Interview with Sukriti Issar, Academic Director on the New Dual Master's Degree in Global Urban Development

The Sciences Po-TISS dual-degree in Global Urban Development is the first of its kind double degree run jointly by a European university and an Indian university. The degree aims to provide students with an immersion in two global cities (Paris and Mumbai), to develop a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective on urban development, and to prepare for public or private sector careers in the vibrant and dynamic urban field.

The world is becoming more and more urban, and the social and economic challenges of the future will be concentrated in cities: climate change, digital transition, demographic transition, infrastructure shortfalls, housing crises. Urbanization is a global phenomenon, with most of the future urbanization occurring in cities in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Graduates of this double degree will be uniquely placed to analyze different urban contexts, to propose novel solutions to urban problems, and to have an interdisciplinary foundation in urban policy and governance.

The first year of the programme is spent in Paris, where students will be part of the Governing the Large Metropolis (GLM) master’s programme of the Urban School (Sciences Po, Paris). The first semester provides a foundation to urban policy and governance with classes on planning, housing, digital politics, history, qualitative methods, and GIS or mapping methods.  The second semester provides a regional specialization (students can choose to focus on different regions of the world). A collective group project with an external partner provides intensive professional experience. In the second year in TISS, the students will engage in sectoral courses on water, sanitation, transportation, participatory governance, planning, and more, together with a foundational course on urban India. For their professional immersion during the year at TISS, students will work in on-the-ground urban studios in Mumbai, a policy practicum that involves hands-on policy work, and an internship.

Sciences Po and TISS have been collaborating for many years through student exchanges and faculty exchanges. So we already have strong ties and connections, which we will build on in the coming years. Just as an example, faculty from both universities have participated in scientific seminars and talks at the partner institution over the years. It is a natural progression to work on a joint program and double degree. We share pedagogical goals – to provide a professionalizing and immersive learning experience, where students get out of the classroom to do fieldwork, work with professional partners, engage in applied and policy-relevant research.