Urban Management Course Details - Fees, Subjects, Syllabus, Duration, Eligibility, Career Scope

Degrees offered: M.A., Ph.D, B.A., M.Sc., BS

What is Urban Management

Urban management is a broad term that encompasses architecture, design, construction, and everything else that goes into building urban establishments.

Cities have historically expanded and evolved with financial advancement, as more opportunities to earn cropped up, large populations uprooted themselves and their families from villages and migrated to cities.

While these people were drawn in by economic opportunities, they also required places to stay, to work, food and water supply, transportation facilities- an exhaustive list of amenities.

With various fields of work taking care of infrastructure demands and other functions, the need also arose for responsible management and coordinating all these functions in sync. This is where Urban Management comes into the scene.

Urban Management is a field of work which manages all the functions that go into planning, building, and expanding a city to meet its growing economy and population demands.

Eligibility Criteria (UG & PG) of Urban Management

The basic eligibility criterion to study Master of Urban Management or MBA in Urban Management is:

MBA in Urban Management courses accepts graduates from any stream with a minimum aggregate score of 60% in the qualifying examination. Candidates with a background in architecture, engineering, planning, design, economics, geography, physical sciences and similar subjects are preferred.
Master of Urban Management courses accept students who have graduated in a relevant stream or have studied relevant subjects during their graduation, with a minimum aggregate score of 50% (may differ from institute to institute).

Entrance Exams for Studying Urban Management

Urban Management is a postgraduate course which one can gain admission into only after having completed a Bachelor’s degree. While a graduation degree in a relevant field is preferable, in many PG institutes students from any Bachelor stream are eligible to sit for entrance exams to study Urban Management.

Some universities conduct admissions through entrance examinations, while others are purely merit-based followed, perhaps, by a Personal Interview of applicants. The top entrance exams to appear for to study Master of Urban Management include:

Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT): CEPT University conducts its entrance examination to conduct admissions to its postgraduate programmes including Master of Urban Management. The exam is conducted once every year in offline mode.
School of Planning and Architecture (SPA): A specialized university located in New Delhi, Bhopal and Vijayawada, SPA conducts admissions on a merit basis for its postgraduate programs. Students who have completed graduation in relevant subjects are eligible for the admission process.

On the other hand, students may also opt to pursue an MBA course in Urban Management. In such cases, the top entrance exams include:

Common Admission Test (CAT): Admissions in MBA courses across the country are conducted largely through the CAT exam, conducted online every year. One of the most competitive national-level exams in India, the CAT exam scores students based on their Verbal Ability, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability and ranks them accordingly. The CAT scores are accepted in admissions for top MBA colleges.
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT): Another national-level competitive exam, the GMAT is a computer adaptive test (CAT) which tests quantitative, verbal, analytical, written and reading skills in English for students who are seeking admission to universities offering the top MBA courses.
Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT): XAT is a national level entrance exam conducted by XLRI for MBA/PGDM admissions of more than 150 business schools in India. This computer-based test is conducted once every year, and the scores are accepted by many colleges for admissions.

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Scope of Urban Management in India and Abroad

With an exponential rise in urbanization underway, there is tremendous pressure on urban infrastructure to provide. Modern urban planning and management first came into being in the 19th century in response to increasing overpopulation and dwindling infrastructure and resources to contain them.

Ever since, city populations all over the globe have soared, consequentially increasing the demand for land and resource solutions and urban management.

The scope for a career in Urban Management, therefore, is undoubtedly broad. In India, 70% of the population still lives in villages, but the transition from villages to cities is still ongoing, and urban managements are constantly on high demand for supervising the expansion of cities, the building of more infrastructure and better regulations for water supply.

Even in the rest of the world, natural calamities, unemployment, urbanization, and overpopulation are forever posing threats to a peaceful society, which urban managers must eradicate.

Therefore, the scope of Urban Management as a career, both in India and abroad, is enormous and will continue to remain so in the foreseeable future.

Course Fees Urban Management

	Minimum Fees		Maximum Fees
	Private	Government	Private	Government
UG	2.37 Lakhs B.B.A in Urban Management at Geeta University, Panipat	--- Data not available	2.37 Lakhs B.B.A in Urban Management at Geeta University, Panipat	--- Data not available
PG	2.70 Lakhs MBA in Urban Management at Invertis University, Bareilly	1.41 Lakhs M.A. in Urban Management at Dr BR Ambedkar University, Karampura Campus, Delhi	15.20 Lakhs MBA in Urban Management at XIM University, Bhubaneswar	1.41 Lakhs M.A. in Urban Management at Dr BR Ambedkar University, Karampura Campus, Delhi
DOCTORAL	3.05 Lakhs Ph.D in Urban Management at NICMAR University, Pune	--- Data not available	3.05 Lakhs Ph.D in Urban Management at NICMAR University, Pune	--- Data not available

Course Subjects

Urban Management courses cover a variety of topics, focusing on necessary theoretical knowledge as well as essential skills and techniques that aspirants must adopt before launching into the career sector.

While the syllabus of the courses may differ to some extent, a few common subjects that are covered include:

Financial Management and Budgeting
Human Resources Management
Organizational Behaviour
Urban Management Foundation
Urban Governance and Management
Insights to E-Governance
Contract Management
Urban Civic Engagement
Quantitative Techniques and Research Methods in Management
Service Operations Management
Urban Planning and Urbanization process
Urban Infrastructure and Real Estate
Computer Applications
Business Law
Business Development of Real Estate
Managerial Economics
Strategic Management
Real Estate Marketing and Research
Real Estate Economics
and many others.

A compulsory thesis or Directed Research Project (DRP) is also a part of the curriculum.

Careers in Urban Management

A career in Urban Management involves the development of buildings and other structures, understanding and planning how to use various resources, building parks and landscaping, procuring planning permissions, so on and so forth. In addition to all this work, urban managers must also keep safety norms in mind while planning and designing new infrastructure.

Urban managers need to develop a good understanding of the requirements of specific communities. With whatever understanding they gather, they must then devise short-term and long-term plans for expansions, building, and revitalizing specific infrastructures and areas.

Their work may also include implementing plans proposed by members of the community, executing the directives of diverse groups, and supervising ongoing or upcoming projects.

It is often said that urban management is similar to societal development, and is thereby a very critical role in today’s world. With natural calamities ravaging many regions, flood damage and crumbling structures adding to the problem, the expertise of urban managers is highly sought after today. As a result, a career in Urban Management can be highly lucrative.

Upcoming trends

It is difficult to comprehend just how much planning goes into the urban spaces, even the simplest ones, that we live in and see around us.

The methods employed in erecting urban developments are, with growing demand, constantly evolving to accommodate political and societal goals.

As a result, now and then, new trends are introduced to the fields of urban management, planning and development. Some of the trends to look out for currently are:

Innovation Districts- Innovation districts are areas of cities that include “anchor points” like hospitals, universities, research centres, office space; and other entertainment-focused spaces for dining, retail, and general greenery. Urban managers ensure that these areas in the city are well-served by public transport so that they can serve as easily accessible cultural hubs. This design is recognized as an efficient means of improving metro economies, encouraging the spread of ideas and people across the area. For full effectiveness, a robust WiFi network must serve these areas, making it easier for people to exchange information.
Smart Cities: Today’s urban world believes strongly in the future that smart cities hold for us. Our lives today are chiefly dependent on and driven by data, which has led Governments to realize that generating the right data automatically can boost urban environment planning. Smart cities aim to circumvent a majority of ethical concerns surrounding data collection by gathering individual data anonymously. This data is then analyzed in real-time, and cities can be run almost entirely on automated systems that can produce dynamic responses to citizens’ needs.
Blue Zones: Blue zones are specific areas of the cities designed to promote the healthy living of the residents living in them. A variety of engineering and design practices have already been put into motion for this purpose, and blue zones have been found to record fewer cases of cancer, heart disease, Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Blue zones need to incorporate extensive walking spaces and utilize vertical spaces more to minimize street-level congestion.
Green Zones: Similar to Blue Zones in principle, Green Zones focus on the logistics involved in modern urban development. Green Zones are already in action in many countries around the world, the focus being ecological considerations. These zones include footpaths, cycle paths, and other spaces that facilitate environment-friendly transportation. The areas are also designed to conserve water and minimize waste and are largely or entirely powered by alternative energy sources.

Job Profiles and Top Recruiters

After completing a postgraduate degree in Urban Management, some of the common job profiles for which candidates are generally recruited are given below:

Job Profile	Responsibilities
Urban Designer	Identifying community needs and developing short- and long-term solutions to revitalize and develop communities, helping communities manage social, economic, and environmental issues related to changing population.
Assistant Manager	Responsible for recruiting quality staff members for a location, ensuring a smooth transition of these new employees into their jobs, assisting the General Sales Manager and Senior Assistant Store Manager, providing quality customer service and ensuring customer satisfaction.
Associate Community Organizer	Coordinating and developing programs for the promotion of the organization and its community services, promoting activities through various forms of media, hiring, training and scheduling volunteers.
State Program Manager	Responsible for achieving human resources objectives by selecting, recruiting, training, assigning, coaching, counselling, disciplining employees, communicating client needs and job expectations, planning and reviewing compensation actions.
Urban Project Planner	Responsible for promoting, designing, and administering plans and government policies that affect land use, public utilities, zoning, community facilities, transportation, and housing. Developing programs and plans for land use, creating communities, accommodating population growth and revitalizing physical facilities in cities, counties, towns, and metropolitan areas.
Zonal Coordinator	Heading a team of more than 50 members, responsible for ensuring the effective functioning of branches and branch administration and distribution.

Top Recruiters in Urban Management

Jacobs Engineering Pvt. Ltd.
Voyants Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
KBR
WRI India
N K Buildcon Private Limited
TandA HR Solutions

Average Salary

Job Profile	Average Annual Salary
Urban Designer	Rs. 6.94 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.)
Assistant Manager	Rs. 7.31 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.)
Associate Community Organizer	Rs. 2.40 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.)
State Program Manager	Rs. 4.80 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.)
Urban Project Planner	Rs. 5.51 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.)
Zonal Coordinator	Rs. 1.20 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.)

Required Skillset for Urban Management

Urban Management, as a career, involves an enormous amount of responsibility. Professionals in this field must inculcate and polish certain skills that make them a perfect fit for the job; skills which ensure that they can carry out their managerial responsibilities well. Some of the required skills are:

Analytical Skills- Data and information from various sources need to be understood and analyzed, for example, environmental impact studies, market research studies, and censuses.
Decision Making Skills- Any managerial position calls for excellent decision-making skills. Urban managers must weigh all possible options, analyze the pros and cons, and combine creativity, analysis and realism to arrive at the right decision.
Communication Skills- Urban managers must have the ability to communicate effectively and with clarity to share ideas with a team and address varieties of audiences, including community members, public officials, and interest groups.
Management Skills- Urban management professionals must possess managerial skills that enable them to oversee many tasks simultaneously, plan assignments, manage projects, and make quick decisions.

Course Curriculum for Urban Management

The study of Urban Management inculcates a sense of responsibility in aspirants for managing and understanding the work which goes into city planning.

Urban Management courses focus on building up adequately trained professional managers for efficient, sustainable urban sectors and real estate by equipping them with all the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience.