The Master of Science in Urban Informatics degree couples comprehensive data analytics skills with an understanding of the big questions faced by cities in the 21st-century city. 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 datasets, graduates are 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 are essential to shaping the future of urban areas around the globe.
This program provides a uniquely integrated urban and informatics degree with a substantial experiential education component. The focus throughout is on practical application, and students have multiple opportunities to apply what they are learning.
The master's program offers an optional cooperative education experience to eligible students. Co-op education is central to both the Northeastern experience and to the College of Social Sciences and Humanities experiential liberal arts framework. Northeastern’s signature co-op ecosystem provides qualified master's students with six-month work experiences in businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in Boston and across the United States. Graduate students take their work from campus learning spaces, apply their knowledge outside of the classroom, and then bring knowledge and skills gained in community learning spaces back to our campus learning spaces during the cocurricular experiential integration course.
Please review the tuition and fees page as credit costs differ depending on the college in which the course resides.
Climate and Resilience Concentration
This graduate concentration is available to students in the MSUI program who want to specialize in the policy challenges that arise from climate change and the methodological tools designed to respond to them, especially those that help us understand and instill resilience in communities that are vulnerable to disruption. The concentration is comprised of a methods and applications course specific to the concentration, an analysis course specific to the concentration, and the requirement to complete a capstone or practicum relevant to climate and resilience.
Communities and Economic Development Concentration
This graduate concentration is available to students in the MSUI program who want to specialize in the policy challenges associated with neighborhoods and communities and the methodological tools for addressing them. This includes examining more closely how communities work and the types of interventions that can help them to thrive and prosper. The concentration is comprised of a methods and applications course specific to the concentration, an analysis course specific to the concentration, and the requirement to complete a capstone or practicum relevant to communities and economic development.
Transportation and Infrastructure Concentration
This graduate concentration is available to students in the MSUI program who want to specialize in the policy challenges and methods associated with transportation and related infrastructure. This includes questions of policy and operations pertaining to traffic management and public transit and the skills for analyzing mobility decisions. The concentration is comprised of a methods and applications course specific to the concentration, an analysis course specific to the concentration, and the requirement to complete a capstone or practicum relevant to transportation or infrastructure.
CSSH Graduate Programs General Regulations
Academic Standing/Progress
Students in the program are monitored for academic progress. Those students whose GPA falls below a 3.000 are notified by and meet with the director of academic programs. They are counseled that if their GPA does not rise to a 3.000 or higher, they run the risk of not graduating and are advised on strategies for improvement. For all other matters, please see the Universitywide Academic Policies and Procedures.
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Core Requirements
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| DA 5020 | Collecting, Storing, and Retrieving Data | 4 |
| or DA 5030 | Introduction to Data Mining/Machine Learning |
| or PPUA 7237 | Advanced Spatial Analysis of Urban Systems |
| INSH 5301 | Introduction to Computational Statistics | 4 |
| INSH 5302 | Information Design and Visual Analytics | 4 |
| PPUA 5263 | Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Policy | 4 |
| PPUA 5262 | Big Data for Cities | 4 |
| 4 |
| Practicum | |
| Capstone in Public Policy and Urban Affairs |
| PPUA 6410 | Urban Informatics Portfolio | 1 |
Concentrations or Electives Option
A concentration is not required. Students may complete the electives option in lieu of a concentration.
Optional Co-op Experience
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| EESH 6000 | Professional Development for Co-op | 0 |
| INSH 6964 | Co-op Work Experience | 0 |
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
33 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required
Climate and Resilience Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 4 |
| Participatory Modeling for Collaborative Decision Making | |
| Ecological Economics | |
| Energy Democracy and Climate Justice: Technology, Policy, and Social Change | |
| International Environmental Policy | |
| Environmental Science and Policy Seminar 1 | |
| Resilient Cities | |
| 4 |
| |
| Agent-Based Modeling for Applied and Social Sciences | |
| Social Networks | |
| Dynamic Modeling for Environmental Decision Making | |
Communities and Economic Development Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 4 |
| Special Topics in Industrial Engineering (Sharing Economy Systems) | |
| Housing Policy | |
| Participatory Community Planning Methods | |
| Participatory Modeling for Collaborative Decision Making | |
| Global Urbanization and Planning | |
| Economic Analysis for Policy and Planning | |
| The Nonprofit Sector in Civil Society and Public Affairs | |
| 4 |
| Agent-Based Modeling for Applied and Social Sciences | |
| Analyzing Complex Digitized Data | |
| Social Networks | |
| Techniques of Program Evaluation | |
Transportation and Infrastructure Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 4 |
| Special Topics in Industrial Engineering (Sharing Economy Systems) | |
| Participatory Modeling for Collaborative Decision Making | |
| Resilient Cities | |
| 4 |
| |
| Critical Infrastructure Resilience | |
| Performance Models and Simulation of Transportation Networks | |
| Transportation Demand Forecasting and Model Estimation | |
| Agent-Based Modeling for Applied and Social Sciences | |
Electives Option
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| PPUA 5266 | Urban Theory and Science | 4 |
| 4 |
| Special Topics in Industrial Engineering (Sharing Economy Systems) | |
| Agent-Based Modeling for Applied and Social Sciences | |
| Analyzing Complex Digitized Data | |
| Participatory Modeling for Collaborative Decision Making | |
| Ecological Economics | |
| Dynamic Modeling for Environmental Decision Making | |
| International Environmental Policy | |
| Economic Analysis for Policy and Planning | |
| Resilient Cities | |
