A public platform for research, policy and advocacy centred around the urban.

Master of Arts / Master of Sciences (Urban Policy and Governance)

The two-year Master of Arts / Master of Sciences (Urban Policy and Governance) is the first of its kind in India. It aims to build a comprehensive understanding of urban realities, processes and challenges in India and the Global (and globalising) South. Apart from imparting interdisciplinary insights from different contexts, the programme also equips students to intervene effectively on urban issues through work in public, private and civil society organisations. Alumni of the programme are currently pursuing promising careers in all three sectors.

The programme examines the origins, foundations, development, and implementation of public policy related to cities and urbanisation in India. It engages critically with policies, plans, laws and initiatives, as well as with the diverse social, economic, political, and cultural factors that shape them. The urban is conventionally studied as a static system, in a compartmentalised manner. This programme conceives of it as an open, multi-dimensional, evolving formation involving many forces: the natural and built environment; political, economic, social and cultural processes, structures and institutions; human, technical and managerial knowledge and capacities; and the lived experiences of people on the ground, among other things. Concretely, it examines how different policies affect different social groups and classes, and how they in turn respond to, and shape these policies, in turn.

A key ambition of the programme is to re-imagine the urban in India, and the Global South, especially in the context of globalisation. The guiding perspective emphasises democratic, equitable, socially just, culturally sensitive and technically sound, processes and outcomes.

To know about the Program structure, check out our Prospectus at https://admissions.tiss.edu/view/10/admissions/ma-admissions/ma-msc-in-urban-policy-and-governance/

The hallmark courses in the Masters Program are the Field Institute, Urban Studio and Urban Futures.

 

 


 

Master Thesis

As part of their Masters degree curriculum, the students are expected to produce a dissertation at the end of their course, under the guidance of a faculty supervisor who shares their research interests. This process entails the formulation of research questions and objectives, conducting field work in their area of research, presenting their research findings to their peers, and writing a dissertation. Their field notes, experiences on the ground, and exerpts from their research are also featured on our blog.