College of Social Sciences & Humanities

Urban Informatics

Master's : Boston
Certificate : Boston
Master's : Anywhere
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The MS in Urban Informatics is training a new generation of experts who can navigate the technical and socioeconomic landscape on which life in the city unfolds. With classes on campus and online, the program couples comprehensive data analytics skills with an understanding of the big questions faced by cities in the 21st century. Only a handful of U.S. universities currently offer degrees in Urban Informatics. Northeastern’s interdisciplinary curriculum, leading faculty, experiential opportunities, and its prime location at the heart of Boston set the university apart from other institutions.

Boston
Location
Full-Time
Part-Time
Commitment
1-2 Years
Duration
Hybrid
Program Format
Overview

This cutting-edge program is built upon a unique cross-college initiative, which offers comprehensive state-of-the-art training in the core skills of data analytics—including quantitative analysis, data mining, machine learning, and data visualization. Urban Informatics students supplement training in these foundational skills with a specialized sequence of courses that address how data and technology are being used to tackle key social, infrastructural, and environmental challenges. By combining a theoretically informed perspective of cities with advanced skills in accessing, managing, analyzing and communicating insights from large, complex data sets, graduates will be a part of the next wave of urban professionals ready to lead in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Given the continuous growth in urban data and technology, these professionals will be essential to shaping the future of urban areas around the globe.

Learn more about the Master's in Urban Informatics from the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, housed within the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.

More Details

Unique Features

  • Apply skills learned in the program immediately to real-world social, infrastructural, and environmental challenges through cutting-edge research and capstone projects.
  • Attract employers with an e-portfolio that showcases your accomplishments and professional capabilities in data analytics and informatics in the urban context.
  • Be a part of Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, a hub for innovative, interdisciplinary research that identifies and seeks solutions for issues of pressing concern to society at local, state, national, and international levels; from transportation, housing and community development to social and environmental justice, resilience, and sustainability.
  • Students can add a Graduate Certificate to their degree to demonstrate specialized training in the Nonprofit Sector, Urban Studies, or Public Policy Analysis. Courses taken to complete a certificate also count as Urban Informatics elective credits.

 

 

Testimonials

"The public policy portion allows me to learn about the workings of a city, while the informatics portion enables me to inform policy decisions with facts."

Ben Hoffman, Current Student

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Admissions

Admissions Dates

Fall Term

February 1: Priority deadline
June 15: Final deadline for International applicants
August 15: Final deadline for domestic applicants
August 25: Final deadline for Special Student applicants

Spring Term

October 1: Final deadline for International applicants
December 1: Final deadline for domestic applicants
December 15: Final deadline for Special Student applicants

Program Costs

$41.4K *
Tuition
$7.8K
Avg Institutional Aid
60%
% Receiving Aid
How To Apply Learn more about the application process and requirements.
Finance Your Education We offer a variety of resources, including scholarships and assistantships.

Requirements

Required Materials:

  1. Application – ApplyNow
  2. Application fee –  U.S. $75.00
  3. Personal Statement
  4. Unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended *
    Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded to the ApplyYourself system as part of the application. If admitted, students will have 30 days after classes start to provide an official copy of all degree-bearing transcripts. If official transcripts are uploaded into ApplyYourself, these may be deemed sufficient.

    Transcripts from international applicants must be in English and, if applicable, also in the language of instruction. English translated transcripts must be from
    • the institution, or
    • an officially certified translator, or
    • an educational credential evaluation agency
       
  5. Three Letters of Recommendation for all degree programs submitted online via ApplyYourself.
  6. GRE General Exam (Upload unofficial copies and then request ETS send official scores to institution code 3682)
  7. Resumé – all programs
  8. English proficiency for all international applicants
    -Proof of degree earned from a U.S. institution, or
    -Official exam scores from either the TOEFL iBT (ETS institution code is 3682), IELTS or PTE exam
    • 100 TOEFL iBT (or 7.0 IELTS or PTE equivalent)

 

Are You an International Student?
Find out what additional documents are required to apply.
Global Engagement
Learn how our teaching and research benefit from a worldwide network of students, faculty and industry partners.
Curriculum

General Requirements

General Requirements

Data Science Courses

DA 5020 - Collecting, Storing, and Retrieving Data 
4.00 
DA 5030 - Introduction to Data Mining/Machine Learning 
4.00 
PPUA 5301 - Introduction to Computational Statistics 
4.00 
PPUA 5302 - Information Design and Visual Analytics 
4.00 

Methods and Applications 

PPUA 5262 - Big Data for Cities 
3.00 
PPUA 5263 - Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Policy 
3.00 
PPUA 5266 - Urban Theory and Science 
3.00 
 

Analysis

Complete one of the following:

PPUA 7237 - Advanced Spatial Analysis of Urban Systems 
3.00 
PPUA 5261 - Dynamic Modeling for Environmental Decision Making 
3.00 
  

Research or Capstone

Complete one of the following:

PPUA 6966 - Practicum 
4.00 
PPUA 7673 - Capstone in Public Policy and Urban Affairs 
3.00 
   

Portfolio 

 

PPUA 6410 - Urban Informatics Portfolio 
1.00 
   


 

Experiential Learning

Northeastern's signature experiential learning model combines academics with professional practice to help students acquire relevant, real-world skills they can apply to their desired industry. Each program offers its own unique experiential learning opportunities, but they might include:

  • Full-Time Co-op Opportunities — Students on co-op work in a paid position in their field of study for three to six months.
  • In-Class Case Studies — Professors integrate case studies and exercises into the classroom to bring a real-world perspective and relevance to what they’re teaching.
  • Research — Students collaborate with faculty in our more than 30 federally funded research centers, tackling some of the most pressing challenges in health, security, and sustainability.
Faculty

Our Faculty

Our faculty represents a wide cross-section of professional practices and in fields ranging from finance to education to biomedical science to management to the U.S. military. They serve as mentors and advisors, and collaborate alongside students to solve the most pressing global challenges facing established and emerging markets.

View Urban Informatics Department Faculty...

Nicholas Beauchamp

Assistant Professor of Political Science

Matthias Ruth

Director, School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs; Professor of Public Policy and Civil and Environmental Engineering; Director, MS Urban Informatics

Kristian Kloeckl

Associate Professor

James Connolly

Assistant Professor of Public Policy & Political Science

Dietmar Offenhuber

Assistant Professor; Graduate Program Coordinator

Daniel T. O’Brien

Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Criminology and Criminal Justice
Students

By enrolling in Northeastern, you gain access to a network of more than 230,000 alumni and 3,000 employer partners, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and global NGOs. Our current students and faculty across strategically located regional campuses further foster that lifelong global community of learning and mentoring.

Below is a look at jobs our Urban Informatics graduates are prepared to pursue, and the skills they bring to organizations.

 

  • Where They Work

    • City of Boston
    • City of Buenos Aires
    • Geographic Information Systems
    • Courbanize

  • What They Do

    • Urban Data Scientist
    • Spatial Analyst and Expert
    • Developer

  • What They're Skilled At

    • Using Urban Data Sets to Inform Policy Decisions
    • Analyzing Geographical Data
    • Creating Maps and Visualizations
    • Developing New Products and Technologies

 

 

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