This MPA in Urban Innovation and Policy provides graduates with the practical skills, analytic tools and knowledge required to shape urban policy using science and technological innovations. Students have the opportunity to work with UCL STEaPPÕs partner organisations and leading urban scholars and practitioners across University College London (UCL).Ê

Cities are now recognised as critical pathways to change. TheyÊaccount for nearly seventy per cent of the worldÕs carbon emissions and are home to more than half of the worldÕs population.Ê

Increasingly, cities are pooling strategies to solve urban challenges and tackle pressing issues such as growth, congestion and infrastructure deficits.ÊGround-breaking and globally influential city leaders today need to be innovative, networked, informed and collaborative in order to catalyse action in urban development.Ê

City leadership is not just for mayors, but involves a wide range of stakeholders who shape the policies for future sustainable urban development, including:

  • - non-governmental organisations
  • - business
  • - academics

This MPA develops the skills and expertise required to become a city leader in the public, private or third sectors.

Key challenges

This MPA ensures urban policy makers can collaborate to tackle key questions, such as:

  • - Does a city need to grow to succeed?
  • - Are inflation and congestion signs of city success or failure?
  • - How can we ensure London is a 'smart city' for its over 7500 homeless?
  • - How do the 863 million people now living in slums benefit from global cities?

- Can we turn the waste produced by our cities into a resource?

The MPA degree blends coverage of core skills and knowledge with specialist urban content:

  • - CoreÊmodulesÊare shared across all our MPA degrees, focusing on the key skills and tools
  • - Specialist urban modulesÊandÊpractical skillsÊoptionsÊcover key topics and themes in city leadership, urban policy and innovation
  • - ElectiveÊurbanÊmodulesÊoffer a wealth of different options from across UCL's world-class departments, allowing you to specialise in key areas of interest
  • - Real-world policy challenges and client projectsÊapply knowledge and tools to real policy problems.