Business

Master of Urban Management

The Master of Urban Management is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in urban management, city governance, and urban development. The programme provides specialised training in urban planning, municipal finance, urban governance, infrastructure management, and sustainable urban development.

Core areas include urban management theory, municipal finance, urban governance, infrastructure planning, urban development, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, examinations, and research.

The programme is offered by the University of Nairobi as a public institution through the Department of Architecture. Maseno University offers a related MA in Urban Development and Management through the School of Planning and Architecture. Both programmes are available over two years.

Students develop competencies in urban management, municipal finance, governance, infrastructure planning, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, and a supervised research project, preparing graduates for urban management and governance roles.

UoN charges approximately KES 485,500 per year while Maseno University charges approximately KES 118,350 per year. No private university confirmed offering this exact programme. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Architecture, Planning, Economics, Geography, Law, Engineering, or a related field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as urban managers, city administrators, municipal finance officers, infrastructure managers, urban development consultants, and lecturers across county governments, municipal authorities, planning firms, and universities.

Skills Required

Urban Management and Governance
Municipal Finance and Budgeting
Urban Planning and Development
Infrastructure Management
Urban Policy Analysis
Project Management for Urban Development
GIS for Urban Management
Sustainable Urban Development
Research Methods in Urban Management
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Urban Management Theory and Practice
Municipal Finance and Budgeting
Urban Governance and Policy
Infrastructure Planning and Management
Urban Development Planning
Environmental Management in Urban Areas
Urban Housing Policy
GIS for Urban Management
Research Methods in Urban Management
Thesis Research

Certifications

ICMA Professional Certification
Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) Membership

Specializations

Urban Governance

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

Municipal Finance

Examines municipal finance, covering municipal, finance, budgeting, revenue, and managing municipal finance and budgeting.

Infrastructure Management

Covers infrastructure management, covering infrastructure, management, planning, urban, and managing infrastructure management and planning.

Urban Development Planning

Focuses on urban development, covering urban, development, planning, management, and managing urban development planning.

Environmental Management

Examines environmental management, covering environmental, management, urban, sustainability, and managing environmental management in urban areas.

Urban Housing Policy

Covers urban housing, covering urban, housing, policy, management, and managing urban housing policy and management.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 485,500
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: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Urban Management Theory and Practice
Municipal Finance and Budgeting
Urban Governance and Policy
Infrastructure Planning and Management
Urban Development Planning
Environmental Management in Urban Areas
Urban Housing Policy
GIS for Urban Management
Research Methods in Urban Management
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Urban Management Theory and Practice
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines urban management theory, covering urban, management, theory, practice, and managing urban management theory and practice.
Municipal Finance and Budgeting
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers municipal finance, covering municipal, finance, budgeting, revenue, and managing municipal finance and budgeting.
Urban Governance and Policy
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines urban governance, covering urban, governance, policy, management, and managing urban governance and policy.
Infrastructure Planning and Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers infrastructure management, covering infrastructure, management, planning, urban, and managing infrastructure planning and management.
Urban Development Planning
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines urban development, covering urban, development, planning, management, and managing urban development planning.
Environmental Management in Urban Areas
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers environmental management, covering environmental, management, urban, sustainability, and managing environmental management in urban areas.
Urban Housing Policy
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines urban housing, covering urban, housing, policy, management, and managing urban housing policy and management.
Research Methods in Urban Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research, methods, urban, management, and conducting research in urban management, preparing students for their thesis.
GIS for Urban Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines GIS for urban management, covering GIS, urban, management, spatial, and managing GIS for urban management and spatial analysis.
Project Management for Urban Development
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers project management, covering project, management, urban, development, and managing project management for urban development.
Urban Service Delivery Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines urban service delivery, covering urban, service, delivery, management, and managing urban service delivery management.
Research Project
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research project on an urban management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and management knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Urban Governance
Focuses on urban governance, covering urban, governance, management, policy, and managing urban governance and management.
Municipal Finance
Examines municipal finance, covering municipal, finance, budgeting, revenue, and managing municipal finance and budgeting.
Infrastructure Management
Covers infrastructure management, covering infrastructure, management, planning, urban, and managing infrastructure management and planning.
Urban Development Planning
Focuses on urban development, covering urban, development, planning, management, and managing urban development planning.
Environmental Management
Examines environmental management, covering environmental, management, urban, sustainability, and managing environmental management in urban areas.
Urban Housing Policy
Covers urban housing, covering urban, housing, policy, management, and managing urban housing policy and management.

A day as a student

A typical day combines lectures, seminars, case studies, and independent study. Sessions cover urban management, municipal finance, governance, infrastructure, and urban development. Urban management sessions examine urban, management, governance, policy, and managing urban management and governance. Municipal finance sessions cover municipal, finance, budgeting, revenue, and managing municipal finance and budgeting. Governance sessions cover urban, governance, policy, management, and managing urban governance. Infrastructure sessions cover infrastructure, management, planning, urban, and managing infrastructure management. Urban development sessions cover urban, development, planning, management, and managing urban development planning. Seminars provide opportunities for case studies on county governance and presenting research findings. The programme culminates in a supervised research project on an urban management topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme addresses critical urban governance needs with growing demand for urban managers in devolved Kenya.
Two public universities confirmed offering related programmes, providing options for students.
Programme covers diverse areas from municipal finance to infrastructure to housing policy.
Graduates are eligible for ICMA professional certification and KIM membership.

Against it

Significant fee difference between Maseno (KES 118,350/year) and UoN (KES 485,500/year).
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
UoN programme is relatively expensive at KES 971,000 total over 2 years.
Urban management roles in county governments may require additional civil service qualifications.

What it costs

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

What it costs, and where

Against 331 business courses

Public118k to 486k

118k at Maseno University486k at University of Nairobi

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 485,500/yr avg (official UoN page). Maseno 118,350/yr (yumpu fee structure). Private unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. UN-Habitat and ICMA may offer fellowships for urban management 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 485,500Kenyan
UoN and Maseno University may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate urban management students.
UN-Habitat Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
UN-Habitat and ICMA may offer fellowships for urban management 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: UoN and Maseno University require at least Upper Second Class Honours in a relevant degree. Lower Second Class may be considered with relevant work experience or postgraduate qualifications. 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, case studies, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering urban management, municipal finance, governance, and infrastructure planning.
Project Assessment
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through urban management projects, demonstrating planning, analysis, and management skills.
Research Project
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research project on an urban management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and management knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). UoN (public) offers Master of Urban Management through the Department of Architecture. Maseno University (public) offers MA in Urban Development and Management. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in urban management. Graduates may interact with UN-Habitat for international standards and ICMA for professional certification. The programme aligns with CUE, UN-Habitat, and ICMA global urban management frameworks.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. UoN (public) offers Master of Urban Management through the Department of Architecture. Maseno University (public) offers MA in Urban Development and Management. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in urban management. Graduates may interact with UN-Habitat for international standards and ICMA for professional certification. The programme aligns with CUE, UN-Habitat, and ICMA global urban management frameworks.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Urban Manager
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages urban operations, covering urban, manager, operations, governance, and managing urban management and operations.
City Administrator
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 450,000
Administers city operations, covering city, administrator, operations, governance, and managing city administration and operations.
Municipal Finance Officer
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages municipal finance, covering municipal, finance, officer, budgeting, and managing municipal finance and budgeting.
Infrastructure Manager
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages infrastructure, covering infrastructure, manager, planning, urban, and managing infrastructure management and planning.
Urban Development Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 140,000 to Ksh 480,000
Provides urban development consulting, covering urban, development, consultant, advisory, and managing urban development consulting.
Urban Management Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches urban management at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

SPSS
SoftwarePrimary
SPSS for urban management research data analysis, covering statistics, data, analysis, urban, and managing urban research data analysis.
ArcGIS
Software
ArcGIS for urban spatial analysis and mapping, covering GIS, spatial, analysis, urban, and managing urban spatial analysis and mapping.
Excel
Software
Excel for municipal finance analysis and budgeting, covering Excel, finance, budgeting, municipal, and managing municipal finance analysis.
Microsoft Project
Software
Microsoft Project for urban development project management, covering project, management, urban, development, and managing urban project management.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Urban management is just about running city halls.
Urban management covers finance, governance, infrastructure, planning, policy, and development beyond just administrative operations.
This programme is only for planning graduates.
Urban management is for professionals from architecture, economics, law, engineering, geography, and social sciences, not just planning.
Urban management has limited career prospects in Kenya.
Urban managers are in high demand in county governments, municipal authorities, and planning firms as Kenya devolves governance.
This programme is the same as urban planning.
Urban management focuses on governance and municipal operations, while urban planning covers spatial planning and land use.
Urban management is only about big cities.
The programme covers urban management for cities, towns, and municipalities of all sizes, not just major cities.
You need government experience to study this programme.
The programme is accessible to graduates from various fields seeking urban management specialisation, not just government employees.