MUP: Master’s in Urban Planning

The Master’s in Urban Planning (MUP) is intended for individuals who are keen to understand how cities function and to shape more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient urban futures. It is suited for those who wish to engage with real urban challenges, influence public policy and development decisions, and contribute meaningfully to making cities work better for everyone—particularly in the context of Indian cities.

The programme responds directly to the complex challenges confronting urban India, including rapid urbanisation, infrastructure deficits, environmental stress, informality, social inequality, and institutional fragmentation. It prepares professional planners who combine analytical rigour with social and environmental sensitivity, strong institutional and policy awareness, and the capacity to translate plans into implementable outcomes across statutory planning, urban development strategies, and project-based interventions.

Teaching in the MUP is anchored in first-principles thinking, encouraging students to question assumptions, understand underlying urban processes, and develop independent analytical judgement. Planning is approached as a reflective and iterative practice, responsive to uncertainty, diversity, and change. Studio-based learning forms the core of the programme, supported by theory courses that build conceptual, analytical, and methodological depth, with equal emphasis on financial literacy, governance frameworks, and visual communication.