Master of Science in Urban & Regional Planning

Overview

Hundreds of years ago people built their homes wherever they wanted to, especially in rural areas. In towns however, the situation was already complicated in the Middle Ages. Even now we can recognize how towns were built on favourable places like rivers, lakes or near the sea, so people could use boats to travel or transport goods to sell. Especially in a country like the Netherlands, almost one big river delta, the majority of towns are built near water.

Because the Netherlands was prosperous at an early stage, many people were attracted to live here. So the Netherlands became one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Planning is essential for us now. We must plan very carefully where to build houses, railroads, highways, industrial districts, offices and agricultural areas. Regional developments can easily lead to conflicts between stakeholders if not guided properly. The conservation and development of nature areas require careful planning as well.

The need for sustainable planning is not limited to The Netherlands and Europe of course. The programme provides students from all over the world with an understanding all the forces that shape urban and rural areas at home and abroad, it also equips them with the tools needed to confront the key challenges in the professional field of a planner.

Please note: Students who successfully complete their studies obtain the MSc title in Urban & Regional Planning awarded by the University of Greenwich, as well as a Professional Masters degree from Saxion University, validated by the Dutch-Flemish Accreditations Organisation (NVAO).

Course content

The Course in Urban & Regional Planning and Development contains five units with 180 UK credits or 75 ECTS

• Problem solving in an interdisciplinary setting (22 credits)
  • working in an interdisciplinary project group

• Management and cultural awareness (22 credits)
  • stakeholders management and project management, including training in presentation and negotiation

• Specialization in Urban and Regional Planning (54 credits)
  • lectures and workshops on related subjects and assignment to practice academic literature search (research training project)

• Research Methodology (22 credits)
  • lectures and worskhops on research methods and techniques and academic reporting

• Research Project (60 credits),
  • the student conducts a research on a current problem in the field of his/her specialization. Students will be encouraged to perform their research abroad.

Aims of the programme
Urban and Regional Planning and Development is also known as ‘Town and Country Planning’, ‘Regional Planning’, ‘Environmental Planning’, ‘Land Use Planning’, and ‘Physical Planning’. This form of planning is increasingly influenced by international developments and policies.

The Urban and Regional Planner in Europe and elsewhere in the world, focusing on policy, research or design and working in the private or (semi-) public sector, has to deal with policymakers, finances, social networks, physical relations, etc. Not only at an international and regional level, but also more and more at a local level there is an emerging need for Urban and Regional Planners who are trained in thinking and working in an interdisciplinary and international perspective.

This means that there is a growing lack of academically educated Urban and Regional planners, who are able to undertake analytic and design activities on not only local to national scale, but also within a broader international dimension.

A field trip to the UK, London - Thames - Medway, is an integral part of the programme.

Please be aware that this programme is more than 12 months. For the additional 13th month you will have to take additional costst of housing, insurance and residence permit, into account.

Specific requirements

You can find general entry requirements to this course here. Besides these general requirements, you must meet the following requirements:

• A Bachelor of Science degree in a related field of study;
• TOEFL 550, IELTS 6,0 or similar English language qualification.

The students’ qualifications will be assessed during an intake interview or by assessment of a Curriculum Vitae and a letter of motivation.

Career prospects

A graduate from the Master of Science programme Urban and Regional Planning and Development may work at government agencies, consultancy companies, research institutes and other non-governmental organizations dealing with (international) spatial planning issues in both urban and rural areas.