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Producing theoretical and practical knowledge on the interrelationships between formal and informal urban contexts, health disparities, social justice and development planning in the Global South
View our 'Study at the DPU' page for information, guidance and resources for prospective applicants and offer-holders studying at the DPU in 2021/22.
Programme highlights
The programme provides participants with the necessary academic and professional skills to be involved in the field of urban health, focusing on:
- The effect (positive and negative) of urbanisation processes in the Global South on both physical and mental health and the root causes of intra-urban disparities in health.
- The important role that development planning and public health play in the health of urban dwellers
- The interaction between specific aspects of city life such as housing, transportation, food, infrastructure, productive processes and their impact on human health.
- The evaluation and design of intervention strategies aiming at fostering healthy urban communities, ranging from the international to the national scale
On this page
Programme overview
The Health in Urban Development MSc (HUD), run with the support of UCL's Institute for Global Health, aspires to produce an interdisciplinary and critical perspective of the interrelationships between formal and informal processes, health disparities and development planning in general and in the Global South in particular. Our approach is that there is a link between development planning and health to be found in urban governance (institutions), in the physical (land, infrastructure) and the social (community) environments. The programme aims to cultivate socially-sensitive urban health practitioners who can promote responses to the challenges of urban inequality, informality and environmental risks.
Learning activities will mirror common practices and activities. Interactive sessions with health and development experts will enable the discussion of specific topics and provide the opportunity to discuss processes employed in this field. Visiting experts, site visits and an overseas practice engagement to a location in the Global South provide a contemporary real-world perspective. You will develop advanced knowledge and understanding through progressive contact with leading research and practice conducted in the DPU, the Bartlett and UCL. By completing the programme, you should expect to gain subject specific knowledge, intellectual, academic and research Skills as well as practical and transferrable skills.
Why MSc Health in Urban Development?
Urban Health: Reflections on Practice
The practice module focuses on the ways in which planning interventions are gradually acknowledged as important determinants of population health. The module will translate the knowledge and methodologies into “real case” practice in collaboration with partner organisations and initiatives. Find out about the 2022 practice engagement in Belfast through the video below, 'Belfast: Urban Health in a Contested City'
- Structure
The programme is structured so that 75 per cent of the taught components (90 credits) is devoted to the core subjects of urban health and development planning strategies part 1 and 2 (15 credits each) and health, social justice and the city part 1 and 2 (15 credits each) and the practice module (30 credits), and 25 per cent (30 credits) to an option from a range of modules on offer. Teaching and learning is divided into five different areas: core knowledge (module 1), integrated analysis (module 2), operation (practice module), optional modules and dissertation.
Below is a diagram outlining the course structure in terms of modules and distribution of credit hours:
- Content
Core modules
(DEVP0042 & DEVP0047) Health Social Justice & The City (Part 1 & II)
The module aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools to critically understand the interrelationships between formal and informal urban processes in the Global South, planning, and their effects on health justice. The module will discuss the health effects of urban processes at the level of urban and peri-urban communities and individuals. This module aims to produce an integrative, interdisciplinary, and critical perspective of the interrelationships between urban processes and health disparities in general, and in the Global South in, examining both clinical and spatial dimensions of health such as infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, chronic diseases, social injustice, and violence in cities.
(DEVP0045 & DEVP0046) Urban Health & Development Strategies (Part I &II)
This module focuses on the key concepts, questions and themes surrounding urban health in an urbanizing world. It explores the relationship between urban living and health across a number of pressing issues, ranging from urbanization to planning and governance, infrastructure and services, poverty and inequality, disasters and climate change, and globalization. Gender and sustainability are cross-cutting themes. A comparative perspective is developed through the investigation of city case studies, enabling students to explore the urban dimensions of health within and across different contexts.
(DEVP0044) Urban Health: Reflections on Practice
The practice module focuses on the ways in which planning interventions are gradually acknowledged as important determinants of population health. Interventions in land use, housing, infrastructure, transportation, and public participation are central for our understanding of the ways in which health is shaped by urbanisation processes. This module integrates the students’ work into practice, identifying the leading urban health problems, including their causes and methods for prevention, analysing the advantages and limitations of the various types of population-based approaches to improve public health. A workshop focussing on research skills for conducting primary research on urban and public health drawing on qualitative and quantitative methods. Based on core modules 1 and 2, this practice module will engage students in projects in a city. The module will translate the knowledge and methodologies into “real case” practice in collaboration with partner organisations and initiatives.
Dissertation: You will also undertake independent research project culminating in a dissertation. The dissertation is centred on a research project in an area of the programme. Conducting students’ own research will be supported by learning how to: search literature and plan a research project; use knowledge acquired in the programme to critically appraise work; and communicate and justify research results.
Optional Modules offered by HUD (30 credits)You may choose from the list of existing optional modules currently on offer. If you wish to take an optional module not included in this list, you may select from all UCL modules, subject to scheduling, availability and the programme leader's approval. Among suggested optional modules:
CIHDG033 Concepts and Controversies in Global Health
CIHDG034 Research Methods and Evidence for Global Health
CIHDG036 Power and Politics in Global Health
CIHDG042 Health Systems in a Global Context
CIHDG037 Climate Change and Health
DEVP0038 Urbanisation and Development
DEVP0025 Urban Water and Sanitation, Planning and Politics
DEVP0026 Food and the City
DEVP0041 The Informal Economy and Urban Development
DEVP0009 Housing Policies: Practical Dimensions and Alternative Options
Staff
- Staff
Programme Leader
Dr Haim Yacobi
View Haim Yacobi's profileStaff currently teaching on the programme include:
Dr Donald Brown
View Don Brown's ProfileProfessor Carolyn Stephens
View Carolyn Stephens' profileGraduate Teaching Assistant
Qurratulain Faheem
Send Qurratulain Faheem an email
Careers and employability
For more information view our DPU Careers page
The programme learning activities have been designed with employability in mind. You will gain a strong core knowledge, combined with hands-on experience. You will also learn how to evaluate, analyse and develop intervention strategies, and will become familiar with more advanced research tools, theory and methodology.
Strong emphasis is placed by the programme on active learning methodologies; you will gain the confidence to undertake interdisciplinary projects with unknowns and uncertainties, learning to coordinate work, integrate across disciplines, and make balanced decisions – thus preparing you for a successful professional career.
At present, there are no alumni from this programme due to the programme commencing in 2019. Alumni from other MSc programmes at the DPU include a large number of practitioners
Who should apply?
We aim to cultivate socially sensitive urban practitioners who can promote human-centric responses to challenges like marginalisation, inequality and environmental degradation. The course is suitable for graduates and professionals who want to engage with contemporary urban issues while acquiring the practical skills needed to deliver positive urban change.
More information
- For key course information, including how to apply, visit the UCL Graduate Prospectus
- Still can't find what you're looking for? Contact the Programme Leader Haim Yacobi, lecturer Donald Brown or the graduate teaching assistant, Qurratulain Faheem
