The Master’s programme in Urban Security and violence management develops operational skills to address issues related to security and violence in urban contexts through a network approach based on synergistic actions by citizens, institutions, associations, businesses, police forces, social and health services, and schools of all levels.
The Master’s programme falls within the regulatory framework outlined by:
Decree-Law No. 14/2017, coordinated with Conversion Law No. 48/2017, containing provisions on urban security.
National measures relevant to the educational role in urban security, such as Law No. 107/2015 (La Buona Scuola).
Law No. 92/2019 on civic education, respect for rules and a sense of community.
Law No. 71/2017 on cyberbullying.
MIUR guidelines for education on legality and the prevention of juvenile delinquency.
Istanbul Convention 2011, against violence against women.
Law No. 69/2019 Codice Rosso and No. 168/2023 for the protection of victims and the fight against domestic and gender-based violence.
The Master’s programme adopts the United Nations 2030 Agenda, which calls for cities and human settlements to be inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, and for the promotion of peaceful societies and gender equality.
Purpose of the program is to provide training in:
- promoting coexistence and combating discrimination;
- promoting legality and inclusion;
- environmental protection and safety;
- urban health and community well-being;
- combating gender-based violence;
- combating bullying;
- prevention, analysis, and management of juvenile deviance, with particular attention to the role of schools;
- offenders, victims, and restorative justice;
- health security:
- emergencies and collective alerts.
Participants will acquire:
- knowledge of urban and community psychology and social sciences;
- skills in designing, implementing, and evaluating urban safety and prevention interventions;
- competencies to develop educational programs promoting legality, citizenship, and social respect;
- ability to manage relationships between institutions, citizens, schools, and other stakeholders;
- communication and group management skills for environmental and socio-health emergencies;
- ability to identify security needs and vulnerable groups.
Attendance:
- 210 hours in a weekend format, for a total of 18 weekends: Friday afternoon and full Saturday, from November 2026 to September 2027;
- 90 hours on the Moodle platform for independent study;
- attendance is mandatory for at least 70% of the lessons;
- the training program is completed with a Project Work.
The Master’s programme is aimed at professionals and operators who wish to acquire and deepen specific skills in the area of urban security and combating violence such as:
- graduates in psychology, sociology, politics, law, education and health;
- administrators of public bodies, such as mayors and municipal officials, as well as administrators and operators of private bodies;
- heads of municipal urban security services;
- local police personnel and police officers;
- social workers;
- educators, teachers and school staff.
The Master’s programme trains the following professionals:
- urban security managers in the public and private sectors;
- experts in conflict reduction and violence prevention strategies in organisations, communities and educational contexts;
- experts in urban emergency and crisis management, including in the health and socio-educational fields;
- experts in promoting a culture of legality and active citizenship, in line with national school policies;
- experts in violence prevention in urban areas, with specific expertise in youth distress and gender-based violence;
- experts in psycho-social design capable of designing safe and inclusive environments;
- facilitators of participatory processes and social cohesion in the community and in schools.
The program is structured into 16 courses + 1 transversal module:
- Urban psychology and violence: psychosocial factors influencing urban dynamics, the sense of insecurity, and processes of exclusion and violence
- Prejudice, conflicts and urban peace: strategies for preventing intergroup violence, promoting coexistence, and managing conflicts through the development of relational and emotional skills
- Elements of leadership and decision-making processes in organizational and political contexts: skills to guide participatory and inclusive decision-making processes in situations of complexity and conflict
- Gender and violence: gender dynamics that trigger violence (victim and perpetrator), victim protection (support networks), and the development of education focused on responsibility and care for others
- Risk and communication strategies: risk communication and management of collective perceptions in urban, environmental, community, and organizational contexts
- Anthropology of urban diversity: fear and danger in our perception of others; cultural processes that foster stereotypes, exclusion, and marginalization, with attention to “us vs. them” identity processes
- Governance and coexistence in multiethnic neighborhoods: analysis of urban segregation and structural violence to promote social cohesion and equal opportunities in multicultural contexts
- Safety, mental health, and social distress: prevention of marginalization and promotion of psychosocial well-being, with a focus on new forms of distress (e.g., among minors)
- Urban contexts and civil protection: tools and protocols for intervention in urban emergencies, with a community-based and participatory approach
- Environmental safety: environmental education, climate change, disasters, and protection of cities and citizens
- Justice, criminology, and victimology: elements of criminology, with a focus on victims and the restorative function of justice
- Criminal law and the culture of legality: predatory crime, juvenile offenses, and strategies to promote legality
- Law, social change, and organized crime: evolution of criminal networks (macro and micro) and the role of law in countering them
- Health security: prevention of health risks (pandemics, violence against healthcare workers, etc.) and emergency management with an integrated territorial approach
- Terrorism, security, and defense: terror as a social strategy, the terrorist threat, and its psychosocial effects on the population and younger generations (e.g., imitation)
- Crisis Management: skills for the integrated management of crises in urban, educational, environmental, and socio-health contexts
Module – Psychology of respect across the life span: analysis of the main forms of violation of interpersonal respect in peer relationships, with particular attention to phenomena such as ostracism, discrimination, bullying, and cyberbullying, and the promotion of a culture of respect through socio-emotional education.
- Municipality of Padua
- ASSIV – Italian Association for Surveillance and Security Services
- AIPSA – Italian Association Business Security Professionals
- CIRSIM – Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per gli Studi Interculturali e sulle Migrazioni (University of Padua)
- LIBERA – Associations, Names and Numbers against Mafia
- Laboratorio ANS di Ricerca multidisciplinare sulla qualità sociale, benessere, sviluppo umano
- Casa della Memoria (House of Memory) – Brescia
- Fondazione Banca Popolare Etica – Padua
- FIABA – Association for diversity, inclusion, and accessibility for a world without barriers
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The general ranking of merit for the academic year 2026/27 will be published on the Italian page of this Master according to the timing provided in the Call.
Information
FAQ
Teaching includes 210 hours spread over 18 weekends. Lessons will take place between November 2026 and September 2027, on Friday afternoons and on Saturdays. There are 90 additional hours to complete autonomously on Moodle. Attendance is mandatory for at least 70% of the total amount of hours and the course ends with a final project work.
Distance learning takes place on the Moodle platform of the University of Padua and includes several activities to be completed online in an asynchronous manner (e.g., debates among students, reading of additional material, discussions with teachers, exchange of tips concerning the project works).
No, it does not.
Yes, students who are absent for any reason can visit the Moodle platform dedicated to the course and watch the recorded video of any lesson they missed. There, they will also find the study material used by the teacher during the lesson (slideshows, articles, etc.).
It is an individual project on a topic of interest for the student, completed under the supervision of a professor or tutor. It is 50 page long, on average
Lessons will be carried out at the School of Psychology in Via Venezia 12, Padua. From the train station, the school is easily accessible by public transportation (5 minutes) or on foot (15 minutes). Students will receive information about any outdoor lessons once the course has started.
The lessons will be held at the Scuola di Psicologia, Via Venezia 12, Padua, easily reachable with public transportation from the railway station (5 minutes) or by foot (15 minutes). Outdoor lessons will also be held, as notified during the course