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Urban Studies Masters
The city is a central feature of modern societies and economies. The development of cities over the past 500 years has enabled the evolution of the modern world. Academic interest in urban studies spans many disciplines and focuses on understanding cities, how they function, and how they change for the better.
This master of urban studies (MUrb) program develops the knowledge, skills and understanding that individuals, organizations, communities and governments need to improve human lives, strengthen municipal governance and advance urban sustainability. Students seek to understand, develop and diversify the structures, processes and actions that make cities livable. The curriculum integrates traditional understandings with new perspectives, both locally and globally.
Programs are available to both full-time and part-time students, ranging from mid-career professional to those who are simply curious about local politics, urban development, and sustainable cities. The program provides a strong foundation in economic, geographic, political and social analysis techniques and applies these skills to real-world urban problems.
Courses are offered in the evenings at Vancouver campus, located in the core of British Columbia’s principal urban centre.
間眅埶AV Requirements
Applicants for admission are normally required to have an undergraduate degree in one of the urban studies base disciplines (economics, geography, political science, sociology and anthropology). Applications from students with other degrees or with equivalent professional training and experience will also be considered. 間眅埶AVs decisions will be based on material submitted with the application.
Application
Applicants must submit the following documentation.
Application for admission to graduate studies
Official transcript of undergraduate grades (mailed directly from the granting institution) three confidential reference letters (mailed directly from referees, one of whom should be an academic)
A statement of the applicant's program interest
TOEFL and TWE test scores may be required for applicants whose first language is not English
Program Requirements
The program requires 32 units of URB courses, including all of
Offers a tip-to-all approach to researching urban public policy problems, from imagining projects, to gathering interpreting data and presenting findings to the public. The emphasis of this program is for students to be able to understand the work of others and design their own studies. In addition to this, students are trained in how to apply descriptive statistics such as means, measures of spread and cross-tabulation. Students wishing to deepen their quantitative skills, such as multivariate, qualitative or spatial analysis, will be encouraged to take advanced programs offered in affiliated departments.
In-depth study of two or three areas of urban studies with particular attention to (1) the contributions of various disciplines and (2) the development of a proposal for research to explore a suitable area of particular interest to the student. Where feasible, students will be involved with external organizations in developing their research proposal. Prerequisite: 15 or more units of coursework completed, including URB 670 with a grade of B+ or higher.
A research project on some aspect of urban studies supervised by a faculty member with the participation of a supervisory committee. Prerequisite: URB 696 with a grade of A- or higher. Students who receive a B+ in URB 696 may register for URB 697 with permission of their senior supervisor.
These courses help students prepare an original urban research project to demonstrate integration of concepts and techniques acquired in previous course work. Up to two other graduate courses beyond those offered by Urban Studies may be substituted with the approval of the Urban Studies program committee.
Academic Requirements within the Graduate General Regulations
All graduate students must satisfy the academic requirements that are specified in the (residence, course work, academic progress, supervision, research competence requirement, completion time, and degree completion), as well as the specific requirements for the program in which they are enrolled, as shown above.
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