Pathway options on the Global Urbanism MASc

The Global Urbanism MASc course equips students with the knowledge and skills required to pursue a career in urbanism in the global built environment, that helps with developing effective solutions for the challenges in developing fairer cities.

To develop insights into global urban experiences and respond to these challenges, the Global Urbanism MASc focuses on the need to collaborate and build knowledge across often very different locations, giving students the tools to engage across diverse cities and lead in a variety of roles in urban policy, research, and practice. 

In addition to the core curriculum, students can choose from two pathways, ‘Global Pathway’ and ‘London Pathway’, providing the opportunity to build critical understandings of global urbanism, specialising either in the highly globalised urban context of London, or in a selected international partner city. 

Which modules will I take for the London Pathway?

For the London Pathway, students take the East London Lab and Histories of Global London Part 1 and 2 modules, which focus on London as a case study. These linked modules explore how the city’s built environment has been shaped by its global connections and patterns of migration from 1900 to the present. 

Joseph, a current student on the Global Urbanism MASc chose the London Pathway due to his prior research around housing activism in London. This pathway has allowed him to explore this in more depth, with local site visits allowing for more engaged and experimental learning in his studies.

What does the Global Pathway focus on?

By contrast, the Global Pathway offers a broader international perspective. It includes Cities Studio, City Co-Labs, and the Global Urban Theory Lab, which focus on understanding urbanisation beyond London, with a strong emphasis on Global South perspectives. 

Yuancong, originally from China, chose the Global Pathway, focusing her studies on urbanisation beyond London, and to explore how cities work in different contexts. This pathway provided Yuancong with a way to put London in a wider context while also stepping into diverse urban worlds and learning through direct experience.

Part of the Global Pathway on this master’s course, is a residential trip to a partner university abroad. For Yuancong, this trip was to Johannesburg, South Africa where students engaged with grounded research and collaborated with local stakeholders to explore themes of urban governance, housing, and spatial justice in a very different context.

You can read more about Yuancong’s experience on this residential trip here.

These pathway options on the Global Urbanism MASc course demonstrate how students can shape their own interests, and research in urbanism, and open opportunities for collaborative research and dialogue, driven by the pressing agendas set by the Sustainable Development Goals and other international policy and practice directives, while gaining a broader understanding of urban challenges and development in London and other cities internationally.