MSc Urban Studies

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

• Geography

We require a UK Honours degree with a First or Upper Second (2.1) classification or the overseas equivalent, in any discipline.

When assessing your academic record we take into account the grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.

For the latest information on demonstrating your English proficiency for those whose first language is not English, please see our language requirements .

This programme also accepts successful completion of the 6- and 10-week pre-sessional English language course. We accept the following qualifications which must be valid on the start date of the Master's course.

Pre-sessional 6-week course requirement:

IELTS UKVI or Academic 6.0 Overall with 6.0 in Writing, no more than one sub-skill at 5.5 and no other sub-skill below 5.5

TOEFL iBT 80 Overall with 20 in Writing, 20 in Speaking, and no other sub-skill below 18

Pearson PTE Academic UKVI or Academic 65 Overall with 65 in Writing, no more than one sub-skill at 59 and no other sub-skill below 59.

Pre-sessional 10-week course requirement:

IELTS UKVI or Academic 5.5 Overall with no sub-skill below 5.5

TOEFL iBT 72 Overall with 20 in Speaking and no other sub-skill below 18

Pearson PTE Academic UKVI or Academic 59 Overall with no sub-skill below 59

We accept a range of qualifications from across the globe. To help international students the university provides specific information for many individual countries. Please see our country-specific information page for guidance on the academic qualifications which may be accepted from your country.

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2026, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £14,700
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £29,400

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

• Information on university funding, loans, and scholarships are available on the master’s student funding page .
• The Faculty of Humanities offered a range of scholarship opportunities for eligible applicants starting in September 2025. Please check back to confirm availability for September 2026 start.
• Please visit the school funding page for more information on available subject funding.
• Other funding for EU and international students is on our country-specific pages .

As there is a high demand for our courses, we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year.

Due to the competition for places and high quality of applications that we receive, we give preference to students from high-ranking institutions and with grades above our minimum entry requirements.

Please ensure you submit all supporting documentation with your application before the application deadline to avoid a delay in processing.

•Stage 1: Application received by 07 December 2025 - Application update by 20 February 2026

•Stage 2: Application received by 01 March 2026 - Application update by 01 May 2026

•Stage 3: Application received by 03 May 2026 - Application update by 19 June 2026

•Stage 4: Application received by 05 July 2026 - Application update by 31 July 2026

While we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date.

Applications received after our final selection deadline will be considered at our discretion if places are still available.

Please note, all places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be reaching capacity or be closed to further applications. We, therefore, recommend that you apply early in the cycle to avoid disappointment.

Once your application has been received, our admissions team will contact you. We may ask you to submit additional information, if necessary.

Applications for MSc Urban Studies are very competitive. Due to the high demand for the programme we may not be able to offer places to all applicants who have the entry qualifications that we require. If you meet our entry requirements but we are unable to make you an offer you may be placed on a waiting list. Candidates on a waiting list will receive an offer only if places become available.    

Please note, the course may reach capacity before the official closing date of 31st of August, so all students are advised to apply as soon as possible. 

The MSc in Urban Studies teaches you using a variety of teaching and assessment methods and allows you to tailor your degree choosing from a range of course units. It offers a broad training in urban studies concepts, methods, and theories. Course units involve a range of formative and summative assessments, including individual and group work, oral presentations and long essays, project work and reports. The design of coursework allows you to pursue your particular areas of interest within urban studies.  In the summer semester, you work independently but in a supported manner, to undertake dissertation work based on primary and/or secondary data, or else a more philosophical/theoretical dissertation. 

The programme consists of four compulsory course units and four optional course units offered through a range of departments, including business studies, development studies, geography, history, planning, and sociology. You will also complete a dissertation unit of 60 credits, which involves designing, conducting, and producing an independent research project on a topic of your choice related to urban studies.

The compulsory course units are: 

• Critical issues in urban studies;
• Researching the city;
• Policy and politics in action in Greater Manchester;
• Global urban future.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.