Urban Studies: Exploring Master's Programs in France

Design our collective future, study in the heart of Europe 

Urban planning is more important than ever

The United Nations deems urban planning a priority field, and calls on universities around the world to train the next generation of leaders who will address the evolving environmental and social challenges facing our cities. 

An estimated two thirds of the global population will live in urban areas by 2050. Rapid urbanization calls for swift transformations in how governments and communities approach policy that shapes the way we live as an urban collective. Transportation networks, urban parks and agriculture, inclusive zoning, sustainable cities, energy efficiency, social justice, and gender equity are just a few of the themes approached by urban designers and planners. 

Sustainable Cities and Communities is anchored firmly within the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but the field of Urban Studies and Planning touches broadly on nearly all of the SDGs. Designers and planners approach questions of health, water and sanitation, energy use, climate action and mitigation, and more. 

France is an ideal launch pad for urban designers and planners interested in our collective urban future

One of the things students love most about France is the urban environment; the juxtaposition of the modern and the historic, the way people move in cities, the collective urban conscience, the attention to environmental impact, the city parks and public space, the terraces that bring us together.

At the heart of Europe, students in France spend their weekends and vacations exploring dozens of major European cities accessible by train. Often students participate in international conferences and exhibitions, work or intern in international offices across Europe, and participate in high-level intergovernmental events.

Academically, France has a unique approach to urban design. An approach nourished by an unparalleled intellectual environment and a wealth of academic and institutional resources (associations, policy frameworks, civil society organizations) that makes possible the innovations incubated in France. 

French universities are often the catalysts of European collaborations towards sustainable cities initiatives. Universities also have longstanding partnerships with local city and regional governments that make them ideal labs for new ideas in urban design and planning, and centers for research drawing students and scholars from around the world.

Unique resources for planning students

French institutions are active and founding members of major student and professional associations of planning and urban design. Students in France benefit from engagement with these networks and from the professional opportunities they provide. 

• APERAU - L'Association pour la promotion de l'enseignement et de la recherche en aménagement et urbanisme. 
• AESOP - Association of European Schools of Planning 

Master's students in France also have opportunities to intern and work through numerous institutional partnerships. Practical experience and internship work is at the core of French graduate programs in urban design and planning, and many students intern during their studies. 

Excellent and accessible graduate programs 

• Many U.S. students with a 4-year undergraduate degree have the opportunity to complete a Master's degree in one year in a French institution, entering at the M2 level.
• Many programs are taught in English as the language of instruction, and students benefit from an international peer cohort 
• Tuition in French universities remains accessible at under 4,000 euros per year at the Master's level. Many institutions offer reduced tuition lower than 4,000 euros per year, and students have many opportunities for scholarships and grants

Webinar with French experts, faculty members, students, and alumni 

Campus France USA was pleased to bring together representatives from the Université de Tours, l'Ecole d'Urbanisme de Paris, and l'Université Grenoble Alpes for a discussion exploring Masters degrees in France in urban studies held on Tuesday October 26, 2021 moderated by Nicolas Douay, Attaché for Higher Education at the French Consulate in Chicago. 

(8:19 Université de Tours, 26:05 l'Ecole d'urbanisme de Paris, 42:26 l'Université Grenoble Alpes)

International Master of Planning and Sustainability
l'Université de Tours, PolyTech Tours

• In partnership with UN Habitat, core curriculum designed within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Quality recognition by the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP).
• Curriculum is closely linked to international research operations of the laboratory Cities, Territories, Environment and Societies (CITERES, University of Tours and CNRS –National Agency for Scientific Research). The Master’s also equips students with expertise to manage and design urban studies, as researchers in a public or private organizations or as consultants. In addition, it opens the way to careers in public or private organizations in the field of sustainable urban development and regional planning throughout the world.
• Offered by the Planning and Environment Department of PolyTech Tours, this department is one of the largest planning schools in France. The Department is member of the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) and of the French-speaking association of planning schools (APERAU Internationale) and also active within the Global Planning Education Association Network (GPEAN).
• Taught in English, international student cohort. 150 alumni representing over 50 nationalities. 
• Two year program, possibility to enter in the second year for some U.S. students with a 4-year undergraduate degree.
• Objectives: To train international students in research and methods for sustainable development and planning, and to prepare them for leadership roles in urban development, management, and strategic planning. 
• Core concepts: Contemporary theories and models of urban development, urban governance and social justice, integration of natural risks in urban development. 

Master of Urban Planning and Development
l'Ecole d'Urbanisme de Paris

• Housed on a lively, green campus within a Sustainable Cities Cluster, located just 20 minutes from the city center.
• 10% of the student body is international, providing students with a diverse peer cohort rooted firmly in a French and European perspective. 
• Two International tracks of the master's degree are taught in English: European Cities Track, and Urban Planning & Cities of the Global South Track.
• Highly interdisciplinary master’s program is accessible to students from a wide range of academic backgrounds (anthropology, architecture, economics, engineering sciences, geography, history, law, political science, public administration, sociology, urban development, etc.).
• Offers a variety of teaching and learning methods (lectures, workshops, dissertations, internships, fieldwork, individual and group work, etc.) and demands a high level of commitment from students to their education and training, with the aim of fostering a professional commitment to and involvement in the field of urban planning.
• The program is a member of APERAU, the French speaking association for the promotion of teaching and research in planning.
• This curriculum gives students — whether they are new to urban planning or continuing previous studies — the means to respond in relevant and innovative ways of changing urban issues, today and in the future.
• High levels of job placement -  77% of graduates have a job in their field within 6 months of graduation, in positions such as: International cooperation planner (Chili, India), consultant in climate change planning, special adviser on flood prevention, housing policy consultant, accessibility design officer, and more.

Master of Transformative Urban Studies (TRUST)
Université Grenoble Alpes, Institut d'Urbanisme et Aménagement Alpine

• Part of the "Urbanisme et aménagement" diploma, the TRUST program prepares students for new professional opportunities in the context of global challenges that deeply transform cities and their surroundings. 
• Combines theoretical and methodological background of urban studies and the strategic thinking of urban planning. It both analyses and accompanies actions from public actors, NGOs, citizens that put forward strategies promoting social, spatial and environmental justice.
• Through a transformative approach to professional practice and immersive experiences, students learn to recognize, understand and accompany processes of urban, economic, political, ecological and social change.
• TRUST offers a first-year (M1) and second-year (M2) Master program. It is possible to apply only to the second-year master. The M1 is mainly thought in French, while the M2 is mainly thought in English. For the M2, a B1 language proficiency in French is required.
• Network of partners in various countries, notably for the organization of project pedagogic workshops that take place in France, Western Europe (Barcelona, Rome), Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania), Maghreb (Tunisia), and more.
• Scholarship opportunities, including IDEX Excellence Grants
• The Urban Planning Master Programme at IUGA is accredited by the French Ministry of Higher Education, as well as by:
  • AESOP - Association of the European Schools of Planning
  • APERAU - French speaking association for the promotion of teaching and research in planning
  • OPQU - Official board giving the professional accreditation for spatial planners in France with an agreement for mutual recognition with the Quebec Order of Planners.

Other Accredited Programs in Urban Studies and Planning 

More than a dozen other institutions in France have accredited degree programs in urban studies and planning. See the APERAU website for a full list of degree programs and institutions. 

Also see the Campus France USA degree catalogs for broader research on degree programs in French institutions that are open for international candidates.