Governing the Large Metropolis

Program objectives

The Master Governing the Large Metropolis aims at preparing graduates to work on public policy issues in large metropolis beyond Europe at different scales, in relation to different types of organizations and agencies. Metropolis, world cities, megapolis, all those large cities from the North and from the South face massive public policy and governance challenges. The scale of urbanization raises issues of economic development, poverty, housing, risk, health, technological and social innovations, infrastructure, water and waste disposal, slums and business districts, labour market, inequalities, sustainable development, democratic participation or control of population. Governing populations divided and organized by class, income, religion, ethnic origin, mobility, gender has become more difficult in a globalizing world where opportunities for mobility, participation in overlapping networks, interdependence and the scale of large urban regions make classic conceptions of government and public policies partly obsolete.

Students receive rigorous methodological training, experience from international professionals and high level academic content. The Master is taught entirely in English and a great emphasis is put on issues of comparison. Systematic relations are built with urban professionals and research groups in a number of cities such as Mexico, Rio, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, New Delhi, Shanghai, Tokyo. The Master is not about geography, development studies and physical planning but aims at training young professionals in charge of governing activities and public policy design and implementation.

Main orientations and specific features

The two years of the study program comprise a mix of sound interdisciplinary theoretical courses, case studies, methods and professional training:

• professional training is provided in the first year through a group project commissioned by a private or public organization, doing applied research in the urban field; students work 1,5 days a week for six months with a professional tutor. Students also take advantage of a rigorous study trip to a large urban center. Case studies and workshops are taught by professionals;
• theoretical training focuses on public policy, sociology, utilities, governance, law, economics, risks and globalization, the digital cities as well as on issues such as housing, migration, food, security climate change and informality;
• the Master also offers solid methodological training in quantitative and qualitative analysis, maps, GIS;
• in the final semester, students will either undertake an internship for six months in a large metropolis or, if admitted to the research track, they will spend the semester within a partner university, where they will prepare a paper or research thesis (if they envisage a PhD). Thus far, the following universities have agreed to welcome and supervise the students of the Master: Northwestern (Chicago), Columbia (New York), Colegio de Mexico, and CIDE in Mexico, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Federal University of Rio, University of Cape Town, University of New Delhi, Hitotsubashi in Tokyo, and Tongji (Shanghai).

The program works in collaboration with Science Po's Master in Territorial and Urban Strategies (STU) and the dual Master degree in Urban Policies of Sciences Po and the London School Of Economics (STU/LSE). It also has a close link with research conducted at Sciences Po, notably with the research program "Cities are back in town".

Career oppportunities

Based on the experience of former Sciences Po graduates in urban strategies who chose an international career, students should work in the following organizations:

• international organizations;
• health organizations;
• global utility firms (water, transport, waste disposals, energy);
• NGO's in different sectors (democratic governance, environment, housing…);
• urban planning agencies, economic development, urban political organizations;
• private developers and international consultants in the large metropolis.

The students and former students of the STU, STU/LSE and GLM masters join up to an association named In Situ. You will find the description below.