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King's College London
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Postgraduate degree

Urban Informatics MSc

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Urban informatics is the study of how rich behavioural data from cities and their citizens can be collected, analysed, understood, and communicated through computation. We seek to inform improvements that can increase the wellbeing of city residents, whether by government organisations or industries involved in providing services in cities. Our Urban Informatics MSc equips students with the technical, analytical, and communication skills required to conduct effective urban data analysis, with experience of detailed case study topics and the communication of results to effect change.

Key benefits

  • Draws from both natural and social science areas to provide a rounded degree that combines the technical and social aspects of urban informatics.
  • Based in the unique Centre for Urban Science and Progress London (CUSP London), with connections to New York University and the University of Warwick.
  • Located in central London, with opportunities to interact with government agencies and for grounded case studies using London as a lab to drive effective learning.
  • Friendly and supportive learning environment, with students from across the globe.
luis-678x381

“King’s is very well ranked and has an excellent Informatics department. The central location means you are close to big tech companies and you can interact with them, also thanks to the different events that King’s organises with them.”

Luis, Advanced Computing MSc

The first term provides foundation modules in core data science techniques, the theories underlying the study of cities, and ways to communicate analyses so as to affect policy-making. The second term focuses on data analysis for cities, providing insight into both spatial and network analysis as well as providing more depth on data mining techniques. In term two you will also take a specialised module exploring one aspect of city life, such as air pollution or mental health, in real depth and detail. This provides a testbed for the analysis techniques learnt, enabling students to develop confidence and experience with handling urban data. In the summer term you will also engage in a substantive individual project – connected to our research interests – tackling one of a range of urban informatics topics.

Base campuses

strand-quad
Strand Campus

Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.

waterloo-banner
Waterloo Campus

Waterloo campus is home of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and facilities for other faculties

NEV-main-Denmark-Hill-Campus
Denmark Hill Campus

Home to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, the clinical and teaching facilities for the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences and the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation.

Regulating bodies

King's is regulated by the Office for Students

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Teaching methods - what to expect

Lectures
Group Tutorials
Independent Study
Coursework
Preparation for examinations

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work, e.g. 150 hours work for a 15-credit module. 

Assessment

  • Coursework
  • Written/Practical Examinations
  • Presentations
  • In-Class Tests
  • Online Examinations
  • Individual Project Dissertation

Structure

Required modules

Spatial Data Analysis (15 credits)
Computer Programming for Data Scientists (15 credits)
Data Mining (15 credits)
Statistics for Data Analysis (15 credits)
Network Data Analysis (15 credits)
Introduction to Urban Analytics (15 credits)
Urban Informatics Individual Project (60 Credits)

Optional modules

In addition, you are also required to take 15 credits from a range of optional modules which may typically include:

Big Data in Urban Mental Health (15 credits)
Urban Informatics Placement (15 credits)
Tourism, Conservation and the Environment (15 credits)
Telling Stories with Data (15 credits)

If you are a student who has previously studied in the Department of Informatics and have taken and passed any modules before (at level 6 or 7), you are not permitted to take these again. This is not permitted by the academic regulations.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Employability

Urban Informatics MSc equips you for future opportunities within business, government, NGOs and the third sector, where expertise in using analytics and data science to solve urban problems is increasingly essential.

The Careers Service run tailored sessions for Informatics students and a careers programme which includes skills sessions and visits from top employers.

Tuition Fees

UK:

Full time: £11,040 per year (2022/23)

Part time: N/A

International:

Full time: £29,310 per year (2022/23)

Part time: N/A

These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

Deposit

When you receive an offer for this course you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. The deposit will be credited towards your total fee payment.

The UK deposit is £500.

The INTERNATIONAL deposit is £2,000.

  • If you receive an offer on or before 31 March, payment is due by 25 April 2022.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 April and 30 June, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 July and 31 July, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 August and 21 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer from 22 August onwards, payment is due within three days of receiving the offer.

If you are a current King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.

Additional Costs

In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:

  • Books if you choose to buy your own copies
  • Clothing for optional course related events and competitions
  • Library fees and fines
  • Personal photocopies
  • Printing course handouts
  • Society membership fees
  • Stationery
  • Travel costs for travel around London, between campuses and for project placements
  • Graduation costs.

Funding

The first term provides foundation modules in core data science techniques, the theories underlying the study of cities, and ways to communicate analyses so as to affect policy-making. The second term focuses on data analysis for cities, providing insight into both spatial and network analysis as well as providing more depth on data mining techniques. In term two you will also take a specialised module exploring one aspect of city life, such as air pollution or mental health, in real depth and detail. This provides a testbed for the analysis techniques learnt, enabling students to develop confidence and experience with handling urban data. In the summer term you will also engage in a substantive individual project – connected to our research interests – tackling one of a range of urban informatics topics.

Base campuses

strand-quad
Strand Campus

Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.

waterloo-banner
Waterloo Campus

Waterloo campus is home of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and facilities for other faculties

NEV-main-Denmark-Hill-Campus
Denmark Hill Campus

Home to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, the clinical and teaching facilities for the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences and the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation.

Regulating bodies

King's is regulated by the Office for Students

Loading...

Teaching methods - what to expect

Lectures
Group Tutorials
Independent Study
Coursework
Preparation for examinations

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work, e.g. 150 hours work for a 15-credit module. 

Assessment

  • Coursework
  • Written/Practical Examinations
  • Presentations
  • In-Class Tests
  • Online Examinations
  • Individual Project Dissertation

Structure

Required modules

Spatial Data Analysis (15 credits)
Computer Programming for Data Scientists (15 credits)
Data Mining (15 credits)
Statistics for Data Analysis (15 credits)
Network Data Analysis (15 credits)
Introduction to Urban Analytics (15 credits)
Urban Informatics Individual Project (60 Credits)

Optional modules

In addition, you are also required to take 15 credits from a range of optional modules which may typically include:

Big Data in Urban Mental Health (15 credits)
Urban Informatics Placement (15 credits)
Tourism, Conservation and the Environment (15 credits)
Telling Stories with Data (15 credits)

If you are a student who has previously studied in the Department of Informatics and have taken and passed any modules before (at level 6 or 7), you are not permitted to take these again. This is not permitted by the academic regulations.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Employability

Urban Informatics MSc equips you for future opportunities within business, government, NGOs and the third sector, where expertise in using analytics and data science to solve urban problems is increasingly essential.

The Careers Service run tailored sessions for Informatics students and a careers programme which includes skills sessions and visits from top employers.

Tuition Fees

UK:

Full time: £11,040 per year (2022/23)

Part time: N/A

International:

Full time: £29,310 per year (2022/23)

Part time: N/A

These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

Deposit

When you receive an offer for this course you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. The deposit will be credited towards your total fee payment.

The UK deposit is £500.

The INTERNATIONAL deposit is £2,000.

  • If you receive an offer on or before 31 March, payment is due by 25 April 2022.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 April and 30 June, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 July and 31 July, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 August and 21 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer from 22 August onwards, payment is due within three days of receiving the offer.

If you are a current King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.

Additional Costs

In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:

  • Books if you choose to buy your own copies
  • Clothing for optional course related events and competitions
  • Library fees and fines
  • Personal photocopies
  • Printing course handouts
  • Society membership fees
  • Stationery
  • Travel costs for travel around London, between campuses and for project placements
  • Graduation costs.

Funding

Application closing date guidance

We recommend that you submit your application as soon as possible as we may need to request further information from you to assess your application. This is particularly important if your application is successful and you are required to meet any offer condition, and/or you need a Student Visa to study here at King's.

King's College London is committed to the recruitment of students with the greatest academic ability and to maintain a diverse student population. In order to ensure a balanced international student population for our most competitive programmes, we have implemented the following deadlines:

  • The final application deadline for any students who are currently residing in mainland China is Friday 7 January 2022, 23:59 (UK time).

    Please note: if you reside in mainland China and apply for any of the above programmes after this deadline, your application will be automatically withdrawn, and you will not be eligible for an application fee refund.

  • Our first application deadline for any other applicants is on Friday 25 March 2022 (23:59, UK time). After this date, the programme will close at any point once it is full. If there are places still available, the programme will remain open until the final application deadlines below:

    Overseas (international) fee status: Friday 29 July 2022 (23:59, UK time)

    Home fee status: Friday 26 August 2022 (23:59, UK time)

    Please note, you will not be eligible for an application fee refund if you apply after the first application deadline listed and we are unable to process any further offers because places are filled before the final application deadlines.
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