The 2-year Master of Strategic Urban Studies (MSUS) is co-convened by NSOB and NICIS, the Dutch institute for urban management and studies (www.nicis.nl).
Across the globe more people now live in cities than rural areas. The focus of the Master of Strategic Urban Studies is how this rapid urbanisation can be managed and what challenges it brings. MSUS provides urban managers with the concepts, knowledge and skills to successfully manage the increasingly complex urban world of today and tomorrow. The program is aimed at urban management professionals working in local government, state government institutions, regional bodies and societal organisations that operate in fields such as infrastructure management, housing, planning, education and health care.
The curriculum is organized around several core themes, including urban planning; economic development; creativity and innovation; security and social diversity. The program also includes several fieldtrips to Dutch and foreign urban areas.
During the first year, participants follow four modules about the state of the art in the field of urban management. They learn about the place of the city in the Dutch and international context, the role of real-estate management in area development, the factors influencing economic development and how people can live together in diverse and liveable cities. Participants are expected to apply what they learn during each module to an assignment, for which they are divided into sub-groups. In each assignment a practical urban challenge takes centre stage. The quality of the assignment is assessed by a jury of senior practitioners.
Also the second year of the MSUS consists of four modules designed to help participants to reflect more deeply on contemporary and future urban challenges. These include the substitution of public with private funds in public service provision, threats to security, like crime and terrorism, the rise of the creative classes and the development of megacities. Participants use these reflections as a basis for a group assignment, which is presented to another high-level jury.
The MSUS program is convened by professors Michel van Eeten and Wim Derksen (NICIS) and managed by Wouter Jan Verheul MA. The quality of the MSUS curriculum is monitored by a board of trustees, consisting of senior civil servants and CEOs from the private sector. Members of the board take part in assessing the participants’ assignments.