Master's programme in Sustainable Urban Planning and Design
The challenges of sustainable urban development call for cross-cutting professionals who can bridge disciplinary borders and contribute to the adaptation of urban planning practice to the environmental conditions and societal needs of the future.
Career prospects
The governance and management of the inherent dynamics and complexity of urban space is crucial in order to be able provide the conditions for an enhanced quality of life, fulfilling the aims of efficiency, democracy and sustainable development. This requires a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical skills from different fields, such as architecture, planning and environmental science.
The programme prepares students for these tasks and provides them with a thorough understanding of the planning process and the aesthetic, social, economic and environmental determinants that contribute to sustainable urban development.
Graduates from the programme are educated to cope with advanced tasks in urban planning and management and will compete for positions on the international labour market within the public sector, private architectural, planning and policy advisory firms, research institutes and NGOs.
Programme outline
The programme brings together students of architecture, planning, civil engineering, and natural and social sciences, who want to develop expertise and skills for analysing, synthesising and co-ordinating complex planning and design tasks in an urban setting.
Throughout the programme, students will be equipped with professional tools and skills that will allow them to serve as critical links that bring different perspectives together in the process of planning and design for sustainable urban environments worldwide.
The coursework encompasses a substantial share of studios and projects that aim to train the student’s practical skills and gain a better understanding of planning practice.
The programme offers three tracks
Urban Planning and Design (UPD)
Urban and Regional Planning (URP)
The three tracks represent different professional competences that are involved in urban planning and design. However, during the programme students from different tracks will interact in courses and projects to foster a mutual exchange of knowledge and ideas.
Degree project
The degree project comprises 30 ECTS and provides students with the opportunity to investigate a problem in depth under the supervision of experienced practitioners and researchers. The topic for the degree project should be within the scope of the programme and relate to knowledge acquired during the coursework.
The degree project is carried out in Sweden or abroad, and can be oriented towards research (f.e. literature study, field study), towards practice (at a company or organisation) or a combination of both.
