Master of Science in Urban Governance (MUG)

The Renmin University of China often referred to as RUC, or colloquially Renda(Chinese: 人大; pinyin: Réndà), is a research university located in Haidian District of Beijing. RUC is classified as a Class A university under the Double First-Class University Plan and is generally considered one of the country's premier ..

Our world has recently entered into the urban age, with more than half of the world’s population  now living in cities. This change of the demographic pattern is associated with plenty of great urban transformations that have been unfolding everywhere, both in the Global South and in the North. In China, for example, the expansion of urban space in its more than 650 cities and 20,000 towns have been fundamentally shaping the ways of social and economic development, the tools of urban and rural governance, as well as the current and prospective ways of life for citizens in both cities and the countryside. The transformation induces a challenge for urban researchers and policymakers: how can we make the urban space more productive, innovative, and inclusive for people living in, and moving into, cities? To address questions as such, we need to reflect upon theories and practices of urban governance and seek alternative modes that are in line with local and historical-geographical conditions of urban development.

The MSc in Urban Governance (MUG) programme at the School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, pays particular attention to the conditions and dynamics of urban development, planning and governance. It responds directly to above challenges and aims to establish a new platform to further advance conceptual and empirical frameworks with which we could further investigate and interrogate contemporary urban governance practices. It is the first English program on urban governance established in mainland China and it recruits students with an international scope. We expect that our students will develop their critical-analytical skills in examining rationales, processes and effects of urban governance practices in a comparative way. In this programme, students will learn how to evaluate urban policies at local, national, and global scales - from social, economic, political, and cultural perspectives. For this aim, students will be trained with interdisciplinary theories, concepts, and methods, ranging from public policy to urban politics, geography, sociology, and urban planning.