Dual Master's Degree in Global and Comparative Urban Planning and Governance with UCLA

The Urban School of Sciences Po (Paris) and the Urban Planning Department at UCLA (Los Angeles) --  two of the most highly rated programs in urbanism, policies, governance and urban planning in the world, launched a new dual master’s degree program, began in September 2021.  This is a cutting-edge program that builds on the core strengths of both programs and offers the specialized training offered by each.

The Urban School of Sciences Po is renowned for its comparative approach to metropolitan governance around the world. Its interdisciplinary social science approach to urbanism draws on political economy, the political sociology of urban policies and their implementation, emphasizing political protest and participation, planning and the social/ethnic transformations of cities. At the forefront of its different programs are the climate crisis, urban policies, housing, transport and infrastructure, digital governance, and citizen participation.

The Urban Planning Department at UCLA offers rigorous training in a wide array of areas of concentration, including community development, housing, transportation, urban design and development, regional and international development and environmental analysis and policy. A hallmark of UCLA’s program is its deep commitment to social, environmental and racial justice, democratized planning, inclusivity, and the integration of practice and research.

Objectives

This is the only degree program that combines urban planning training from a US university and training in metropolitan governance in cities of the Global South. The second year of the dual degree is embedded in the Governing the Large Metropolis master's program, which tackles the challenging issues faced by the urban areas of the Global south, representing around half of the world population. It offers academic courses and professional workshops dealing with housing, utilities and transport, project management and financing, public policies, and a yearly rotation of classes specialized in specific geographic areas. We train our students how to practice planning and shape urban collective action and policies in different political and institutional contexts.

Students spend:

• Year 1 in Los Angeles in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP), at the Luskin School of Public Affairs
• Year 2 in Paris in the Master Governing the Large Metropolis (GLM), at the Urban School:
  • Programme, semester 3
  • Programme, semester 4

During their internship for UCLA and their group projects in their second year at GLM, students have opportunities to work individually and in teams in real hands-on professional situations in fields including urban planning, transport, infrastructure, housing, the ecological transition and climate policies, local and community development, and smart cities, among others.
 

Provided that all course requirements are met, students will graduate after two years with two master’s degrees, one granted by UCLA and the other by Sciences Po. The year at UCLA will also be accredited professionally in the United States.

Careers

The UCLA – Sciences Po Dual Degree provides access to stimulating career paths in the US and France but also, thanks to a strong comparative and critical approach, in America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Graduates will be prepared to take on jobs in the public sector, nonprofits and NGOs, research organizations, and private planning, consulting, and development firms.

Validation and degree

Students are registered for two full years at both universities and have access to the student services of both Sciences Po and UCLA. Students must validate their course work under the requirements of the university at which they are studying.

• 48 US credits (= 96 ECTS) during the year at UCLA
• 60 ECTS credits during the year at Sciences Po

Access in the second year is conditional on the validation of the first year at UCLA.

To earn the dual degree, students must successfully complete and have validated both of the two years of study in both universities.

N.B. It is not possible to do a gap year during a double master.

Admissions

Candidates apply directly on the UCLA website, where they will find the application deadline. 

Applicants are selected on the strength of their applications only. The final admissions decision is made by a jury with members from both universities.

Find out more about the Sciences Po admissions.

Tuition and fees

Students pay their fees:

• to UCLA for Year 1
• to Sciences Po for Year 2 + an "In Absentia Fee" for UCLA for the spring quarter of Year 2

To find out about possible funding, consult the grants offered by Sciences Po.