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Urban Sustainability and Resilience MRes

London, Bloomsbury

Prepare your research career in urban sustainability and resilience with this one-year MRes at UCL. Explore urban systems, policies, processes, technologies, and materials shaping future cities, and gain the research skills and methodologies needed to impact this fast-evolving field.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£6,215
£3,105
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£36,500
Fees to be confirmed
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 – 04 Apr 2025

Applications closed

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 from a UK university in a subject appropriate to the chosen field, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Relevant subjects include, but are not limited to, engineering, science, social sciences, architecture, town planning, economics and geography.

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.

If you are intending to apply for a time-limited visa to complete your UCL studies (e.g. Student visa, Skilled worker visa, PBS dependant visa etc.) you may be required to obtain ATAS clearance. This will be confirmed to you if you obtain an offer of a place. Please note that ATAS processing times can take up to six months, so we recommend you consider these timelines when submitting your application to UCL.

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


If you’re looking for a research Master’s in urban sustainability and resilience, there is no better place to study than here at UCL. 

Bringing together the relevant theory with research project-based experience, the course covers diverse subject matter, from urban sustainability and resilience to tackling challenges faced by urban systems and cities globally and the infrastructure that supports them, to shocks arising from natural, economic and technological hazards. 

Our curriculum is designed to provide you with a specialised knowledge base. By choosing specific research projects and modules spanning diverse topics, you can tailor your learning journey according to your interests.  You’ll apply diverse methodologies to tackle real-world urban challenges and explore the policies, processes, technologies, and materials shaping future urban landscapes. 

Whatever your specialism, you’ll gain a holistic understanding of the end-to-end research process. 

You’ll graduate with a sound understanding of how to build sustainable and resilient cities for the future.
 

Who this course is for

This programme is ideal if you are passionate about addressing the multifaceted challenges of urban sustainability and resilience. 

It is suitable for applicants with a first degree in civil engineering, urban planning, architecture, social sciences, or similar fields, who want to pursue a research-oriented career in academia or in industry.

The full-time, part-time, and flexible study options allow professional students to fit this programme into their education without having to take a break from their careers. 

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

What this course will give you

This degree offers you the following opportunities and benefits:

  • A postgraduate degree from a top-ranked university. UCL is consistently ranked among the best universities globally (ranked 9th in the latest QS World University Rankings 2025), providing you with a prestigious qualification that is highly regarded by employers worldwide. 
  • Learn from expert academics and researchers in UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, who specialise in different disciplines, including engineering, policy, geospatial sciences, computation, and more. 
  • Join the Centre for Urban Sustainability and Resilience (USAR), a multidisciplinary research and training centre, and collaborate with industry and NGOs on research projects. 
  • Build strong collaborative skills, working alongside experts from UCL and carrying out research projects with one of our industrial partners such as AECOM, Arup, Atkins, Greater London Authority, Habitat for Humanity, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and Transport for London.
  • Take advantage of our research and industry links, including attending seminars and exhibitions by industry leaders taking place at UCL. Enjoy a transformative curriculum designed to help you build a successful research career in either academia or industry. 
  • Access the department's start-of-the-art and award-winning facilities across London such as Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory (PEARL), Controlled Active Ventilation Environment (CAVE), and Structural & Environmental Testing at Here East (StrEnTHE).
  • Study in the world's best city for university students (QS Best Student Cities 2024). UCL’s Bloomsbury campus is in the heart of a London district famous for its cultural and educational institutions.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme
Making an impact
UCL Portico building with welcome sign between columns.

Case study: Engineering Biodiversity into Urban Spaces

Bringing green spaces into cities benefits more than our physical and mental wellbeing. Find out how our researchers are engineering biodiversity into urban environments.

The foundation of your career

Graduates of this programme have found successful careers with engineering consultancies, construction firms, charities, utility companies, government, and non-governmental bodies. These include Arup, AECOM, Network Rail, and WaterAid. 

I was guided really well by my supervisor through the whole process and ended up publishing a paper from my research project.

Headshot of student Aly Lloyd taking to camera

Aly Lloyd

MRes Urban Sustainability and Resilience

Hear more from our students

Employability

Our programme offers a combination of theory, practice, and innovation that will give you the strong technical and contextual foundation you need to progress into a career in either research or industry.  

Networking

You’ll have regular opportunities to connect, collaborate and build professional contacts as part of your Master’s.  

  • Engage with peers, industry experts and faculty members at guest lectures and special seminars.
  • Take part in collaborative group projects, field trips, site visits, case studies, and workshops within the department and with industry partners.
  • Access UCL Careers for a variety of resources and events to support your career development, including CV workshops and 1-2-1 guidance. 

Teaching and learning

This MSc programme is delivered through a mix of seminars, lectures, laboratory work, projects and practicals, which frequently draw upon real-life industry case studies.

For your research project, you can expect to run laboratory experiments, computational analyses, or field investigations, depending on your specific requirements.  

Assessment is through examinations (short-answer and multiple-choice questions), presentations, essays, coursework, and your substantial research project, which you will submit as a dissertation.

You can expect on average 6-8 hours of contact hours a week on this programme, which encompasses lectures, workshops, and tutorials. The exact number of contact hours and composition varies throughout the terms depending on the module choices of the student.

This is a full-time course, which means students should expect a working schedule of approximately 35 hours a week, divided between contact hours, self-directed learning, and preparing for assessments.

Modules

Students will undertake modules to the value of 180 credits, comprising of 1 compulsory module, 3 optional modules and a substantive research project (120 credits). 

Students will undertake modules to the value of 180 credits: 2 core modules, 2 elective modules and a substantive research project (120 credits).

Students will undertake modules to the value of 180 credits: 2 core modules, 2 elective modules and a substantive research project (120 credits).

Compulsory modules


Interdisciplinary Thinking in Urban Sustainability and Resilience


Optional modules





Researcher Professional Development

Connecting Writing with Research



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 MRes in Urban Sustainability and Resilience.

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.

Where you'll study

UCL PEARL building pictured from outside on sunny day

The Department boasts award-winning next-generation research facilities across UCL’s estate. Over the past few years, we have developed new state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to versatile and ambitious research aimed at creating safer and more inclusive public spaces. CAVE (Controlled Active Ventilation Environment) and PEARL (Person Environment Activity Research Laboratory) are two innovative research spaces that provide a full-scale testing facility where researchers can simulate real-life environments. These facilities are in line with UCL's Sustainability Strategy, supporting our bold ambition to become a net-zero carbon institution by 2030. PEARL is UCL's first net-zero carbon building. The StrEnTHE (Structural & Environmental Testing at Here East) laboratory offers large-scale structural and environmental testing capabilities, including the UK's only integrated environmental-mechanical rig for testing masonry wall specimens and other large structural elements under various loading and environmental conditions.

Find out more

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £6,215 £3,105
Tuition fees (2025/26) £36,500 Fees to be confirmed

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

There are no additional costs associated with this programme.

For example, the costs associated with any possible site visits will be covered by the department.

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

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

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 urban sustainability and resilience at graduate level
  • why you want to study urban sustainability and resilience at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this 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. You must also include a brief research proposal (0.5 pages) outlining the topic you want to investigate (research question, methodology, case study, references). 

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

Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering

cege-pg-admissions@ucl.ac.uk

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