College of Social Sciences & Humanities

Urban Informatics

Master's: Boston
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Certificate : Boston
Master's : Online
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The Master of Science 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 of Program
Yes *
Meets F1 Visa Requirements
Overview

Digital data and technology are rapidly transforming the modern city. Across the world, cities have embraced Big Data—statistical modeling and visualization, mapping and spatial analysis, and the implementation of apps and sensor systems to track, understand, and improve urban life. This shift, which has included policymakers, practitioners, and private corporations alike, calls for a new generation of experts—professionals who can navigate the technical and conceptual challenges presented by the city and future city planning. 

This cutting-edge, STEM-eligible program is built upon a unique cross-college initiative. It 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 in cities and urban areas. 
 
You’ll 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, you’ll be essential to shaping the future of urban areas around the globe.

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

Register for the next Welcome Day for prospective students here.

More Details

Unique Features

  • Unrivaled research and experiential learning opportunities: Work with affiliated centers such as the Boston Research Area Initiative and the Dukakis Center. Boston becomes your classroom to observe and study real-world problems in conjunction with local agencies, companies, and nonprofits.

  • Unique interdisciplinary approach: The program has an interdisciplinary integration of analytic skills with more than a century of in-depth knowledge on urban policy and theory.

  • Leading faculty: Hear from Dan O’Brien, who has contributed to the tools and ideas that are at the foundation of urban informatics in the program overview below.

  • Career-advancing degree: 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.

  • Connection with the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs: Be a part of Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, housed within the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. This hub for innovative, interdisciplinary research 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.

 

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

"There’s an interesting focus on geographic information systems, which the other programs didn’t have...I really like that because for us planners, the spatial component is so important."

Antonio Vázquez Brust, 2017 Graduate

"In my career as a software developer, I have done a lot of work that is technically challenging and intellectually stimulating, but I have never felt like the work was very meaningful in the world beyond whatever company I’ve worked for. The urban informatics program offered me a path toward a new career that could be both intellectually challenging and meaningful for me."

Kit Miller, 2017 Graduate

"Urban informatics is the use of modern technology and data to better understand and serve the city—everything from transportation to housing to community dynamics, to how does a government deal with potholes?"

Dan O’Brien, Associate Professor

Looking for something different?

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Admissions

A graduate degree or certificate from Northeastern—a top-50 university—can accelerate your career through rigorous academic coursework and hands-on professional experience in the area of your interest. Apply now—and take your career to the next level.

Requirements

  • Application
  • Application fee – U.S. $75.00
  • Personal statement
  • Unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended
  • English proficiency for international applicants
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Resumé
  • Standardized test scores such as the GRE are not required for master's degree applicants to the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. However, such test scores may be helpful for applicants with little or no experience beyond undergraduate school.

Are You an International Student? Find out what additional documents are required to apply.

Admissions Details Learn more about the College of Social Sciences and Humanities admissions process, policies, and required materials.

Admissions Dates

Fall Term
Spring Term
Summer 1 Term
Final deadline for international applicants: June 15
Final deadline for domestic applicants: August 15
Deadline for Special Student applicants (non-international only): August 25
Deadline for international applicants: October 1
Deadline for domestic applicants: December 15
Deadline for Special Student applicants: December 15
Domestic applicants only: April 15
Curriculum

Core Requirements

Master of Science in Urban Informatics Core Requirements

Data Science Courses

Complete one of the following courses:

DA 5020 - Collecting, Storing, and Retrieving Data 
4.00 
DA 5030 - Introduction to Data Mining/Machine Learning 
4.00 
PPUA 7237 - Advanced Spatial Analysis of Urban Systems 
4.00 

Complete the following courses:

INSH 5301 - Introduction to Computational Statistics 
4.00 
INSH 5302 - Information Design and Visual Analytics 
4.00 
PPUA 5263 - Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Policy 
4.00 
 

Methods and Applications 

PPUA 5262 - Big Data for Cities 
4.00 
 

Optional Co-op Experience

Requires two consecutive semesters of Co-op Work Experience and Experiential Integration: 

PPUA 6964 - Co-op Work Experience 
0.00 
INSH 6864 - Experiential Integration 
1.00 
 


 

Concentrations

Choose one from the following:

No Concentration

Methods and Applications

PPUA 5266 - Urban Theory and Science 
4.00 

Analysis

Complete 4 semester hours from the following

INSH 6406 - Analyzing Complex Digitized Data 
4.00 
POLS 7334 - Social Networks 
4.00 
PPUA 5261 - Dynamic Modeling for Environmental Decision Making 
4.00 
PPUA 6210 - Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Cost/Benefit Analysis 
2.00 
PPUA 6212 - Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Project Management 
2.00 
PPUA 6213 - Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Data Visualization 
2.00 
PPUA 6216 - Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Grant Writing 
2.00 
PPUA 6218 - Real Estate Finance Toolkit 
2.00 

Practicum or Capstone

Choose one of the following two courses:

PPUA 6966 - Practicum 
1.00 - 4.00 
PPUA 7673 - Capstone in Public Policy and Urban Affairs 
4.00 

Portfolio

PPUA 6410 - Urban Informatics Portfolio 
1.00 
Climate and Resilience Concentration

Methods and Applications

Complete 4 semester hours from the following:

PPUA 5260 - Ecological Economics 
4.00 
PPUA 5264 - Energy Democracy and Climate Resilience: Technology, Policy, and Social Change 
4.00 
PPUA 5268 - International Environmental Policy 
4.00 
PPUA 6101 - Environmental Science and Policy Seminar 1 
4.00 
PPUA 7346 - Resilient Cities 
4.00 

Analysis

Complete 4 semester hours from the following:

INSH 6302 - Qualitative Methods 
4.00 
POLS 7334 - Social Networks 
4.00 
PPUA 5261 - Dynamic Modeling for Environmental Decision Making 
4.00 

CIVE 7000-level Special Topics in Engineering—Approved by program director

Practicum or Capstone

Complete topic-focused capstone or practicum approved by program director

PPUA 6966 - Practicum 
1.00 - 4.00 
PPUA 7673 - Capstone in Public Policy and Urban Affairs 
4.00 

Portfolio

PPUA 6410 - Urban Informatics Portfolio 
1.00 
Communities and Economic Development Concentration

Methods and Applications

Complete 4 semester hours from the following:

CRIM 7270 - Crime and Community Context 
4.00 
IE 7374 - Special Topics in Industrial Engineering 
4.00 
PPUA 5265 - Urban and Regional Policy in Developing Countries 
4.00 
PPUA 6502 - Economic Analysis for Policy and Planning 
4.00 
PPUA 6552 - The Nonprofit Sector in Civil Society and Public Affairs 
4.00 
PPUA 7230 - Housing Policy 
4.00 

Analysis

Complete 4 semester hours from the following:

INSH 6302 - Qualitative Methods 
4.00 
INSH 6406 - Analyzing Complex Digitized Data 
4.00 
POLS 7334 - Social Networks 
4.00 
PPUA 6509 - Techniques of Program Evaluation 
4.00 

Practicum or Capstone

Complete topic-focused capstone or practicum approved by program director

PPUA 6966 - Practicum 
1.00 - 4.00 
PPUA 7673 - Capstone in Public Policy and Urban Affairs 
4.00 

Portfolio

PPUA 6410 - Urban Informatics Portfolio 
1.00 
Transportation and Infrastructure Concentration

Methods and Applications

Complete 4 semester hours from the following:

IE 7374 - Special Topics in Industrial Engineering 
4.00 
PPUA 7231 - Transportation Policy 
4.00 
PPUA 7346 - Resilient Cities 
4.00 

The specific topic for IE 7374 is:

  • Sharing Economy Systems

Analysis

Complete 4 semester hours from the following:

CIVE 7110 - Critical Infrastructure Resilience 
4.00 
CIVE 7380 - Performance Models and Simulation of Transportation Networks 
4.00 
CIVE 7381 - Transportation Demand Forecasting and Model Estimation 
4.00 
NETS 7350 - Bayesian and Network Statistics 
4.00 

CIVE 7000-level Special Topics in Engineering—Approved by program director.

Practicum or Capstone

Complete topic-focused capstone or practicum approved by program director

PPUA 6966 - Practicum 
1.00 - 4.00 
PPUA 7673 - Capstone in Public Policy and Urban Affairs 
4.00 

Portfolio

PPUA 6410 - Urban Informatics Portfolio 
1.00 

Please note: This curriculum is for marketing purposes only and is subject to change. Official curriculum can be found within the course catalog.



Experiential Learning
Faculty

Our Faculty

Our faculty represents a wide cross-section of professional practices and 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 the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs Faculty

Nicholas Beauchamp

Nicholas Beauchamp

Assistant Professor of Political Science
Matthias Ruth

Matthias Ruth

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

Dietmar Offenhuber

Assistant Professor, Art and Design
Daniel T. O’Brien

Daniel T. O’Brien

Associate Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Criminology and Criminal Justice and Director of BARI.
Students

By enrolling in Northeastern, you gain access to a network of more than 275,000 alumni and 3,350+ employer partners, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and global nongovernmental organizations. Our current students and faculty across strategically located regional locations further foster a 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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