Financial Management: Specialisation Urban Infrastructure Finance

Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)

• Program description
• Student rating
• Scholarships
• Related programs

Program description

The major objective of the Financial Management program and the Urban Infrastructure and Finance specialization in particular, is to provide participants with the knowledge and technical competence to become leaders and managers in Urban Infrastructure Finance

Urban infrastructure provision ranges from billion dollar metro development programmes to inner city revitalisation, water provision and energy provision. Their finance is complex, requiring a mix of public and private sources and hence a thorough understanding of public and private financial management. This course will enable participants to manage the finances of complex urban infrastructure programmes, including innovative financial instruments for capital investments, project finance, public private finance and financial decision support tools. The course will enable participants to focus on the finance of specific infrastructure sectors through tailored case studies and exercises.

The Financial Management program focuses on urban infrastructure finance and integrates private and public finance. This innovative program takes an applied case study approach in the following subject areas:

• Financial instruments for urban infrastructure: fiscal decentralization and intergovernmental transfers; tariff setting; land value capturing; debt borrowing; bonds
• Decision support tools: cost-benefit analysis, economic and financial forecasting; comparative procurement analysis; value for money; multi-criteria decision making
• Project finance tools: risk management; expenditure management, life-cycle costing; asset management
• Public- Private Financial Management: procurement, bidding, contract management

The Financial Management specialization Urban Infrastructure Finance is intended for individuals with a strong interest in developing their careers in infrastructure finance. The course targets individuals from banks, parastatals, public-private vehicles, consultancies and governments with at least two years' relevant work experience. The admission procedure stresses analytical capacity, communication skills and leadership potential, as well as motivation, maturity and creativity. Excellent bachelor graduates with strong interests in infrastructure finance can also be admitted. 

No formal education in finance is required; however a high level of quantitative skills is necessary for entering the  programme. Most MFM students are between 24 and 32 years old with  at least two years of working experience.

Financial Management Target Audience

The Financial Management specialization Urban Infrastructure Finance is intended for individuals with a strong interest in developing their careers in infrastructure finance. The course targets individuals from banks, parastatals, public-private vehicles, consultancies and governments with at least two years' relevant work experience. The admission procedure stresses analytical capacity, communication skills and leadership potential, as well as motivation, maturity and creativity. Excellent bachelor graduates with strong interests in infrastructure finance can also be admitted. 

Financial Management Career Prospects

The Financial Management program prepares financial and infrastructure professionals for careers as senior managers, advisers, experts and financial analysts within banks, parastatals, public-private vehicles, consultancies and governments as well as senior managers of large scale urban infrastructure programmes.

Financial Management Related Programs

Besides Financial Management, IHS offers a range of other Social Sciences Master programs such as the Urban Management and Development program.

See which programs are related to the Financial Management program

Financial Management Scholarships

Students who would like to register for the Financial Management program will need to have sufficient funds for tuition and living expenses. Getting a scholarship could be the first step towards obtaining a top MSc degree at IHS.

See which scholarships you can apply for if you want to do the Financial Management program

About the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies

The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) is an international centre of excellence of the School of Economics (ESE) and the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. IHS operates on a global scale by offering postgraduate education, training, advisory services and applied research.

IHS was selected as the winner for the 2007 UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honour Award for leading the way as a global center of excellence and knowledge through its high quality training programmes in housing, urban management and urban environmental management and planning.

In 2008 IHS celebrated its 50th anniversary of assisting countries, cities and institutions to find suitable approaches to housing and sustainable urban development, and strengthen their capacity to implement them.

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