the wide range of innovations that are reshaping cities as economic, environmental, social and physical systems. Students will have the opportunity to undertake a major project focused on a real-world policy challenge, in partnership with an external partner organisation.

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university in a relevant discipline or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Students are encouraged (but are not required) to have work experience prior to enrolling on this programme.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

MPA graduates can go on to work in a range of organisations, including national and local government; government offices of innovation and development; transportation and planning agencies; NGOs; corporate and institutional sustainability offices; public utilities.