Master in Urban Planning and Development – Urban Innovation and Sustainability

The degree in Urban Planning and Development is taught in English and covers a total of four semesters across two years. The course schedule is carefully designed to accommodate working professionals by arranging classes in the early evening in consideration of students who intend to combine their studies with work.

Semester 1

Modules	Courses	Contact hours
Principles of Urban Planning	From Inner Cities to Metropolitan Areas	32
	Urban Heritage and Sustainable Development	23
	Urban Planning Law and Regulation	23
Digital Engineering for Urban Planning	Advanced Urban Analysis	14
	GIS Applied to Urban Planning	14
Professional Practice of Urban Planning	Urban Planning Practices	18
	Studio: Sustainable Urban Landscape	12

Semester 2

Modules	Courses	Contact hours
Sustainable Urban Planning and Design	Urban Planning, Climate Adaptation and Social Inclusion	36
	EcoDesign and Reversibility	18
Strategies for Healthy and Sustainable Cities	Health, Mobility, and Built Environment	22.5
	Urban Metabolism	13.5
	Digital Engineering for Urban Design	18
Professional Practice of Urban Planning	Urban Engineering	13.5
	Studio: Reversible and Sustainable Building	12

Semester 3

Modules	Courses	Contact hours
Urban Eco-Technological Innovations	Urban Energy System & Energetic Efficiency	32
	Building an Ecocity : Innovation clusters and districts	32
	Infrastructures and Urban Innovation	23
Professional Practice of Sustainable Urban Engineering	Land Use Planning for Low Carbon City Studio :	14
	Building an Eco-Technological City	12
nnovative Research in Urban Studies	Research Methodology	23

Semester 4

Modules	Courses	Contact hours
Research Project	Master Thesis	5

Master’s thesis

In the 2nd semester of Master 2, students are expected to write a dissertation, based on an individual internship, or on a fundamental research project. Students must develop a scientific approach (including literature review, data collection and analysis, and discussion of results). They must also demonstrate mastery of the professional skills and disciplinary knowledge that constitute the content of the master

Admission to our master’s programmes is selective and competitive and each applicant will be considered on his/her own merit. Our admissions process ensures that every course has an ideal mix of people with talent,impressive interpersonal skills and a positive attitude.

General entry requirements

• Bachelor in a relevant field with a CGPA of 3 out of 4 or equivalent.GPA between 2.5 and 2.99 (or equivalent scores as per the equivalency table) may be conditionally admitted under probation during the first semester. The student will be authorised to continue in the programme only if they secure an average of at
  least 12 out of 20 which is obtained by the end of the first semester. The decision is based on academic performance and will be made official after the completion of the first semester.
  or Bachelor with minimum of 2nd class honours
  or Bachelor with an average of 12 out of 20
• Bachelor students with a GPA below 3 may be admitted on the ground of their professional and / or personal experience, in case they are granted a VAPP by SU’s or UP’s VAPP commission
• IELTS certificate with minimum overall band of 6.0 with a validity of 2 years or TOEFL certificate with minimum score of 79 (or equivalent) with a validity of 2 years or, Native English speaker who completed 3 full years in an English-medium institution within a maximum period of 3 years or equivalent
• Applicants who earned their undergraduate degrees from universities outside the UAE must present a Certificate of Equivalency for their graduation certificates from the UAE Ministry of Education. Applicants, who are holders of undergraduate degrees issued by a licensed higher education institution in the UAE, are required to submit a copy of their degrees attested by the UAE Ministry of Education. For details on requirements, kindly visit the Ministry’s website: Ministry of Education.Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi is committed to considering applications from all students regardless of their country of origin, income, gender, religion or physical condition.For details on requirements, kindly visit the Ministry’s website: Ministry of Education

Assessment
& graduation requirements

Throughout the year, there will be frequent assessment and evaluations. Students will be evaluated on individual assignments, internships presentations, reports and examinations, which usually take place towards the end of every semester. Attendance to all classes is mandatory and it is important that students are punctual and observe university regulations at all times.

•    Programme tuition fees (over 2 years):	AED 166,400 (approximately US$ 45,344)
•    Payment of Fees:	Click here

Guidelines

Postgraduate scholarships may be combined with both preferential tuition rates and additional discounts.
The calculation is as follows:

• Scholarships and additional discounts are applied to the full tuition fees.
• Preferential rates are then calculated on the remaining amount after the scholarships and additional discounts have been deducted

40% academic excellence scholarship

New joiners are eligible for a 40% scholarship on tuition starting from the first semester, which will remain valid for the entire academic year.
To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• A Bachelor’s CGPA between 3.6 and 3.79
• A Bachelor in French system with a score between 14/20 and 15.99/20
• For other systems: Graduation within the top 30% of the class

For programmes taught in English, applicants must also demonstrate English proficiency, with a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 or TOEFL iBT score of 94.

50% academic excellence scholarship

New joiners are eligible for a 50% scholarship on tuition starting from the first semester, which will remain valid for the entire academic year.
To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• A Bachelor’s CGPA between 3.8 and 3.99
• A Bachelor in French system with a score between 16/20 and 17.99/20
• For other systems: Graduation within the top 20% of the class

For programmes taught in English, applicants must also demonstrate English proficiency, with a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 or TOEFL iBT score of 94.

75% academic excellence scholarship

New joiners are eligible for a 75% scholarship on tuition starting from the first semester, which will remain valid for the entire academic year.
To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• A Bachelor’s CGPA of 4
• A Bachelor in French system with a score between 18/20 and 20/20
• For other systems: Graduation within the top 10% of the class

For programmes taught in English, applicants must also demonstrate English proficiency, with a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 or TOEFL iBT score of 94.

20% Alumni preferential rate

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi alumni are eligible to a 20% waiver on tuition fee. The waiver is valid for the 2 years of master.

30% Fresh graduate preferential rate

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi current L3 students are eligible to a 30% waiver on tuition fee when they apply for a M1. The waiver is valid for the 2 years of master.

Guidelines

For students enrolled before the September 2025, the previous scholarship scheme apply. In this scheme, postgraduate scholarships are not compatible with postgraduate preferential rates; however, they may be combined with the early bird discount or student ambassador.
In such cases, both the scholarship and the early bird discount or student ambassador discount will be calculated based on the full tuition fees.
For more information, please contact admissions@sorbonne.ae

25% academic excellence scholarship

New joiners are eligible to 25% scholarship on tuition starting from the 1st semester. To be eligible, applicants are required to meet one of the below criteria:

• Bachelor CGPA average of 3.6/4.0 and above, or equivalent.
• Bachelor with Final Average of 15/20 above.
• Bachelor with first class honors.
• Candidates graduating as the top of class, despite the average.

A minimum average of 14/20 is required to maintain the scholarship for the following semesters.

For programmes taught in English: an English Proficiency level with a minimum of 7.0 for IELTS or 94 for TOELF IB.

20% Alumni preferential rate

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi alumni are eligible to a 20% waiver on tuition fee.

25% preferential rate upon enrolment on a second master’s degree

Applicants holding a master degree from SUAD and enrolling for a second master degree at SUAD are entitled to a 25% waiver on tuition.

5%-15% corporate rate

Companies and organizations benefit from a special discount, based on the number of employees enrolling in programmes. For more details, please contact +971(0) 2-6569311

10% Family discount

Students who have a first-degree relative currently enrolled in an undergraduate or a postgraduate programmes are eligible for a 10% discount.

These additional discounts may be combined with any scholarship. The calculation will be based on the full tuition fees.

Early birds

A 10% discount applies to students who register and pay the first installment of tuition fees before April 30. First semester fees must be fully paid by May 10

Student ambassador

A Student Ambassador is a current student who successfully refers a new student to enroll at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi.

• The referring student (Student Ambassador) receives a 5% discount on their full year’s tuition fees for each new student referred.
• The referred student also receives a 5% discount on their full year’s tuition fees.

In exceptional cases to encourage deserving students and provide them with better study conditions, financial aid can be awarded by in case of financial hardship (subject to funds availability). For more information, please contact admissions@sorbonne.ae

*Conditions apply

The master UPD-URBIS programme opens up a wide range of career opportunities in Government, Private Enterprise, non-profit and International Organi sations, for positions as Urban Planners, Transportation Planners, Housing and Community Development Planners, Economic Development Planners, Urban Designers, Real Estate Developers, Smart Cities Consultants, Sustainable Development and Resilience Consultants, Geographic Information Systems Analysts.