Post Graduate Diploma in Cities and Governance

Eligibility

Undergraduate in any discipline with two years of professional work experience

Description

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Programme Brochure

 

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Email Queries: sppg-secretariat.outreach@tiss.ac.in

 

Academic Calendar 2025-26

Last Date of submission of application form (Online)	22 July, 2025
Interview (Online)	25  July 2025
Announcement of selection on TISS website	28h July, 2025
Last Day for Fee Payment	4 August 2025
Date of Commencement of program	10 August 2025

Policy professionals for inclusive and sustainable global cities of tomorrow

The School of Public Policy and Governance (SPPG), TISS – Hyderabad and the National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi, offer a one-year interdisciplinary Post Graduate Diploma programme in Cities and Governance. The PGD programme will enable you to:

• Develop a robust understanding of cities/towns with a human perspective.
• Equip you with the perspectives, understanding of economic frameworks, city finances and institutional designs.
• Use state-of-the-art tools, data sets (big, micro, and geospatial) and methods.
• Design and conduct research work independently.

 

The cornerstones of the Post Graduate Diploma programme are:

Based on an understanding of the foundational disciplines of Economics, Statistics, Political Science, Sociology, Law and Data Sciences, the programme is pillared by the following:

The aforementioned are complemented by application to real-world situations, case studies, practical exercises conducted in city labs, and extensive field-based capstone projects. Although the focus will be on the global south, including Indian cities, the course discussions will also be situated in the comparative, macro-international context comprising cities from the global North.

 

Intellectual Framework of the Programme:

Key proficiencies

• Awareness of a multitude of ways to understand cities - theories, planning, regulations, financing, grassroots practices, and their limitations.
• Ability to undertake incisive analysis of policies that impact cities.
• Familiarity with the nature and functioning of the city institutions and governance.
• Practical skills in city-centric finance, city budgeting and planning exercises under City Labs- Master Plans and Developmental Plans
• Methodological skills to study cities through big datasets, microdata (Census, National Sample Surveys, Periodic Labour Force Surveys, National Family Health Surveys), Geospatial analysis and narrative accounts.
• Data Visualisation

These skills will be used by you while working in specialized professional settings.

 

A distinct pedagogy

The programme delivery is a collaboration between the students and the instructor to facilitate a creative and rigorous teaching-learning ecosystem. Such a delivery approach will equip you with a theoretical understanding and hands-on experience to understand cities and intervene in planning and development.

Pedagogical tools include Classroom Lectures, Hands-on trainings, City Labs, and Experiential Learning from field-based project.

• Hands-on training involves experiential learning to understand the institutional architecture governing the city.
• City Labs provide practical experience in conceiving and making development (master) plans and regional plans.

Career prospects

Professional and academic Opportunities

The school has an excellent placement record attested by the fact that alum of the school is working with ministries, departments, and institutions of Central, State, and District Governments; think tanks like Janaagraha; Consulting firms like PWC, Deloitte, and KPMG, etc.; Multilateral agencies such as UNDP, UNICEF, etc.; International organizations like the Clinton Foundation and national and international policy think tanks.

 

Semesterwise Courses:

Semester/ Credits	Nature of the Course	Course Code	Course Title	Credits
Semester I Credits: 20	Core	CG-I	The Social Introduction to the Cities	2
		CG-2	The Institutions of Modern Cities: Law, State and Governance	2
		CG-3	Plans and the Making of Cities	2
		CG14	Economics of Cities	2
		CG-5	Caring Cities	2
	Skill-based	CG-S1	Quantitative Reasoning and Statistical Methods	2
		CG-S2	Applied Data Science for Cities	4
		CG-S3	Introduction to R/Python	2
		CG-S4	Introduction to GIS/ Remote Sensing/GEE	2
	Value Added (CN)	POVA-1	Universal Human Values-I	0 (15 hours)

Semester II Credits: 24	Core	CG-6	Cities of 'Global South'	2
		CG-7	Financing Cities: Theories and Practices	2
		CG-8	Advanced Quantitative Methods	2
		PPG-6	Impact Evaluation	2
	Elective (Only one)	POE-1	Policy Advocacy	2
		POE-2	Comparative Public Policy
		POE-3	Energy Transition and Resource Governance
		POE-4	Natural Resource Based livelihoods
		POE-5	Climate Resilient Cities
		POE-6	Urban Health
	Skill-based	CG-S5	Fundamental of Spatial Analysis	4
	City Labs	CG-CL-1	City Lab: Exercise I	4
		CG-CL-2	City Lab: Exercise Il	4
	Value Added (CN)	POVA-2	Universal Human Values -Il	0 (15 hours)
	Indian Knowledge Systems	IKS-1	Traditions in Indian Philosophy	2

Fee Structure:

Component		Post Graduate Diploma in Cities and Governance
		Semester
		I	II
FEE	Tuition Fee	1,20,000	1,20,000
CHARGES	Examination Fee	5,000	5,000
	Field Work/Internship Charges	10,000	20,000
	IT Charges	20,000	20,000
	Other Academic Charges	4000	4000
	Library Charges	2,000	2,000
	Other Charges (ID, Convocation & Miscellaneous)	2,500	0
FUNDS	Student' Competency Fund	10000	10,000
	Lab Charges / Studio Fund	8,000	8,000
	Development Fund	10,000	10,000
	Students' Union Fund	500	500
	Alumni Fund	0	2000
	Health Care Fund	2,000	0
DEPOSITS	Caution Deposit (Refundable at the time of exit from programme on submission of No Dues Certificate)	10,000	0
Semester wise course fee		2,04,000	2,01,500