Master's in Urban Management

Urban Management is an emerging field requiring specialized knowledge of urban settlements and management practices. Urban managers understand how townships and cities function and they strive to improve the social, technological, operational, and financial functioning of urban areas with the aim of improving livability.

Master’s in Urban Management (MUM) program aspires to create a pool of high-quality professionals with skills to lead organizations that manage human habitats. The program focuses on the management of urban systems and services and their improvement. Students are exposed to the management tools required in both private and public built spaces. The course facilitates students to develop skills to address complex problems like enhancing the long-term efficiency of urban services, improving the day-to-day functioning of cities, and finding ways to improve the financing of urban systems.

The curriculum is designed to:

- Provide a broad perspective on urban issues

- Improve management-oriented decision making

- Develop analytical skills needed to navigate complex problems

The two-year course work exposes students to multidisciplinary training both through theory and practice-based learning. To enhance professional capacities, the program is centered on studio-based learning. Here, students engage with well-designed life-like problems. In the first year, the foundation studio develops the skill of focusing on management issues of a contained built environment. Semester two intends to develop skills of problem-solving for managing large-scale urban areas like neighborhoods, towns, and cities. Semester three focuses on service improvement through a studio on Service Operations and Management. In the fourth semester, students undertake a capstone project which is either a research-based thesis or a project guided and mentored by a faculty.

The learning pedagogy allows students to work on live projects and interact with professionals. The coursework provides the option of learning a wide variety of subjects like management principles, human resource management, organizational behavior, financial management, budgeting, ethics and government, e-governance, business skills, urban utilities, entrepreneurship development, business models, public-private partnership, contract management, project management, negotiation and conflict management, smart cities, and others. Students can take up study tours and courses organized as part of the Summer-Winter School programs and other electives offered at CEPT University. Students are taught by a pool of trained academicians and practitioners. Both work in collaboration to provide theory and practice-based learning exposure during the coursework.