MSc in Urban Analytics

Around the world, city governments are realising the growing importance of harnessing the power of urban big data.

This programme will provide you with the knowledge and skills to design and conduct appropriate analyses, and experience of working with cutting-edge datasets.

• The programme will provide you with a critical appreciation of the potential for big data and urban analytics to inform urban planning and policy making, as well as an understanding of practical and ethical limitations.
• It offers hands-on experience of a range of statistical and GIS software, and of the use of programming tools to capture, process and analyse data.
• You will be exposed to a range of cutting-edge datasets typically encountered by urban analysts and the various challenges they present.
• You will benefit from the programme’s strong connection with the Urban Big Data Centre (UBDC), Glasgow’s world-leading urban analytics centre of expertise.
• The programme will develop your ability to convey the results of complex data analyses in ways which have an impact on policy makers and public debates.
• A wide range of optional courses will provide you with the opportunity to pursue personal interests, enhancing particular skills or domain-specific knowledge such as transport studies or urban design.

In the video below, Dr Qunshan Zhao explains how the masters programme connects to the Urban Big Data Centre, the importance of urban research and why urban data scientists are in great demand in both the public and private sectors.

Data Lab Masters Scholarships

The MSc Urban Analytics has been awarded the Data Lab Masters Scholarship in 2022-23 to support 3 postgraduate taught places for eligible students resident in Scotland. These places are awarded on a competitive basis. The Data Lab funding covers the full tuition fees of the MSc programme and also offers career development opportunities including the Data Lab scholarship placement program (paid internship opportunities during the summer). You may also wish to investigate additional living costs funding options which are available to students undertaking postgraduate taught study.

There is no separate application form. All eligible applicants who are holding an offer of a place for September 2022, by 31st July 2022, will be considered. Decisions will be communicated to applicants by mid-August. Please apply using the University of Glasgow’s online application system.

Full details are available on the University of Glasgow website.

What our students say

We asked students of the MSc in Urban Analytics what they thought of the programme and how it has helped them with their career. Here's what they said...

View the transcript of Réka's video.

Work by our students

• Paper: Sun, M., Han, C., Nie, Q., Xu, J., Zhang, F. and Zhao, Q. (2022) Understanding building energy efficiency with administrative and emerging urban big data by deep learning in Glasgow. Energy and Buildings, 112331. (doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.112331)
• Report: School Identification for Active Travel Interventions (PDF 1.2MB) (final report for the student group project)
• Report: Classifying City Level Housing Materials by Using Google Street View Images and Deep Learning (PDF 0.9MB) (final report for the student group project)
• Blog: Urban Analytics students dive into urban data
• Book chapter: Sarim, M., Zhao, Q. and Bailey, N. (2021) Citizen mobility and the growth of infections during the COVID-19 pandemic with the effects of government restrictions in Western Europe. In: Shaw, S.-L. and Sui, D. (eds.) Mapping COVID-19 in Space and Time: Understanding the Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of a Global Pandemic. Series: Human dynamics in smart cities. Springer: Cham, pp. 279-294. ISBN 9783030728076 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-72808-3_14). Related blog: Analysing the effects of COVID-19 Governmental responses on mobility in major European countries 
• Paper: Beairsto, J., Tian, Y., Zheng, L., Zhao, Q., & Hong, J. (2021). Identifying locations for new bike-sharing stations in Glasgow: An analysis of spatial equity and demand factors. Annals of GIS, 0(0), 1–16. (doi: 10.1080/19475683.2021.1936172)
• Presentation: Réka Vonnák and Dr Qunshan Zhao, Fuel Poverty and Income Deprivation in Bristol, UK, presented at GISRUK 2020 (21-23 July), 28th Geographical Information Science Research UK Conference, organised by Birkbeck, University of London and University College London (also available to read in Conference Proceedings)
• Report: Using Urban Data Science to Predict Property Development Planning Successes: Recommendations to Lumiere Property (PDF 1.68MB) (final report for the student group project)
• Report: Data Study Group Final Report: WWF (report on smart conservation following Réka Vonnák's participation in a hackathon at The Alan Turing Institute)

Student awards

• Tongqing Zhu and Samuel Hönle (2021-22) were part of a team that won the Best Technical Contribution Award at the Centre for Urban Science and Progress London (CUSP London) Data Dive in April 2022.
• Samuel Hönle (2021-22) received the University of Glasgow International Leadership Scholarship to study our Urban Analytics programme
• Inessa Tregubova (2019-20, from Russia) and Sonam Seldon Dema (2020-21, from Bhutan) received the prestigious Chevening Scholarship to study our Urban Analytics programme
• Jeneva Beairsto received the Steve Tiesdell prize for the best Masters Student in Urban Studies (2019-2020)

Key facts

• MSc: 12 months full-time; 24 months part-time
• Contact: Dr Qunshan Zhao