Master in Urban Planning and Development
About
Our master’s program in urban planning and development is based on complementary and cross-disciplinary approaches, combined with training in both the skills and knowledge required today in the professional fields of urban planning, urban development and the management of territorial dynamics, as well as for research in these areas.
This highly interdisciplinary master’s program is accessible to students from a wide range of academic backgrounds (anthropology, architecture, economics, engineering sciences, geography, history, law, political science, public administration, sociology, urban development, etc.). It offers a variety of teaching and learning methods (lectures, workshops, dissertations, internships, fieldwork, individual and group work, etc.) and demands a high level of commitment from students to their education and training, with the aim of fostering a professional commitment to and involvement in the field of urban planning.
This curriculum gives students — whether they are new to urban planning or continuing previous studies — the means to respond in relevant and innovative ways of changing urban issues, today and in the future.
Organisation of the Master
A common core of skills and knowledge in urban planning and development is provided in Year 1, while different tracks for in-depth professional training, along with a research path, are offered in Year 2.
Second Year (Master 2)
The different tracks of the second year aim to provide comprehensive coverage of the various dimensions of urban planning and development (Master 2). At the same time, they also allow students who have already completed the first year of a master’s programme in this field to extend their learning. It is in this respect that our master’s degree aims to be a reference qualification in the field of urban planning.
While the different tracks correspond broadly to professional applications, the way they are defined and labelled should not obscure the fact that many skills in urban planning and development are cross-disciplinary. Furthermore, each track draws from university research, and is linked to the areas of expertise of the teams of research lecturers in charge of the different modules.
Within each track, a range of teaching methods are employed, with the aim of alternating foundational skills and applied knowledge, practical work and tutorials, individually and in groups, along with teaching exercises: problematized personal reflection (final thesis), producing a response to a professional project, scenario simulations (controversial situations, collaborative approaches, responses to calls for tender, etc.), and training in research methodology.
Admissions: Processes and Calendars
Current and future students can apply through two specific portals, depending on the applicant's country of residence:
- Through eCandidat.
- Through Campus France (Etudes en France).
Please note: Deadlines vary depending on the portal.
Detailed information about eCandidat and Campus France (Études en France) is available on page International Candidates (section 'International').
Only online-applications through eCandidat or through Campus France (Etudes en France) respecting the admission calendar will be taken into consideration. E-mail applications and requests sent outside of the appropriate periods won’t be considered.
Professional Applications and Opportunities
The EUP trains students in the various professions associated with the planning, management and implementation of urban and territorial projects undertaken by local authorities and their public and private partners. The training we provide gives access to four broad categories of professional opportunities.
▪ Urban Studies:
These professions involve assisting and facilitating decision-making in both the public and private sectors. Urban planners trained in this particular field generally work either in private or association-based structures (e.g. engineering and design offices; urban planning agencies; chambers of commerce and industry; economic development agencies), or in public or quasi-public structures (e.g. local authorities; government services and departments, in particular those responsible for territorial development; environment and energy agencies; national housing bodies; other public bodies).
▪ Urban Planning:
These professions help plan and develop urban policies and their implementation over time. The skills required for this focus on the ability to act as an effective interface between political decision-makers (elected officials, government representatives, etc.) on the one hand, and project-management teams (planning, coordination, implementation) on the other.
▪ Urban Design:
Ces professions passent par la maîtrise des différentes étapes de définition et de mise en œuvre des projets urbains. Les compétences visées dans ce champ sont liées à la capacité d'élaborer et de faire émerger un projet urbain, de définir ses grands objectifs (programmation), de concevoir son organisation spatiale (composition urbaine) et sociale (prise en compte des usages) à partir de démarches concertées.
▪ Urban Management:
These professions are based on the various activities associated with managing and organizing the city and its different components (housing, and social housing in particular; networks, especially transport; public space; environment; landscapes). Local authorities, intermunicipal authorities, public bodies, social-housing organizations, and public-transport authorities and operators are the main sources of jobs of this kind, with professionals in these domains typically working in the technical, urban-planning, land-management, housing, and central-services departments (among others) of local authorities.
These broad categories of skills and knowledge cannot be reduced to specific fields of action (public spaces, housing, transport, environment, etc.), even if such fields form distinct domains from an academic perspective. Indeed, just as urban planners are frequently required to make connections between these fields, which public action often tends to compartmentalize, they will also be required, at various times in their careers, to call upon and combine the different types of activities and methodologies presented above.