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Connected Environments MSc

London, Stratford (UCL East)

Advances in digital technologies are providing us the means to sense, visualise and increasingly understand our built and natural environments. These Connected Environment technologies are the forefront of an emerging science, interlinking the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR) and Data Science. This practical programme will introduce you to electronics, programming and the design process. You will gain hands-on experience of everything from idea generation to prototyping and deployment. 

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£16,000
£8,000
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£39,800
£19,900
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree


Our built environment can serve as an efficient means of living—culturally, interactively, and ecologically—while our natural environment sustains life through complex ecosystems. Understanding and optimizing these systems is crucial, and digital technologies offer tools for observation and insight. 

The Connected Environments MSc at the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) is a forward-thinking degree with a focus on building, coding, and deploying devices to sense, communicate, and analyse data related to our built and natural environments. This programme addresses the industry need for skills in programming, data capture, visualisation, and prototyping to tackle key environmental challenges. 

Delivered at the new UCL East campus on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, East London, the course uses state-of-the-art facilities and shared labs that foster interdisciplinary collaboration. The location also serves as a living lab, offering hands-on, practice-led teaching that guides students through building and deploying physical prototypes. 

Building on CASA's expertise in the science of cities, the programme emphasises understanding the infrastructure needed to instrument and analyse complex environments. Students will learn to develop sensing tools, support decision making, and engage with stakeholders to analyse real world systems. 

Key learning objectives include: 

  • Mastering the Internet of Things (IoT) best practices in urban contexts
  • Prototyping IoT systems and developing embedded AI techniques 
  • Creating mobile and web applications for data collection and storage 
  • Collaborating with stakeholders to understand IoT politics and economics 
  • Acquiring and analysing data scientifically 
  • Developing data analytics skills 
  • Communicating effectively through writing and presentations 
  • Conducting independent research 

Co-developed with industry as a result of a five-year academic research collaboration between UCL and Intel, this programme prepares students for careers in the Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Cities, Data Science, and Visualisation.

Who this course is for

We aim for a multidisciplinary cohort and therefore are looking for prospective students with undergraduate qualifications ranging from the Arts, Computer Science, Geography, Architecture and Engineering. 

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

Unique skills: The programme is unique in that it develops a skill set required to deliver end-to-end solutions from developing stakeholder requirements, understanding technology, building prototypes, through to understanding how to influence decision makers.

Learn within a living lab: Our unique approach means that our research and teaching are delivered within a living lab environment. With our new location at UCL East, devices are deployed within our building, across the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and further afield. We believe in learning through doing, with practice-led teaching to guide you through the building and deployment of physical prototypes. 

Exposure to live projects: Our research-led teaching is delivered by staff who are working on live research projects providing exposure to experts working at the cutting edge of developments in IoT.  

Access to a ‘World leading’ research environment: The UCL Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) is a renowned research centre in the science of cities; generating new knowledge and insights for use in city planning, policy and design; and drawing on the latest geospatial methods and ideas in computer-based visualisation and modelling. It is part of UCL’s Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, where 91% of research was deemed ‘World Leading’ and ‘Internationally Excellent’ in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). The Bartlett was also ranked number one for Research Power in the built environment. 

Top Ranked: For the second year in a row, The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment was ranked #1 in the world for ‘Architecture and Built Environment’ (QS World University Subject Rankings 2024).

Find out more about the benefits of studying at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis. 

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

This programme takes a holistic view toward developing the skill sets digital practitioners require. You will learn how to deliver end-to-end solutions from prototyping in hardware and software, to maintaining live sensor installations for the duration of the course. The technical activity is equally balanced with an understanding of the socio / economic factors such as stakeholder engagement and business model development for connected environment infrastructure. 

The end-to-end approach, the focus on learning through making, and prototyping real-world solutions are all critical to developing the transferable skill set which is employable in this emerging market place. 

94% of Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis graduates were in work or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2017-2021). 

Students have gone on to roles in government; transport planning, consultancy and operations; geospatial technology and services firms; property investment, development and management; engineering consultancy; management consultancy; and technology consultancy.  

Example employers: 

  • CACI 
  • Jacobs 
  • Buro Happold 
  • Atkins 
  • Arup 
  • Boston Consulting Group 
  • Lendlease 
  • Transport for London 
  • Uber 
  • Mapbox 
  • Geolytix 
  • Connected Places Catapult 
  • IBM 
  • Westminster Council 
  • GLA 
  • Newham Council 
  • Zipcar 
  • Ordnance Survey

Employability

Graduates of the Connected Environments programme emerge well-prepared for a diverse range of career paths. Many find roles within large tech companies, consulting firms, or government agencies, using their IoT expertise to drive innovation. Others embrace the entrepreneurial spirit, launching their own start-ups. Those who develop a passion for research continue their academic pursuits through PhD programs. 

Networking

A regular series of seminars given by guest lecturers provides students with an opportunity to learn form, and network with, academics and professionals from UCL and other prestigious organisations.

Additionally, students gain access to our extensive alumni network of professionals via our careers and alumni events.

Teaching and learning

The programme’s core curriculum is typically delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, and lab classes, as well as directed and self-directed learning supported by teaching materials and resources, published through the online virtual learning environment. Each module employs a teaching strategy that aligns with and supports its intended learning outcomes. 

Hands-on work is a key element of this programme, and practical classes and workshops are integrated throughout the curriculum. Lectures, seminars, and tutorials build up theoretical learning that can be applied to practical work. Demonstrations and site visits allow you to understand and visualise the real-world implementation of digital technologies, while guest speakers from industry provide yet more context. 

You will be assessed through a range of methods across the programme, including individual and group projects, written research reports, other coursework, and a final research project/dissertation. The dissertation is an opportunity for you to work on a specific topic that is of particular interest to you. You will be invited to showcase your work at an end of year show attended by academics, industry partners and the public.

Full-time students can typically expect between 13 (term 1) and 16 (term 2) contact hours per teaching week, through a mixture of lectures and practical workshops. In term 3, students’ time will be dedicated to practical work towards their dissertation and contact time will take the form of weekly one-to-one tutorials with a Dissertation Tutor.

Outside of directed teaching, full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

Modules

The Connected Environments MSc consists of eight compulsory taught modules, worth 15 credits each (120 credits total). Four of these take place in term 1, with the other four taking place in term 2. 

In the final term, students will complete a dissertation worth 60 credits in total.

Term 1: Compulsory Taught Modules (60 credits):

  • CASA0014 Connected Environments (15 credits) 
  • CASA0016 Making, Designing & Building Connected Sensor Systems (15 credits) 
  • CASA0017 Web Architecture (15 credits) 
  • CASA0019 Sensor Data Visualisation (15 credits) 

Term 2: Compulsory Taught Modules (60 credits):

  • CASA0015 Mobile Systems & Interactions (15 credits) 
  • CASA0018 Deep Learning for Sensor Networks (15 credits) 
  • CASA0020 Ethics, Sustainability and Business of the Internet of Things (15 credits) 
  • CASA0021 Connected Environments Group Prototype and Pitch (15 credits) 

Term 3: Compulsory Research Modules (60 credits):

  • CASA0022 Dissertation (60 credits)

Students studying part-time (2 years) should follow the programme structure given below:

Part-time Year One

  • CASA0014 Connected Environments (15 credits) 
  • CASA0015 Mobile Systems & Interactions (15 credits)
  • CASA0016 Making, Designing & Building Connected Sensor Systems (15 credits) 
  • CASA0020 Ethics, Sustainability and Business of the Internet of Things (15 credits) 

Part-time Year Two

  • CASA0017 Web Architecture (15 credits) 
  • CASA0018 Deep Learning for Sensor Networks (15 credits) 
  • CASA0019 Sensor Data Visualisation (15 credits) 
  • CASA0021 Connected Environments Group Prototype and Pitch (15 credits) 
  • CASA0022 Dissertation (60 credits)

For students who enrol on modular/flexible study (with 5 years in which to complete the programme), it is recommend that students enrol on each module in the below sequence: 

  1. CASA0014 Connected Environments (15 credits) 
  2. CASA0016 Making, Designing & Building Connected Sensor Systems (15 credits) 
  3. CASA0017 Web Architecture (15 credits) 
  4. CASA0020 Ethics, Sustainability and Business of the Internet of Things (15 credits) 
  5. CASA0015 Mobile Systems & Interactions (15 credits)
  6. CASA0018 Deep Learning for Sensor Networks (15 credits) 
  7. CASA0019 Sensor Data Visualisation (15 credits) 
  8. CASA0021 Connected Environments Group Prototype and Pitch (15 credits) 

Connected Environments (CASA0014) is the required first module, taken before any other (to be completed in year 1).

Mobile Systems & Interactions (CASA0015) AND Deep Learning for Sensor Networks (CASA0018) both require prior programming experience before being studied.

Connected Environments Group Prototype and Pitch (CASA0021) is intended to be a final activity of the programme and should be left to the final year.

Compulsory modules











Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Connected Environments.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £16,000 £8,000
Tuition fees (2025/26) £39,800 £19,900

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For flexible/modular offer holders a £500 fee deposit will be charged.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Standard general costs may include the optional purchasing of books or stationery, plus the cost of printing, thesis binding and photocopying.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

UCL offers a range of financial awards aimed at assisting both prospective and current students with their studies.

In our faculty, The Bartlett Promise Scholarship aims to enable students from backgrounds underrepresented in the built environment to pursue master's studies. Please see the UK Master's scholarship and Sub-Saharan Africa Master's scholarship pages for more information on eligibility criteria, selection process and FAQs.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Bartlett Promise Sub-Saharan Africa Masters Scholarship

Deadline: 28 March 2025
Value: Fees, stipend and other allowances (Duration of programme)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Bartlett Promise UK Master's Scholarship

Deadline: 31 May 2025
Value: Tuition fees plus £15,864 maintenance/yr (Duration of programme)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme (CSSS)

Deadline: 12 December 2024
Value: Full fees, flights, stipend, and other allowances (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

UCL East London Scholarship

Deadline: 26 June 2025
Value: Tuition fees plus £16,000 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Connected Environments at graduate level
  • why you want to study Connected Environments at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis
Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis

casa-teaching@ucl.ac.uk

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