Program Objectives
The Urban Policies and Territorial Governance program is part of the second year of the Master’s in Public Policy at Université Paris Dauphine - PSL. It is intended for individuals who wish to take on responsibilities in urban policy, management, and urban studies, or who aim to pursue a career in teaching and research. The program aims to train high-level professionals in the public, semi-public, or private sectors, as well as experts and researchers ready to tackle urban, environmental, social, and economic transitions.
This Master’s program (Year 2) fosters students’ versatility by combining various types of knowledge—academic, professional, and methodological—and covering multiple areas of urban policy, including governance, urban development, sustainable cities, housing, urban policy, mobility, economic development, and urban planning law.
The practical application of this knowledge is achieved through group projects supervised by faculty, involving territorial diagnostics combined with in-depth fieldwork in urban policy. These investigations draw on social science methodologies and mapping tools taught in the program.
The final component of the program—a six-month internship or a research thesis—allows students to specialize according to their professional goals.
Program objectives:
- Understanding of the issues, governance modes, and instruments of urban policies across different territorial scales.
- Development of strong expertise through the integration of theoretical, professional, and methodological approaches, as well as work on case studies (both in-class and field-based).
- Beyond essential institutional and technical knowledge, the program fosters a reflective analytical capacity on urban issues, drawing on insights from the social sciences and the interdisciplinary field of urban studies.
- Professional development through research, particularly via field investigations.
- A balance between versatility and specialization to support students' desired career paths.
Support for those wishing to pursue a PhD, including assistance in formulating a research topic and identifying funding opportunities. - Do a six-month internship or produce a research thesis
When you enroll in a Master's program, you also join Université PSL. Ranked in the top 50 universities in the world (THE and QS), PSL offers excellent graduate programs at the Master's and PhD level, which benefit from the scientific capabilities of its member institutions. The degree is prepared at Université Paris Dauphine-PSL and awarded by Université PSL.
- Types of education
- Executive Education
- Initial training
- Language(s)
- French
- ECTS Credits
- 60 credits
- Internship
- 24 weeks
- Capacity
- 25
- Type of Diploma
- National diploma
- Academic Year
- 2025/2026
Contact
François CUSIN
University Professor
Director of the 2nd year of the Master's degree
Marie PIGANIOL
Associate Professor
Director of the 2nd year of the Master's degree
Sabine WATTELLE
Teaching assistant
Send an email
The challenges of the ecological and social transition in the Master's degree programs
Several courses and tools are offered to students in the Master’s program, regardless of their specialization
- “Ecological Transition and Social Responsibility” Certificate
- “Dauphine Durable” SPOC A common base of knowledge in the areas of ethics, social responsibility and sustainable development. It tackles the basics of CSR: control, human resources, finance, marketing, strategy, climate issues and the environmental transition.
- “Managing SDGs” SPOC A unique learning experience in which students from multiple countries work together on real-life case studies.
- Virtual University of the Environment and Sustainable Development At PSL, Dauphine is a founding member of Université Virtuelle Environnement et Développement durable (Virtual University of the Environment and Sustainable Development), which allows it to provide its students with a set of resources and MOOCs.
After Dauphine
Employability Indicators After Graduation - Survey Conducted in Collaboration with CGE
job hunting's average duration
Professional integration rate
Median salary