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The Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Shiv Nadar IoE) has signed a unique partnership agreement with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London to offer a one-year Joint MA in Global Urban Sociology.
 
Considered a first of its kind in equal partnership across the North and the South, the program is designed jointly by faculty in Anthropology and Sociology from both institutions. It is aimed at students who seek advanced learning in an intensive degree program, as well as working professionals who seek added skills in their career paths. The one-year (12-month) MA program will allow students to study in two premier institutions and two contrasting cities. Students will have the opportunity to travel to the UK and India as part of the program, with the first term spent in London at SOAS, the second term spent in Delhi, followed by a dissertation which can be completed on either of the campuses or remotely. They will be registered at both institutions and will have access to resources and facilities from both institutions throughout the program. Upon completion of the program, students will be awarded a joint MA by SOAS, University of London and Shiv Nadar IoE.
 
Speaking at the launch of the program, Professor Ananya Mukherjee, Vice-Chancellor of Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, said, “This is a significant step for all of us. Having worked in the development world, I have observed people discussing the co-creation of knowledge across borders. However, it’s much easier said than done. This partnership is a result of sheer dedication and hard work over the last eighteen months. But the real work starts now. We aim to produce graduates bold enough to have different imaginaries of global collaboration, learn differently, speak differently, and imagine a different world.”
 
SOAS, London is ranked 5th in the UK and 12th in the world for Anthropology (QS World University Rankings 2023). Shiv Nadar IoE is India’s premier multidisciplinary, research university established in 2011 by Shiv Nadar, one of India’s foremost philanthropists and a pioneer of the technological revolution. It is also the youngest university in the country to have been awarded the “Institution of Eminence” status by the Government of India. It is ranked amongst the top 36% of institutions in Asia according to QS Asia 2024.
 
Professor Adam Habib, Director of SOAS, said, “This partnership is an attempt to find equality in an unequal world. It is also an attempt to make positive interventions in pedagogy and allow us to act as agents in transforming our education system. This is also an attempt to create nuanced knowledge that is global and contextual to the realities of the Global South.”
 
This MA specifically seeks to address real-world issues in the context of the most significant transformation of the planet, i.e. urbanization. It is also one of the few programmes in the world to focus on the global sociology of cities and is a response to a worldwide escalation in demand for urban expertise. The curricula include issues like climate change, urban ecologies, digital governance, public health, social infrastructure, city architecture and urban humanitarianisms in addition to urban research design.
 
The programme has a set tuition fee of £12,500 which is a fraction of the range usually paid by Indian students in the UK. Competitive financial aid will also be available for the program. Applications to the program are currently open and will be accepted until the 31st of July 2024. The program will commence in September 2024. Interested candidates can apply through this link: please visit: https://snu.edu.in/programs/shiv-nadar-ioe-soas-joint-ma-global-urban-sociology/

About the Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence
 
Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence is a multidisciplinary, student-centric research university established in 2011 by Shiv Mr. Nadar, one of India’s foremost philanthropists and a pioneer of the technological revolution in India. It has four Schools: Engineering; Natural Sciences; Humanities and Social Sciences; Management & Entrepreneurship. It is the youngest university recognized as an Institution of Eminence by the Government of India, a distinct category of higher education institutions that “strive to become a top hundred Institutions in the world over time.” The Institution offers 17 undergraduate degree programs, 10 Masters programs, and 16 Ph.D. programs. The university currently has 3515 students. The diverse student body comes from 27 states and Union Territories in the country and from over 12 countries other than India.
 
About Shiv Nadar Foundation
 
Established in 1994, by Shiv Nadar, Founder, HCL - a US$13.3 billion leading global technology enterprise, the Foundation is committed to the creation of a more equitable, merit-based society by empowering individuals through transformational education, and to bridge the socio-economic divide. Over the last 30 years the Foundation has directly touched the lives of over 39,000 alumni and students through its marquee institutions in literacy, K12 and higher education. Today, the Foundation has a community of over 100,000 constituents, which includes not only globally dispersed alumni and students but also faculty members, corporate executives, and extended families.
 
The Foundation has invested over US$1.2 billion in its seven landmark institutions and initiatives across education and art. Currently, over 15,000 students and over 2,300 faculty and staff are part of the Foundation along with more than 24,000 strong globally dispersed alumni community.
 
The Foundation’s students have gone to study at some of the best institutions globally including the Ivy League in the US and top universities in other countries including Australia, Singapore, China, and UK. Students are also working in major corporations, including Goldman Sachs, Honda, HP, Schindler, and several others both in India and across other geographies. Faculty across the Foundation institutions are drawn from the best Indian and international universities, with a strong focus on research and innovation.
 
The Shiv Nadar Foundation pursues the philosophy of 'Creative Philanthropy'. It is a powerful model that envisages the creation of institutions that are built to last and continue to impact future generations. It is an approach that allows sustained institutionalized philanthropy for long-term, high-impact, socio-economic transformation.
Source: BUSINESS WIRE INDIA