All Things Urban

Do you wonder what role cities play in discovering answers to social issues such as poverty, climate change, health, unemployment, and terrorism? Then this master track is the right choice for you.

The Urban Governance specialisation is part of the MSc in Public Administration of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The programme offers a varied set of courses (obligatory and elective), seminars, working groups sessions, and a series of guest lectures by internationally well-known scholars. Furthermore, you conduct your own research project (thesis) in which you apply theories and social scientific research methods to examine urban governance issues.

The programme provides courses and training in real life settings giving an opportunity to learn and practice scientific and managerial skills. It includes a variety of teaching methodologies aimed at interaction between teachers and students, between students and practitioners and between students themselves.

Next to general lectures given by leading scholars in the field, pedagogical games such as action planning, fieldwork and excursions are part of the teaching methods. The courses provide the most recent theoretical and empirical insights in urban governance. Practical and professional skills are developed in the urban governance labs, including working group sessions and seminars. Inspirational guest lectures enable a knowledge and experience transfer from experts in the field. The urban governance labs are further used to build group identity among the students.

Why study at Erasmus University Rotterdam?

1. Get your MSc from a top 100 university. In 2022, The Department of Public Administration was ranked #4 in the Shanghai Academic Ranking.
2. Learn from both leading scholars in the field and active urban policy advisers.
3. Join in our interactive urban governance labs where you will use your theoretical knowledge to solve real-life examples of urban governance issues.
4. Prepare for your career and network during your project work and field visits to local stakeholders such as the Port of Rotterdam, Housing Associations or the Municipality of Rotterdam.
5. Gain knowledge on current trends, topics, innovations and tools from various disciplines in the field of urban governance (such as the circular economy, place-making, co-production and self-organisation etc.)
6. Apply and develop your knowledge globally by learning from international case studies, staff and classmates.
7. Conduct your own research (thesis) using social scientific research methods.
8. Take the unique opportunity to conduct your thesis abroad within our partner network.

For more detailed information, please refer to the IHS website: https://www.ihs.nl/en/master/urban-governance

Fresh graduates and working professionals who have obtained a relevant Bachelor’s or undergraduate degree (comparable to the Dutch academic level according to the standards of the Dutch Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic)) from a research university in the following fields of studies:

- Public Administration;
- Political Science;
- Sociology.

A Bachelor’s degree in other disciplines related to public administration and societal processes, such as economics, environmental sciences, urban management/planning and urban studies may give access to Urban Governance, but only if you can prove familiarity with social sciences methodology and have followed some social sciences oriented courses (e.g. public policy, public administration or political science courses). Hence familiarity with social sciences methods and public administration or political science related theory is expected.

• You have obtained a bachelor diploma from a university in the Netherlands; or
  • You have obtained a pre-university education (VWO) diploma and English was one of the subjects included in the assessment conferring that diploma and graded a 7.0 or higher; or
  • You have obtained a diploma of International Baccalaureate (valid for 5 years); or
  • You are a native speaker of English (i.e. a national of one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America) and you have obtained a diploma of secondary education in English for at least 2,5 years in one of the above countries; or
  • You have obtained your diploma of higher education in English (the entire programme) in one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom or the United States of America. We usually deem the level of English Bachelor programmes at West European or Scandinavian universities sufficient for exemption as well.

Please mind that in case you believe that you qualify for exemption you need to present a proof thereof. For example, if you have obtained your diploma of higher education in English, we need to see a written proof of it in the form of either a passage in the diploma, grade list, or a letter from the university stating that the language of instruction was English for the entire programme.

For more information on the admission requirements, follow this link: https://www.ihs.nl/en/master/urban-governance/admission

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The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) is an education, advisory and research institute which falls under the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences and the Erasmus School of Economics. We envision cities that are liveable and just as well as socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.
Our mission is to inspire and empower urban professionals and citizens to make cities work for all.