Course summary

MSc Urban Strategies and Design will develop your consideration of strategies and engagement with urban spaces from a contemporary, socio-political, and economic context, with an emphasis on design. The programme is delivered jointly by Heriot-Watt University and the Edinburgh College of Art at the University of Edinburgh allowing you to benefit from teaching, research, and policy liaison expertise offered by two major institutions. Applications are processed by the University of Edinburgh and details on how to apply can be found on the University of Edinburgh’s programme page. The programme is open to graduates from a range of disciplines, including geography, architecture, urban planning, and economics. You’ll experience a comprehensive teaching approach towards the delivery of socially sustainable urban transformations. You’ll study a wide and diverse range of social, economic, and political processes that determine the contemporary urban environment, and acquire the tools and skills to propose urban projects of diverse scales and specificities. This career-focused master’s programme will be of interest to you if you wish to pursue a career in urban design and development planning or other allied professions, and opportunities exist locally and internationally, in the formal, public and private voluntary, and international development sectors. As a graduate you’ll be able to:

• comprehend the multi-disciplinary nature of urban strategy and design

• have insight into the role of the built environment and other disciplines in the establishment of effective urban strategies and design

• gain knowledge of the social, economic, and legislative forces that drive contemporary urban agendas

• acquire expertise in the intelligent use of quantitative and qualitative data in formulating strategic urban interventions

• appreciate the contribution of imaginative and intelligent building proposals that respond proactively to sustainable agendas in urban design