Art and Design

Master of Urban Design

The Master of Urban Design is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in urban design, spatial planning, and sustainable urban development. The programme provides specialised training in urban design theory, public space design, urban morphology, sustainable development, and urban regeneration.

Core areas include urban design theory, public space design, urban morphology, sustainable urban development, urban regeneration, planning studio, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, studio projects, and research.

The programme is offered by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology as a public institution through the School of Architecture and Building Sciences. The University of Nairobi offers a related MA in Planning through the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Both programmes are available over two years.

Students develop competencies in urban design, spatial analysis, public space planning, sustainable development, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, studio projects, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for urban design and planning roles.

JKUAT charges approximately KES 178,500 per year while UoN charges approximately KES 299,000 per year for the related MA in Planning. No private university confirmed offering this exact programme. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Architecture, Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning, or a related field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as urban designers, urban planners, landscape architects, city planners, urban regeneration specialists, and lecturers across planning firms, government agencies, research institutions, and universities.

Skills Required

Urban Design Theory and Practice
Public Space Design and Planning
Urban Morphology and Spatial Analysis
Sustainable Urban Development
Urban Regeneration and Renewal
Planning Studio and Project Design
GIS for Urban Design
Urban Planning Policy and Governance
Research Methods in Urban Design
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Urban Design Theory and Practice
Public Space Design and Planning
Urban Morphology and Spatial Analysis
Sustainable Urban Development
Urban Regeneration and Renewal
Planning Studio and Project Design
GIS for Urban Design
Urban Planning Policy and Governance
Research Methods in Urban Design
Thesis Research

Certifications

ISOCARP Professional Membership
Kenya Institute of Planners (KIP) Registration

Specializations

Urban Design and Public Space

Focuses on urban design, covering urban, design, public, space, and managing urban design and public space planning.

Sustainable Urban Development

Examines sustainable urban development, covering sustainable, urban, development, environment, and managing sustainable urban development.

Urban Regeneration

Covers urban regeneration, covering urban, regeneration, renewal, revitalisation, and managing urban regeneration and renewal.

Urban Planning and Policy

Focuses on urban planning, covering urban, planning, policy, governance, and managing urban planning and policy.

Landscape Design

Examines landscape design, covering landscape, design, planning, environment, and managing landscape design and planning.

Smart Cities and Technology

Covers smart cities, covering smart, cities, technology, urban, and managing smart cities and urban technology.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 299,000
Private, up to: Ksh 249,800
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 15 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Urban Design Theory and Practice
Public Space Design and Planning
Urban Morphology and Spatial Analysis
Sustainable Urban Development
Urban Regeneration and Renewal
Planning Studio and Project Design
GIS for Urban Design
Urban Planning Policy and Governance
Research Methods in Urban Design
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Urban Design Theory and Practice
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines urban design theory, covering urban, design, theory, practice, and managing urban design theory and practice.
Public Space Design and Planning
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers public space design, covering public, space, design, planning, and managing public space design and planning.
Urban Morphology and Spatial Analysis
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines urban morphology, covering urban, morphology, spatial, analysis, and managing urban morphology and spatial analysis.
Sustainable Urban Development
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers sustainable urban development, covering sustainable, urban, development, environment, and managing sustainable urban development.
GIS for Urban Design
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines GIS for urban design, covering GIS, urban, design, spatial, and managing GIS for urban design and spatial analysis.
Urban Regeneration and Renewal
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers urban regeneration, covering urban, regeneration, renewal, revitalisation, and managing urban regeneration and renewal.
Urban Planning Policy and Governance
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines urban planning policy, covering urban, planning, policy, governance, and managing urban planning policy and governance.
Research Methods in Urban Design
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research, methods, urban, design, and conducting research in urban design, preparing students for their thesis.
Planning Studio and Project Design
Year 1Semester 24 creditsCore
Examines planning studio, covering studio, project, design, urban, and managing planning studio and urban design projects.
Landscape Design and Planning
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers landscape design, covering landscape, design, planning, environment, and managing landscape design and planning.
Smart Cities and Urban Technology
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines smart cities, covering smart, cities, technology, urban, and managing smart cities and urban technology.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on an urban design topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and design knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Urban Design and Public Space
Focuses on urban design, covering urban, design, public, space, and managing urban design and public space planning.
Sustainable Urban Development
Examines sustainable urban development, covering sustainable, urban, development, environment, and managing sustainable urban development.
Urban Regeneration
Covers urban regeneration, covering urban, regeneration, renewal, revitalisation, and managing urban regeneration and renewal.
Urban Planning and Policy
Focuses on urban planning, covering urban, planning, policy, governance, and managing urban planning and policy.
Landscape Design
Examines landscape design, covering landscape, design, planning, environment, and managing landscape design and planning.
Smart Cities and Technology
Covers smart cities, covering smart, cities, technology, urban, and managing smart cities and urban technology.

A day as a student

A typical day combines lectures, studio sessions, fieldwork, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover urban design theory, public space design, urban morphology, sustainable development, and urban regeneration. Urban design sessions examine urban, design, theory, practice, and managing urban design theory. Public space sessions cover public, space, design, planning, and managing public space design. Urban morphology sessions cover urban, morphology, spatial, analysis, and managing urban morphology and spatial analysis. Sustainable development sessions cover sustainable, urban, development, environment, and managing sustainable urban development. Urban regeneration sessions cover urban, regeneration, renewal, revitalisation, and managing urban regeneration. Studio sessions provide practical experience in urban design projects, spatial analysis, and plan preparation. Fieldwork provides practical experience in site analysis and community engagement. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on an urban design topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme addresses critical urbanisation challenges with growing demand for urban designers in Kenya.
Two public universities confirmed offering related programmes, providing options for students.
JKUAT programme is offered in partnership with UN-Habitat through the Centre for Urban Studies.
Graduates are eligible for ISOCARP international membership and KIP professional registration.

Against it

Significant fee difference between JKUAT (KES 178,500/year) and UoN (KES 299,000/year).
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
Planning jobs may require professional registration with KIP.
Studio and fieldwork may require additional costs for materials and travel.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 73 art and design courses

Public179k to 299k

179k at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology299k at University of Nairobi

Private161k to 250k

161k at KCA University250k at Daystar University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

UoN 299K, JKUAT 178.5K/yr verified. Daystar 249.8K/yr verified. KCA unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. UN-Habitat and ISOCARP may offer fellowships for urban design research and education.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
University Scholarship
UN-Habitat Fellowship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 299,000Kenyan
JKUAT and UoN may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate urban design students.
UN-Habitat Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
UN-Habitat and ISOCARP may offer fellowships for urban design research and education.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: JKUAT requires at least Upper Second Class Honours in Architecture, Architectural Technology, Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, or Urban and Regional Planning. Lower Second Class may be considered with relevant experience. UoN accepts related degrees including civil engineering, economics, geography, and sociology. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, studio reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering urban design theory, morphology, sustainable development, and urban regeneration.
Studio Project Assessment
Project50% of the mark
Practical assessment through planning studio projects, demonstrating urban design, spatial analysis, and plan preparation skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on an urban design topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and design knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). JKUAT (public) offers Master of Urban Design through the School of Architecture and Building Sciences. UoN (public) offers MA in Planning through the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in urban design. Graduates may interact with ISOCARP for international planning standards and KIP for professional registration. The programme aligns with CUE, ISOCARP, and UN-Habitat global urban design frameworks.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. JKUAT (public) offers Master of Urban Design through the School of Architecture and Building Sciences. UoN (public) offers MA in Planning through the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in urban design. Graduates may interact with ISOCARP for international planning standards and KIP for professional registration. The programme aligns with CUE, ISOCARP, and UN-Habitat global urban design frameworks.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Urban Designer
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Designs urban spaces, covering urban, designer, design, spaces, and managing urban design and public space.
Urban Planner
High demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 380,000
Plans urban development, covering urban, planner, development, planning, and managing urban planning and development.
Landscape Architect
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Designs landscapes, covering landscape, architect, design, planning, and managing landscape architecture and design.
City Planner
High demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 380,000
Plans city development, covering city, planner, development, planning, and managing city planning and development.
Urban Regeneration Specialist
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages urban regeneration, covering urban, regeneration, specialist, renewal, and managing urban regeneration and renewal.
Urban Design Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches urban design at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

AutoCAD
SoftwarePrimary
AutoCAD for urban design drawings and documentation, covering CAD, drawings, design, urban, and managing urban design drawings.
SketchUp
Software
SketchUp for 3D urban design modelling, covering 3D, modelling, urban, design, and managing 3D urban design modelling.
ArcGIS
Software
ArcGIS for spatial analysis and urban mapping, covering GIS, spatial, analysis, urban, and managing urban spatial analysis and mapping.
Adobe Creative Suite
Software
Adobe Creative Suite for urban design presentations and visualisations, covering Adobe, design, presentation, visualisation, and managing urban design presentations.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Urban design is just about making cities look nice.
Urban design covers theory, morphology, sustainability, regeneration, policy, and governance beyond just aesthetics.
This programme is only for architecture graduates.
Urban design is for professionals from planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering, and geography, not just architecture.
Urban design has limited career prospects in Kenya.
Urban designers are in high demand as Kenya urbanises rapidly, with opportunities in counties, planning firms, and international organisations.
This programme is the same as urban planning.
Urban design focuses on spatial design and public space, while urban planning covers broader policy and land use.
Urban design is only about big cities.
The programme covers urban design for cities, towns, and neighbourhoods of all sizes, not just major cities.
You need a design background to study this programme.
The programme is accessible to graduates from planning, geography, and related fields seeking urban design specialisation.