MS in Urban Informatics

Degree Requirements

The Master of Science in Urban Informatics requires students to complete 33 total semester hours (35 with optional co-op). The coursework is structured around four interdisciplinary core courses and an additional 16 semester hours focused on urban-specific applications of core skills. The curriculum is designed to offer methodological rigor, a theoretical framework, and opportunities for applied experiences. The table below lists the courses required for the Master of Science in Urban Informatics including required and degree-specific courses.

The UI Core

The four interdisciplinary core courses in data science/analytics serve as a foundation for the master degree in Urban Informatics. These courses examine how data is collected, stored, and retrieved, how data can be extracted from large datasets, whether they are structured or unstructured, how to analyze information using data mining and machine learning, and finally how to use information design and visual analytics to analyze and present the results. Students leave the core curriculum with a working knowledge of “R,” an open source software for computational statistics, visualization, and graphic presentation.

Students in the Urban Informatics program learn about the major categories of urban data, develop specific spatial analytic and mapping skillsets, and apply these skills to real-world urban policy and research questions. Throughout these courses, assignments will ask students to integrate the core course skills with urban data and policy questions. Students also develop a high-quality professional portfolio that can be presented to future employers.

The six courses beyond the data analytics core include three foundational courses that provide an overview of the field, a theoretical frame, and introductory geographic information systems skills.

Beyond the Core

Students select two elective courses—one from a list of urban data skills courses and a second from a list of applied urban analytics courses. Finally, all students must take the 1-credit urban informatics portfolio course which requires students to assemble and submit a portfolio of at least three projects completed during their coursework.

In total, the Urban Informatics degree requires 33 semester hours. Current and prospective students should refer to the 2020-2021 Graduate Catalog for a description of the MS in Urban Informatics curriculum.