MSc Technology for Sustainable Cities with Advanced Practice

The UN estimates that by 2050, 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas; an extra 2.5 billion people on today’s number. This rapid urbanisation is occurring at a time of global targets for reduced emissions. Cities are also estimated to be responsible for 80% of CO2 emissions. The challenge for today’s governments, urban planners, technical specialists and architects then, is how to support the sustainable development of our cities that reduce emissions and maximise efficiency whilst providing the basis for a culturally rich and exciting space to live.

Our MSc Technology in Sustainable Cities offers a multidisciplinary approach to planning sustainable urban solutions, developing computing expertise with urban planning technologies to prepare students for exciting careers applying technologies to more sustainable urban living.

Key facts

• Work in QGIS or a similar cross-platform to view, edit and analyse spatial data and will be introduced to C++ or Python to create plugins
• Develop a career plan and reflective log considering how your learning from the programme can accelerate the achievement of this plan
• Design an IoT solution for a sustainable smart city as part of your assessment
• The Advanced Practice includes an Internship or Group Consultancy Project, enhancing your employability with all-important work experience
• This programme has been designed to meet the accreditation criteria of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT for the purposes of meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional.

Academic requirements

• Minimum 2:2 honours degree, or equivalent in any subject

If you don’t meet the academic requirements

Applicants who are not graduates and do not hold professional qualifications of equivalent standing can also be considered for entry if they show evidence of strong motivation and capability for academic study and personal development (e.g. evidence of attendance at short courses) and/or suitable experience of working in areas which involve a significant amount of Information Technology.

English language requirements

• Students require an IELTS 6.5, with no single element below 5.5 or equivalent.

This Masters programme prepares you for a range of careers in the field of urban planning for smart cities, including management and leadership in computing. Possible career routes available include:

• Urban planning in local and national government
• Government roles responsible for sustainability
• Technology and software development companies involved in smart city applications
• Consultancy firms

Typical job roles include:

• Sustainable City Designer
• Smart City Planner and Data Scientist
• IoT Infrastructure Designer
• Machine Learning Scientist
• Data Scientist
• Geospatial and Mapping Scientist
• Urban Informatics Analyst
• Blockchain Architect/Developer

Furthermore, this programme will prepare you to meet the educational requirements of the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT for the purposes of meeting the further learning academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional.