As the only course to explicitly address the topic of sustainable cities, our Sustainable Cities MA, MSc is unique in the UK. It is an interdisciplinary course that focuses on the human and physical processes shaping urban ecologies and environments. We also offer the opportunity to gain practical experience through an internship.
Our Sustainable Cities MA, MSc course will give you advanced understanding of contemporary debates about sustainable cities, with a specific focus on the human and physical processes shaping urban ecologies and environments.
We aim to:
The course combines pure and applied research methods from human and physical geography, giving you an advanced level understanding of contemporary debates about sustainable cities. We focus on the human and physical processes shaping urban ecologies, environments and social processes.
The degree combines pure and applied research methods from human and physical geography leading to an advanced level understanding of contemporary debates about sustainable cities. Specific foci will be the human and physical processes shaping urban ecologies, environments and social structure and process.
Teaching
We will teach you through a combination of lectures and seminars, normally for 20 hours for a 20-credit module. In addition we expect you to complete 180 hours of independent study per module. For your 12,000 word dissertation, we will provide four workshops and five hours of one-to-one supervision to complement your 587 hours of independent study.
Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.
Assessment
Performance on taught modules in the Geography Department is normally assessed through essays and other written assignments, oral presentations, lab work and occasionally by examination, depending on the modules selected. All students also undertake a research-based dissertation of 12,000 words.
The skills that you develop on this course will allow you to excel in a wide range of careers in international organisations, agencies, consultancies, national and city governments, charities, research organisations and academia.
Analysing and reflecting on sustainability transformations in cities and regions with regard to topics such as waste, energy, water, transportation and climate change.
Cities around the world are dealing with environmental issues: air pollution, urban heat islands, stormwater flooding, the growing accumulation of solid waste. What can be done to keep citizens safe from environmental hazards and natural disasters? What is needed to ensure a pleasant living environment? And how can residents, commuters and businesses be stimulated – or if necessary, forced with legislation or financial sanctions – to do their bit? With the problems increasing, rather than diminishing, there’s a growing demand for professionals with an expertise in the development of sustainable cities.
The Master’s specialisation in Local Environmental Change and Sustainable Cities focuses on the local level of sustainability transformations. You’ll be introduced to the latest scientific insights, which will be illustrated with numerous examples of how cities and regions all over the world tackle these problems.
A broad scope of environmental issues will be addressed, as well as existing measures and instruments. Stormwater management, forms of renewable energy and green roofs are just a small sample of what you can expect to encounter. You’ll also, for example, discover that waste management goes far beyond recycling schemes and how cradle-to-grave products are making way for cradle-to-cradle. In addition, we’ll be dealing with citizens’ initiatives in renewable energy as well as new focus areas, like the possible environmental advantages of community food systems.
This Master’s specialisation will teach you to become the bridge between science and society. What do the latest results in environmental research actually mean and how can that knowledge be converted into concrete plans and policies that will bring about the change needed? In this, it’s crucial that you understand how policymaking and legislation works as well as have some insight into human behaviour. For a plan to work, the people and businesses in the city need to collaborate. Environmental and behavioural psychology will therefore be addressed in various courses within this specialisation too.
See the website: http://www.ru.nl/masters/local
1. The specialisation strongly focuses on the local level of sustainability transformations, in particular sustainable cities.
2. The natural as well as social and political aspects of environmental issues will be addressed.
3. Related aspects of spatial planning will be incorporated in this specialisation. You can also take courses from the Master’s in Spatial Planning as electives for a multidisciplinary perspective.
3. Thanks to our extensive research, our staff members are among the leading experts when it comes to waterproofing and climate proofing cities.
4. You’ll gain insight on how to take scientific results and convert them into viable plans and policies.
5. Because the Netherlands is known for its expertise in water, climate and spatial planning, it offers a great atmosphere to study this field.
6. You’ll also benefit from the advantages of the Master’s programme in Environment and Society Studies in general.
See the website: http://www.ru.nl/masters/local
Cities across the world are facing huge sustainability challenges. Whilst mayors and city governments pledge ‘zero carbon cities’ by 2040, a serious skills shortage means a new generation of sustainability leaders is needed.
The MSc Sustainable Cities tackles this skills shortage by equipping you with the knowledge and tools necessary to become an urban sustainability leader. On this programme you will experience urban sustainability first hand, blending concepts and theories with real world problems and solutions.
We take a ‘systems’ approach to teaching sustainable cities, you will learn about energy systems, transport networks, housing provision, and urban ecosystems. Using applied cases you will discover how these systems can be transformed to produce better economic, environmental, and social outcomes. This course will see students graduate into city government, consultancy, NGO’s and beyond.
The course is delivered in a friendly, challenging and globally competitive Environment faculty where you will have access to cutting edge research, teaching and collaborative learning opportunities.
Projects:
The research project is one of the most satisfying elements of this course. It allows you to apply what you’ve learned to a piece of research focusing on a real-world problem, and it can be used to explore and develop your specific interests.
Examples of project topics would include:
Programme team
You will be taught by staff from across the School of Environment, School of Geography and Institute of Transport Studies.
This innovative programme focuses on tackling major urban opportunities and issues.
The course provides you with the skills and understanding to become a leader in the design and delivery of sustainable city strategies.
Over half the world’s population now live in cities. Achieving sustainable futures for urban centres is a growing issue. You’ll develop a full understanding of how cities work and acquire the tools to:
You’ll demonstrate your knowledge through high-quality work placements rather than a traditional dissertation. The course offers flexibility to pursue your individual interests and diversify your skills.
This course has been reviewed by a range of key employers. They’ve expressed strong interest in being involved in this course and provide project placements and job interviews to graduates from the course.
The programme is centred around a suite of core classes and is delivered by dynamic and passionate team of staff drawn from multiple disciplines. These are in the key disciplines that are critical for understanding cities, their challenges, and opportunities and strategies for change.
A further core class provides you with the leadership, project management and communication skills that are essential for successful implementation of sustainable city solutions.
Core classes:
Elective classes
You’ll be able to choose from a wide range of classes across our four faculties to pursue your own interests and develop skills in specific areas.
The degree offers relevant work experience. You’ll apply your skills and learning in two project placements in professional working environments, such as:
Your placements can be in two different cities with the opportunity to gain international experience.
The programme will make use of the facilities within Strathclyde’s new Technology & Innovation Centre, where the Institute is based.
The Technology & Innovation Centre has been designed to act as a hub for world-leading research, bringing academics, business, industry and the public sector together to find collaborative and innovative solutions to complex global challenges. Future cities is a core theme of the centre, recognising the need for interdisciplinary research that delivers tangible benefits to citizens living in cities around the world.
You’ll benefit from the latest knowledge and insights incorporated from leading business, government and academic experts, through guest speakers and case studies.
The degree is available for both full time and part time study.
Strathclyde’s award-winning Business School is one of the largest institutions of its kind in Europe. We've around 200 academic staff and more than 3,000 full-time students.
The departments and specialist units work together to provide a dynamic, fully-rounded and varied programme of specialist and cross-disciplinary postgraduate courses.
In semester 1 and 2, the course is delivered through lectures, seminars, tutorials and skills-based workshops. In many of these core classes, there is also strong emphasis on group project work.
During the summer, you’ll undertake two project placements with different organisations – whether in industry, business, academia, government or other organisations working on urban sustainability problems and solutions.
Projects can be undertaken in the UK or overseas, and you’re encouraged to be pro-active in finding opportunities to work with organisations relevant to their future career ambitions. Guidance and support in finding suitable projects will be provided by university staff and periodic workshops and seminars during semesters 1 and 2 will assist you in preparing
The core classes of the programme are assessed through a variety of methods, including written assignments and coursework, presentations and both group and individual project work. Depending on the electives chosen, you may also be assessed by exam.
Transformative Projects runs in place of a traditional dissertation. You’ll write a detailed project report for each placement, and will also produce a critical reflection on your professional skills development across both projects.
With over half the world's population now living in cities, achieving sustainable futures for urban centres is a growing current issue. Over 5000 cities in Europe alone have signed up to ambitious carbon reduction strategies, and the Technology Strategy Board estimate the market in joined up urban solutions will be worth £200 billion a year.
Achieving global carbon reduction targets and improving the quality of life for citizens across the world is critically dependent on changing the way we live, work, and invest in cities. Commercial and governmental interest in cities as investment opportunities, engines for innovation, and the markets they create is growing dramatically, with significant demand for high calibre graduates in this field.
To achieve sustainable futures for cities, professionals are required who have the holistic perspective to see beyond one single aspect of city life - and the ability to develop and deliver viable strategies that address the wider social, economic and environmental opportunities.
Sustainable city leaders and innovators with a diverse range of technical and professional skills and knowledge are increasingly in demand. As cities around the world continue to adopt, develop and enhance their sustainability strategies, graduates with the knowledge and practical experience in delivering viable solutions in practice are highly-desirable employment candidates for a wider range of organisations.
This course is aimed at built environment professionals and others with a relevant background who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of planning and sustainable development, whether to improve career prospects in their country or enter international practice. Through the course you will examine the growing problems of sustainable development facing cities, regions and communities in a rapidly urbanising world, subject to growing climate change and other environmental, economic and social pressures and risks.
Based in London, you will have access to internationally recognised experience of spatial planning for sustainable development, and explore contemporary theories, public policy thinking and good practice in planning in both the developed and developing worlds. The University of Westminster is the UK's first Habitat Partner University. We work with UN-HABITAT and like-minded institutions to promote the socially and environmentally sustainable development of towns, cities and regions, in accordance with the UN Millennium Development Goals.
This course addresses the growing problems of sustainable development facing cities and communities in a rapidly urbanising world. It explores contemporary theories, public policy thinking and good practice in planning that spans both developed and developing world contexts, and offers you the opportunity to explore one area of specialism in a related field in some depth.
There are two Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)-accredited pathways through the course. The Spatial Planning Pathway has a strong urban design component and an emphasis on the development planning process. The Urban Resilience Pathway provides a sustainable development-focused route with a core emphasis on climate change mitigation and adaptation planning. Both pathways cover all these aspects to some degree.
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course. Other modules with course-related learning outcomes may be taken subject to timetabling constraints and the agreement of the Course and Module Leaders.
Core modules – both pathways
Core module for Spatial Planning Pathway
Core module for Urban Resilience Pathway
Optional modules
The course is fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) as a "combined planning programme".
Students on the course are most likely to be working in a relevant built environment or sustainable development-related profession. Overseas students may be receiving a government bursary. Graduates from the course may secure promotion within their existing or a new related area of work, or move onto more responsible positions within 18 months of completing their studies. This may include management posts or the responsibility for project or policy development. It is expected that graduates will enhance their potential to be considered for development positions outside their home country.
Graduates from this course can expect to find employment as planners or urban designers, urban regeneration or environmental management specialists in private consultancy, local and national government, and non-governmental sectors in their own country or internationally, including international development agencies.
What is Humanitarian Engineering?
‘Humanitarian Engineering’ is defined as the use of science and engineering to invent, create, design, develop, or improve technologies which promote the well-being of communities which are facing grand humanitarian challenges (fast growing populations, poor, disaster-hit, marginalised, or under-served communities).
The postgraduate course in Humanitarian Engineering is an interdisciplinary innovative educational programme for Humanitarian Engineers which promotes appropriate, sustainable, and holistic solutions to global challenges by integrating science into a broader practical scheme. This unique and cutting-edge programme will enable you to tackle global problems (energy, water, natural disasters, humanitarian logistics, conflict and wars, global health, mixed in with overpopulation, poverty and underinvestment in low-income countries) in an interdisciplinary way and equip them to address causes, consider preventative approaches, and implement suitable responses.
It is a flexible programme that provides students with an academically rigorous postgraduate level interdisciplinary training in the fields of Humanitarian Engineering, spanning from international development to humanitarianism and disaster emergencies. It involves a strong practical component with exposure to the ‘real world’ of organisations and practitioners and experience that boosts employability.
Who is it for?
The course is - by its nature - not a ‘just for Engineers’ course, instead it is for people with background in any of the following subjects: Science (e.g. Chemistry, Physics), Social Sciences (e.g. History, Politics, Sociology), Law, Health, Management, Business and Economics as well as Engineering.
The programme spans a broad range of disciplines and is ideal for students who are looking to explore all the professional and disciplinary facets of humanitarian challenges.
What will you study?
The course develops enterprising, outward-looking graduates who are both equipped to meet society’s newest and pressing challenges, and employers' demands for advanced skills and knowledge, while translating these skills into your chosen arena. Different stakeholders, beneficiaries and users (e.g. industry, policy-makers, and local communities) are involved in the programme, so that knowledge is orientated towards real world problems and challenges.
Those of you who are less tied to the bounded nature of a particular discipline are able to develop and seek learning between, beyond and across disciplines. The programme brings together an exciting group of European and International students with a diversity of academic and professional backgrounds who establish an international alumni network involved in humanitarian engineering research and practice.
At the point of application, you will choose one of three variants. Each variant offers different core and optional modules tailored to one of three pathways: general Humanitarian Engineering, Humanitarian Engineering with Sustainability, and Humanitarian Engineering with Management.
If you are having keen interest in Engineering might wish to pursue the MSc in Humanitarian Engineering with Sustainability, which focuses on renewable energy, and sustainable cities, operations, and infrastructures.
If you wish to pursue Business-related issues might prefer the MSc in Humanitarian Engineering with Management, which offers opportunities to explore project management, communication and leadership, and management of sustainable supply chains.
Course Structure
Core Modules:
Optional Modules:
Your choice of optional modules will help you to further tailor the programme to your interests.
* The modules mentioned above may be subject to change. Please read our terms and conditions for more detailed information.
Teaching:
Each module will run intensively over one week and will be taught by a variety of methods: seminar, lecture, field research.
Assessment:
The core modules are assessed in a variety of ways: essay, poster, presentation, student-devised assessment.
Career Opportunities
Graduate Destinations:
Graduates of this programme will work across a broad range of areas. Students are expected to come from a broad array of international and professional backgrounds and go on after graduation into a wide variety of professional positions. Many Humanitarian Engineering graduates will work with the governments of developing countries managing the development process (e.g. central banks, ministries of finance, rural development, and education). Others will go on to multilateral development institutions like the World Bank, the IMF, or the United Nations; others to NGO Leaders of all sizes and descriptions; and still others will go on to work in the private sector, in jobs as diverse as professional services, manufacturing, and investment banking, to name just a few. Some students may decide to pursue PhD studies.
Work Experience Opportunities:
During the programme, students will have the opportunity to get involved in projects managed by organisations and professional services in developing and transitional countries.
Now more than ever, more emphasis has been placed on the environmental management and planning of our cities. Graduates must acquire knowledge to solve problems and reshape the quality and performance of cities around the world.
Gain access to a wide range of career pathways in the natural and built environments with a Master of Sustainable Environments and Planning at Bond. Graduates will receive theoretical and practical skills to undertake environmental management, and urban and regional developments.
The Master of Sustainable Environments and Planning is delivered in intensive mode. Intensive mode delivery is a compact and time efficient way to complete a postgraduate qualification with minimal impact on professional and personal lifestyles. Each subject is delivered over two weekends during the semester. There are two sets of three-day sessions per subject, generally scheduled Thursday to Saturday (approximately six to eight contact hours per day) with a break of four or five weeks between session one and session two of each subject.
Participants will receive 40 hours of combined lectures, discussion groups, case studies and workshops during contact hours. International students are required to be on campus every week.
The program is also professionally recognised by some of Australia’s leading professional bodies. This allows graduates to differentiate themselves within the industry.
The Master of Sustainable Environments and Planning program focuses on Environmental Management as well as Urban Design & Planning. The Environmental Management component provides an in-depth examination of environmental management, including field work. The content is globally focused, providing qualifications that are in demand worldwide. Students may apply for a postgraduate industry internship in the final semester of the program. This includes the option of being involved in a client based environmental management capstone project or research dissertation. The Urban Design and Planning curriculum equips graduates with the theoretical and practical skills required to undertake the design, appraisal and management of urban and regional developments. With this qualification, professionals from a built environment background will be able to undertake urban planning and development at a professional level.
View the Master of Sustainable Environments and Planning - Program Structure and Sequencing
The structure of the Master of Sustainable Environments and Planning comprises both theoretical and practical subjects. This program is designed in close consultation with prominent industry professional boards to ensure the integrity and contemporary relevance of the degree.
This program enables you to exit after four (4) subjects with a graduate certificate, after eight (8) subjects with a graduate diploma or complete 12 subjects for a master’s degree.
Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Environments and Planning (4)
You must complete four (4) of the following subjects:
Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Environments and Planning (8)
If you have obtained a cognate undergraduate degree and seek accreditation by the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) you must complete the following eight (8) subjects:
If you are not seeking accreditation from PIA you may complete eight (8) subjects from the following:
Master of Sustainable Environments and Planning (12)
To complete a Master of Sustainable Environments and Planning, you must complete all of the following subjects:
Electives (2)
Students choose any two electives from the FSD list of postgraduate subjects.
How can we work towards a sustainable future? There are plenty of new sustainable technologies, smart governmental instruments and new ideas on organising the market to become more sustainable, but very often we don’t use them. Why is that? What can we learn from successful examples of societal change in other countries?
This programme focuses on the way society deals with its physical environment. We’ll look at experiences of countries all over the globe, at good and bad practises and at the role of markets and governments as well as society itself. You’ll become part of the quest for sustainability. How can we green our economies and change daily behaviour? With the help of other disciplines like sociology, psychology, political science and administration, you’ll gain the complete picture.
Our multidisciplinary programme allows you to look beyond country borders and you’ll discover what is needed on different levels, from the United Nations to Europe, from individual countries to the local level. What is the role of the EU in promoting the 20-20-20 Agenda? And what can be done by people themselves, through, for examples, citizens’ initiatives? In short, you’ll have the knowledge and skills to guide and influence societal transformations towards sustainability.
See the website: http://www.ru.nl/masters/ess
More than many other Master’s programmes, this programme focuses on the political transformations needed for societal change. Scientific insights are illustrated with numerous social and political issues from all over the world.
All lectures, seminars and literature deal with internationally comparative studies on environment, sustainability and social and political change.
Theory is put into practice. During the programme, you'll be in close contact with the professional field by means of guest lecturers and practical assignments, allowing you to assess how well key theories and dynamics perform in practise.
Seminars are interactive so you can acquire the needed skills. For example, participation in negotiation games and debates will strengthen your ability to match the interests of various stakeholders in environmental planning.
There is an obligatory internship (chosen from a list of well-established (inter)national organisations) that will help you to expand your professional network.
For a multidisciplinary perspective, we cooperate with other groups within the department of Geography, Planning and Environment and other departments of the Nijmegen School of Management.
You can choose a specialisation that best reflects your passion for the environment, sustainability and governance. Radboud University offers the following five specialisations in this field:
In this specialisation, you'll study the way complex global sustainability issues are addressed by international governance arrangements, rules and organisations, both public and private. Among the pressing issues are those related to climate change, biodiversity, water quality, the quality of ecosystems and natural resource suppliers.
The private sector plays a crucial role in shaping our sustainable society. In this specialisation you'll study innovative environmental partnerships, specifically focusing on the role of the societal and ethical responsibility of business and the market with regards to the environment.
In this specialisation you'll focus on the local level of sustainable transformations, in particular the development of sustainable cities and regions. You'll analyse and reflect on sustainable futures, measures and instruments with regard to waste, energy, water, transport and climate-proofing cities and regions.
This specialisation will teach you to become a spatial planner who can engage with EU policies, cooperate with planners across borders and coordinate with other sectors like environment and economic development.
The aims and objectives of PLANET Europe are similar to those of European Spatial and Environmental Planning. With PLANET Europe you’ll gain two diplomas in two years from different universities if you successfully complete the programme.
See the website: http://www.ru.nl/masters/ess
This new MSc brings a cross-disciplinary focus to transport and urban planning which is unique, aiming to foster “smart solutions” to the current critical challenges of transitioning to sustainable travel behaviours and sustainable cities in the UK and internationally. The programme draws on the latest thinking and debates in transport, urban planning and mega infrastructure project development.
The aim of the MSc is to enable students to work effectively as transport and planning practitioners, moving beyond the ‘disciplinary silos’ usually found in academia and practice. A key feature of the MSc is its integrative design across disciplines, developing a range of different theories and perspectives, with modules linked by common principles.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of six core modules (90 credits), two optional modules (30 credits) and a dissertation/report (60 credits).
A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits, full-time nine months) is offered.
Core modules
Optional modules
Choose two from a list which may include the following:
Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation in transport and city planning of 10,000 words.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, project work, and site visits. Assessment is through examinations, essays, group/individual projects and presentation, and a dissertation.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Transport and City Planning MSc
The programme is attractive to candidates who wish to work across disciplines, and at the strategic policy development levels, with urban planning, geography, transport planning or engineering graduates, or wider specialists, who see their future work in transport planning as part of the design of sustainable cities. Graduate students from The Bartlett School of Planning have been very successful in gaining subsequent employment. At present there is a growing demand for our postgraduates from a wide range of both private and public employers, within the transport planning or urban planning professions, or the nexus of strategy development and implementation.
Employability
This programme will equip students with the skills needed to work effectively as transport and planning practitioners in urban contexts in the public or third sector, for example in consultancy, central government, Transport for London (TfL), Greater London Authority (GLA), metropolitan authorities, local authorities, international investment banks, quangos and lobby groups. Potential employers also include international consultancies; we have close links and have worked with many of these companies such as Halcrow, CH2M and Arup.
The UCL Bartlett is the UK's largest multidisciplinary Faculty of the Built Environment, bringing together scientific and professional specialisms required to research, understand, design, construct and operate the buildings and urban environments of the future.
There is a strong focus on transport and city planning in research activities at the UCL Bartlett. Current activities include: VIBAT (Visioning and Backcasting for Transport), SINTROPHER (innovative public transport options in peripheral regions), SYNAPTIC (the seamless travel journey), the OMEGA centre (the planning and delivery of major infrastructure projects) and we work with various project sponsors such as Transport for London, the Asian Development Bank and European Investment Bank.
The MSc has Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) accreditation as a ‘specialist’ four-year programme. Candidates can also apply to become members of the Transport Planning Society (TPS), Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), or related organisations, on subscription.
What is Humanitarian Engineering?
‘Humanitarian Engineering’ is defined as the use of science and engineering to invent, create, design, develop, or improve technologies which promote the well-being of communities which are facing grand humanitarian challenges (fast growing populations, poor, disaster-hit, marginalised, or under-served communities).
The postgraduate course in Humanitarian Engineering is an interdisciplinary innovative educational programme for Humanitarian Engineers which promotes appropriate, sustainable, and holistic solutions to global challenges by integrating science into a broader practical scheme. This unique and cutting-edge programme will enable you to tackle global problems (energy, water, natural disasters, humanitarian logistics, conflict and wars, global health, mixed in with overpopulation, poverty and underinvestment in low-income countries) in an interdisciplinary way and equip them to address causes, consider preventative approaches, and implement suitable responses.
It is a flexible programme that provides students with an academically rigorous postgraduate level interdisciplinary training in the fields of Humanitarian Engineering, spanning from international development to humanitarianism and disaster emergencies. It involves a strong practical component with exposure to the ‘real world’ of organisations and practitioners and experience that boosts employability.
Who is it for?
The course is - by its nature - not a ‘just for Engineers’ course, instead it is for people with background in any of the following subjects: Science (e.g. Chemistry, Physics), Social Sciences (e.g. History, Politics, Sociology), Law, Health, Management, Business and Economics as well as Engineering.
The programme spans a broad range of disciplines and is ideal for students who are looking to explore all the professional and disciplinary facets of humanitarian challenges.
What will you study?
The course develops enterprising, outward-looking graduates who are both equipped to meet society’s newest and pressing challenges, and employers' demands for advanced skills and knowledge, while translating these skills into your chosen arena. Different stakeholders, beneficiaries and users (e.g. industry, policy-makers, and local communities) are involved in the programme, so that knowledge is orientated towards real world problems and challenges.
Those of you who are less tied to the bounded nature of a particular discipline are able to develop and seek learning between, beyond and across disciplines. The programme brings together an exciting group of European and International students with a diversity of academic and professional backgrounds who establish an international alumni network involved in humanitarian engineering research and practice.
At the point of application, you will choose one of three variants. Each variant offers different core and optional modules tailored to one of three pathways: general Humanitarian Engineering, Humanitarian Engineering with Sustainability, and Humanitarian Engineering with Management.
If you are having keen interest in Engineering might wish to pursue the MSc in Humanitarian Engineering with Sustainability, which focuses on renewable energy, and sustainable cities, operations, and infrastructures.
If you wish to pursue Business-related issues might prefer the MSc in Humanitarian Engineering with Management, which offers opportunities to explore project management, communication and leadership, and management of sustainable supply chains.
Course Structure
Core Modules:
Optional Modules:
Your choice of optional modules will help you to further tailor the programme to your interests.
* The modules mentioned above may be subject to change. Please read our terms and conditions for more detailed information.
Teaching:
Each module will run intensively over one week and will be taught by a variety of methods: seminar, lecture, field research.
Assessment:
The core modules are assessed in a variety of ways: essay, poster, presentation, student-devised assessment.
Career Opportunities
Graduate Destinations:
Graduates of this programme will work across a broad range of areas. Students are expected to come from a broad array of international and professional backgrounds and go on after graduation into a wide variety of professional positions. Many Humanitarian Engineering graduates will work with the governments of developing countries managing the development process (e.g. central banks, ministries of finance, rural development, and education). Others will go on to multilateral development institutions like the World Bank, the IMF, or the United Nations; others to NGO Leaders of all sizes and descriptions; and still others will go on to work in the private sector, in jobs as diverse as professional services, manufacturing, and investment banking, to name just a few. Some students may decide to pursue PhD studies.
Work Experience Opportunities:
During the programme, students will have the opportunity to get involved in projects managed by organisations and professional services in developing and transitional countries.
What is Humanitarian Engineering?
‘Humanitarian Engineering’ is defined as the use of science and engineering to invent, create, design, develop, or improve technologies which promote the well-being of communities which are facing grand humanitarian challenges (fast growing populations, poor, disaster-hit, marginalised, or under-served communities).
The postgraduate course in Humanitarian Engineering is an interdisciplinary innovative educational programme for Humanitarian Engineers which promotes appropriate, sustainable, and holistic solutions to global challenges by integrating science into a broader practical scheme. This unique and cutting-edge programme will enable you to tackle global problems (energy, water, natural disasters, humanitarian logistics, conflict and wars, global health, mixed in with overpopulation, poverty and underinvestment in low-income countries) in an interdisciplinary way and equip them to address causes, consider preventative approaches, and implement suitable responses.
It is a flexible programme that provides students with an academically rigorous postgraduate level interdisciplinary training in the fields of Humanitarian Engineering, spanning from international development to humanitarianism and disaster emergencies. It involves a strong practical component with exposure to the ‘real world’ of organisations and practitioners and experience that boosts employability.
Who is it for?
The course is - by its nature - not a ‘just for Engineers’ course, instead it is for people with background in any of the following subjects: Science (e.g. Chemistry, Physics), Social Sciences (e.g. History, Politics, Sociology), Law, Health, Management, Business and Economics as well as Engineering.
The programme spans a broad range of disciplines and is ideal for students who are looking to explore all the professional and disciplinary facets of humanitarian challenges.
What will you study?
The course develops enterprising, outward-looking graduates who are both equipped to meet society’s newest and pressing challenges, and employers' demands for advanced skills and knowledge, while translating these skills into your chosen arena. Different stakeholders, beneficiaries and users (e.g. industry, policy-makers, and local communities) are involved in the programme, so that knowledge is orientated towards real world problems and challenges.
Those of you who are less tied to the bounded nature of a particular discipline are able to develop and seek learning between, beyond and across disciplines. The programme brings together an exciting group of European and International students with a diversity of academic and professional backgrounds who establish an international alumni network involved in humanitarian engineering research and practice.
At the point of application, you will choose one of three variants. Each variant offers different core and optional modules tailored to one of three pathways: general Humanitarian Engineering, Humanitarian Engineering with Sustainability, and Humanitarian Engineering with Management.
If you are having keen interest in Engineering might wish to pursue the MSc in Humanitarian Engineering with Sustainability, which focuses on renewable energy, and sustainable cities, operations, and infrastructures.
If you wish to pursue Business-related issues might prefer the MSc in Humanitarian Engineering with Management, which offers opportunities to explore project management, communication and leadership, and management of sustainable supply chains.
Course Structure
Core Modules:
Optional Modules:
Your choice of optional modules will help you to further tailor the programme to your interests.
Optional core module:
List A:
List B:
For a PgD (120 credits), students must take all core modules for 90 credits, and any combination of optional modules for 30 credits (excluding List B modules). The project will not be undertaken in such cases.
For a PgC (60 credits) the student must take any combination of core modules for 60 credits or any combination of core and optional modules for at least 30 credits of core modules and a maximum of 30 credits of optional modules (excluding List B modules).
* The modules mentioned above may be subject to change. Please read our terms and conditions for more detailed information.
Teaching:
Each module will run intensively over one week and will be taught by a variety of methods: seminar, lecture, field research.
Assessment:
The core modules are assessed in a variety of ways: essay, poster, presentation, student-devised assessment.
Career Opportunities
Graduate Destinations:
Graduates of this programme will work across a broad range of areas. Students are expected to come from a broad array of international and professional backgrounds and go on after graduation into a wide variety of professional positions. Many Humanitarian Engineering graduates will work with the governments of developing countries managing the development process (e.g. central banks, ministries of finance, rural development, and education). Others will go on to multilateral development institutions like the World Bank, the IMF, or the United Nations; others to NGO Leaders of all sizes and descriptions; and still others will go on to work in the private sector, in jobs as diverse as professional services, manufacturing, and investment banking, to name just a few. Some students may decide to pursue PhD studies.
Work Experience Opportunities:
During the programme, students will have the opportunity to get involved in projects managed by organisations and professional services in developing and transitional countries.
Recent data and predictions on the forthcoming rate of urbanisation make cities the most common living environment now and in the future. What kind of life will it be for the seven billion people who will live in existing or developing cities? Cities hold tremendous potential, but at the same time are sources of stress, inequalities and pollution.
In 2015, the United Nations recognised this through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which included 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Goal 11 is dedicated to urban settlements, with the aim to 'Make Cities Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable'.
This means that getting the design of cities right has never been so important. The questions are: what kind of design should we adopt, and who should be in charge? Our course explicitly addresses these questions, and teaches how to design responsive, resilient, sustainable cities for all their inhabitants, thus preparing socially responsible urban design professionals of the future.
Designed for both students and practitioners, the course treats the city as a complex, dynamic system.
The course is closely linked to the Urban Design Studies Unit research agenda. Everything taught in classes and the studio is based on our excellent research record and helps advance it.
Your course is delivered through studio work, lectures, seminars and a research project.
The major topic of studio is the design of the resilient city. We will address this at all scales, from the metropolitan to the neighbourhood with all its special places. We normally work on a authentic client commission, therefore the work is real; you will work against deadlines, and in multidisciplinary teams, employing professional methods. Your designs will be based on UDSU’s approach to city design called ‘Masterplanning for Change’.
Taught classes give you the theoretical grounding for everything you do in studio and inform the next phase of research. They take you through the history and theory of ideas that shaped cities up to the present day. They illustrate the current challenges faced by cities, with all the approaches available to tackle them This culminates with the very unique principles behind our Masterplanning for Change approach to the design of the city. These classes also aim to provide you with the basic skills to develop and express urban design ideas at best. Finally, they provide you with an understanding of the political, economic and practical realms of urban design.
The Masters thesis is a substantial piece of student-led work on a topic of particular personal interest, or suggested by staff to advance the Urban Design Studies Unit agenda. It is the completion of this piece that grants students the RTPI accreditation.
Studios
There are two fully-networked design studios; one dedicated to student self-study, the other to interactive design teaching.
Library
In addition to the main University library, we have our own, on-site, reference library. Our collection is developed in direct response to the teaching delivered in the department.
Workshop
A full range of hand and portable power tools are available (complete with instruction).
We offer plotter printing, scanning and laser cutting services.
Find out more about the full range of facilities we have on offer.
The course receives Specialist Accreditation from the Royal Town Planning Institute, an important professional recognition from one of the largest planning bodies in the World.
Our department works in a joint Partnership Board with Glasgow University’s Department of Urban Studies, a world-class department whose renowned teachers and researchers contribute real estate and policy and practice teaching to our course.
Taught classes take place over Semesters 1 and 2, and include compulsory and optional choices. Compulsory classes will teach you the basic principles of what makes a sustainable and resilient city. Urban Design History and Urban Theory provide a historic overview of all major changes in the form of cities, with a focus on their social, political and economic contexts. The principles and theories of Sustainability are explored as well as the role of Development Processes and the practice and policy of Urban Design (theory) on the shape and density of cities
Optional classes offer you the chance to specialise in an area of interest. These include Urban Landscape Design, Urban Design Representation and other classes which you might find useful from the wider Faculty of Engineering offering.
The course director helps each student build up their curriculum on the basis of their background and interests.
Courses are taught through lectures, seminars and studio work as well as a piece of research (MSc students only).
Lectures and seminars are delivered through a variety of modes including short intensive sessions to allow for flexible booking by CPD and part-time students. There's also occasional site visits.
The taught element of the course starts from a solid grounding in urban design history and theory. It then concentrates on current urban challenges, from climate change to the pressures for development in both developed and developing countries. It culminates with the research work carried out in the Urban Design Studies Unit and teaches you the unit’s ethos and approach to urbanism.
Assessment criteria are linked to the learning outcomes set for each individual class and these are published in the modules descriptors which are available to students. The criteria is also explained by staff at the start of each class, to make sure that you're comfortable and clear with what is expected of you.
The assessment of studio work is developed collaboratively between staff and students. Learning outcomes are linked to criteria and performances. This increases your sense of ownership of the learning process and is integral to the course.
On successful completion of studio and classes you’ll be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma. If you complete an additional research element you’ll receive an MSc in Urban Design.
