Management of Cities and Regions

The objective of studying the program is to provide students with a mix of knowledge and skills that will improve their position in the labor market or with an existing employer. The program focuses on improving qualifications for managerial and conceptual activities in the private and public sectors. Teaching is focused on strategic management of cities and regions based on:

- decision-making based on evidence-based approach, data driven decision making,

- communication skills of decision-makers,

- ability to cooperate with other entities in the city or region,

- an integrated understanding of the context and linkages of spatial development issues,

- coordination of spatial development actors.

The program emphasizes the interdisciplinary characteristics of decision-making in the management of cities, regions and tourism destinations. Therefore, it put a strong emphasis on a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to teaching. In addition to the management and marketing of the territory, teaching is purposefully complemented by other dimensions of urban and regional development (especially environmental, socio-cultural and urban planning). The study program teaches students to identify, analyze, understand and solve problems of territorial development with an emphasis on specific approaches and tools in the management of cities and regions (taking into account the specifics of different spatial levels) using foreign experience. Compared to academic programs, the program is more focused on solving practical problems.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• explain spatial patterns and methodological procedures created in regional economics and related fields of science.
• analyze and evaluate the competitiveness of cities and regions (with an emphasis on their investment, residential and tourist attractiveness);
• determine the market value of the main segments of the real estate market, conduct feasibility studies, cost-benefit analyzes and project risk analyzes;
• to formulate strategic plans and concepts for the development of cities and regions and to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of development projects (including specific segments such as tourism);
• analyze the market environment of the tourist destination and propose a strategy for destination development (including marketing strategy);
• evaluate the impact of the city or region development with regard to the quality of institutions and the business and social environment (especially economic, social and environmental);
• communicate with experts from other professions (urban planners, sociologists, lawyers, etc.) and borderline disciplines (general economics, business management, marketing,…)

Graduates of the study program can find employment in many middle management positions, including project managers in private advisory companies, specialists in real estate development, specialists in the design of spatial development strategies and regional consulting, specialists working in public administration institutions or the non-profit sector, marketing agency staff (eg collecting data on tourism demand), destination management organization, etc.

The study plan corresponds to the requirements defined in the Government Regulation on Standards for Accreditation in Higher Education. Students will be required to complete 12 weeks of practical training. Students' practice will be provided in the form of a special subject "Working Experience", which will be a mandatory part of the study plan. Content and place of practice are proposed by the student and approved by the course guarantor. The content of the practice must correspond to the content of the study. The prerequisite is that the course guarantor will also agree on new positions that will be offered to students. The starting point is that candidates are already on the labor market and can practice with current employers (subject to the condition of content similarity to the program studied).

Elaboration of the final work of about 30-35 pages (without attachments) should verify the ability of students to apply problem-oriented approach to interest entities (businesses, public and state institutions, non-profit organizations, cities and regions, information systems, etc.), search for necessary set of relevant information, identify and accurately describe problem fields in accordance with acquired theoretical knowledge, determine appropriate methods and procedures for their applied analysis, describe and analyze obtained data and propose specific and typically feasible measures to resolve problem or optimized situations. The focus of the final work and its practical outcomes will be closely linked to the compulsory course of Practice, both content and form will be decided on in cooperation with the supervisor.

The faculty does not currently offer a professionally-oriented program in master studies.