For the first time in history, the majority of humanity lives in cities. We live in an urban world. Urban Sociology provides you with the analytical tools to understand how conditions in urban environments affect the feelings, ideas, relations, and opportunities of their inhabitants.

Urban Sociology posits that urban areas possess unique attributes (numbers, density, diversity, mobility) that shape all aspects of social life. These ‘urban attributes’ affect the thoughts and feelings of individuals, their relations to strangers, friends, and colleagues. You will also explore the ways in which institutions operate, and the kinds of economic opportunities available to individuals and groups operating in the city which are also affected by urban attributes.

During the programme you will examine the contemporary forces that are making cities bigger, more diverse and more fluid than ever; and the effects of these conditions on various aspects of social life. In particular, you will examine

• key forces that accelerate the growth and diversity of cities (migration, globalisation, inequalities);  
• the ways in which different class and ethnic groups settle and interact in these places (gentrification, ethnic neighborhoods); 
• and how interactions between diverse groups produce new cultures, ideologies, and political mobilisations.

You will explore these issues through core and elective courses. The core course ‘Understanding the city’ provides you with an introduction into these issues while the elective courses provide you with greater depth on these matters. 

Student profile

The programme is intensive and rigorous. You are expected to develop your capacity to work independently and in group settings. You are also expected to be an active contributor to the courses. 

Competencies

You are provided the theoretical tools to understand how large cities operate in a global world. This provides you with insights into the factors that make some cities more successful than others, why inequalities develop within them, the driving forces behind urban conflicts, the policy instruments available to address pressing urban problems, and the role of civil society organisations in ameliorating the lives of urban residents.

Moreover, the comparative nature of the courses allows you to bring a uniquely international understanding to your understandings of cities.

Lastly, as all the courses are in English, you will finish the programme with advanced abilities to reason, debate, and write in this language. These competencies make you desirable to a diverse range of employers engaged in urban issues.

Focus on research

The lectures in the Urban Sociology programme are engaged in many of the cutting edge debates on cities in a global world. Moreover, their international backgrounds provide students with a unique opportunity to approach the “urban” question through a uniquely comparative lens. While the lecturers share a common vision of what Urban Sociology is, they also draw on different theories and perspectives to explore the impact of cities on our social worlds. 

Ambition in research?

For students interested in this field of study, we also offer a two-year Research Master’s programme in Urban Studies and Social Sciences.

Degree certificate

Urban Sociology is a track of the accredited degree programme Sociology. After successful completion of this programme, you will receive a legally accredited Master’s degree in Sociology and the title Master of Science (MSc).