Masters Degrees in Economic Geography, Netherlands

Master's specialisation in Economic Geography

In this Master's specialisation you will study the role of regions as locations for economic activities. Especially with increased competition an optimal interaction between economic activities and the local environment is essential. Think of flows of knowledge, the recruitment and training of employees, relations with suppliers, local governments and the role of environmental and social organisations. In this specialisation you will learn to analyse and understand local developments from a global perspective, focussing on both mainstream and alternative economic practices.

See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/eg

Career prospects

The Master's specialisation in Economic Geography prepares students for a professional career in government, semi-government, and business. It also provides a stepping stone towards a research career in academia or consultancy. You will be able to apply the scientific insights and the practical skills you have acquired to topics including the development of regions and cities, the marketing of regions and cities, the locational choice of (multinational) companies, and innovation and learning in regions and firms.

Imagine yourself working at the Spatial or Economic Development department of a municipality or a larger city. You could become responsible for labour market policies, the planning of industrial zones, the upgrading of city centres, the attraction of new firms and investments, or for getting European Union funds. Provincial governments and new spatial-governmental entities such as city-regions are also happy to employ economic geographers. The same goes for Ministries: in the Dutch context, you can think of ‘Economische Zaken’, ‘VROM’, ‘Verkeer en Waterstaat’, ‘Binnenlandse Zaken’ and ‘LNV’.

A range of job opportunities is further offered by Chambers of Commerce, Regional Development Agencies, and Innovation Platforms. These institutions provide (starting) entrepreneurs with a wealth of information about rules, subsidies, regional labour markets and innovation policies. Often, they are the nodes in formal as well as informal networks of key actors in a region. It is important to add that governments, employers’ organisations, labour unions and housing corporations are increasingly interested in themes such as immigrant entrepreneurship, the ‘Creative Economy’, and sustainability. Economic geographers are well equipped to work on these socially engaged themes.

Currently, a majority of economic geographers works for consultancy and advisory firms. As a consultant or advisor, you may find yourself writing Strategic Plans for the sustainable development of regions and cities, you may help foreign firms and investors to find a suitable location, or you may assist regional and city governments in getting and managing EU funds (project and process management).

See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/eg

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Researching Diversity in Cities and Regions

In this master students are trained to analyze increasing urbanization, growing environmental threats and uneven economic globalization.

Cities and regions throughout the world face challenges that require integrated knowledge of urban geography, economic geography, international development studies, and planning. In this Research Master's programme in Urban and Economic Geography (previously known as Human Geography and Planning), students will gain a broad theoretical and methodological background that will allow them to become an academic or professional researcher of ongoing social, spatial, and economic developments in cities and regions. Students can specialize in their preferred geographic sub-discipline while maintaining a broader perspective on the functioning of cities and regions, as well as the relevant theories and methods.

Programe Objective

In Urban and Economic Geography, you will study the reasons behind the diverse developments in the globalized and urbanized world, and you will learn to translate up-to-date theoretical and methodological developments into empirical research. You will also formulate effective policy recommendations to make cities and regions more viable and sustainable.

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A NEW PROGRAMME WITH A SOLID FOUNDATION

Human Geography is a new Master’s programme that starts in September 2017. It stems from the former Economic Geography and Urban Geography programmes. You can specialize in one of the two fields by choosing a track:

-Urban Geography: Neighborhoods & Residential Dynamics: This track focuses on relocation between different living environments over time and the consequences of these relocation for cities and neighborhoods;
-Urban Geography: Daily Life & Public Spaces: This track focuses on on daily life. You will learn who participates in which work, shopping and leisure activities.
-Economic Geography: Business & Location: This track focuses specializes in entrepreneurship - from large multinational corporations to small-scale local business activity and start-ups.
-Economic Geography: Regional Development & Policy: This track studies the life cycle of regions.

Urban regions are bubbling, dynamic places where people get together and generate new ideas. They are the grounds for innovation and economic growth. In the Human Geography Master's programme you learn how urban and economic issues are interwoven.

This Master’s programme has an international character. We welcome students from around the world onto the programme. You will go on an international field trip and can complete your Master's thesis project and/or internship abroad.

Objective

This Master’s programme gives you a thorough understanding of important urban and economic issues. You will receive comprehensive training in the methodological and critical analytical skills needed to find possible solutions for challenges in urban regions. Working from a scientific and theoretical foundation, you come into contact with the daily practice. Through guest lectures and practical assignments (active learning), you will learn what graduates do and be able to determine where you would be most at home.

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Introduction to the programme

Human Geography is a research field which focuses on studying the spatial behaviour of people, firms and organisations. Or, to put it simply, it is a study that observes the relationship between human activities and their spatial environment. Because it is an integrative discipline, Human Geography serves as an excellent platform for integrating knowledge from various related disciplines, such as Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, International Relations, Economics, Business Administration and Development Studies.

Specialisations in the Master's in Human Geography

The Human Geography Master's programme at Radboud University offers five specialisations and the option to develop your own specialisation:
- Conflicts, Territories and Identities
- Economic Geography
- Europe: Governance, Borders and Identities
- Globalisation, Migration and Development
- Urban and Cultural Geography
- Free specialisation: combination of courses of your own choice, subject to approval by the Examination Board

The Master's programme can also be conducted in dual mode (information in Dutch: studying next to working in the human geographic profession). Additionally there is a post-Master's programme for secondary teacher training also called educational Master's at the ILS (in Dutch).

Assessment during the programme

Throughout the Master's programme you will be assessed by a mixture of written exams, essays, papers, projects, oral presentations and your Master's thesis.

Career prospects with a degree in Human Geography

Graduates of the Master's in Human Geography will be qualified for many different job positions. These jobs all require excellent analytical skills at an academic level, a critical perspective, thorough knowledge of societal relations and a clear vision of how crucial societal problems can be solved. Human Geography graduates find jobs rather easily at (international) research institutes, international companies, or at consultancy firms. Top-ranking positions, in private industry as well as in governmental and non-governmental organisations can also be found.

Our approach to this field

Human Geography is a research field which focuses on studying the spatial behaviour of people, firms and organisations. Or, to put it simply, it is a study that observes the relationship between human activities and their spatial environment. Because it is an integrative discipline, Human Geography serves as an excellent platform for integrating knowledge from various related disciplines, such as Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, International Relations, Economics, Business Administration and Development Studies.

See the website http://www.ru.nl/english/education/masters/human-geography

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This programme trains you to do research in the Spatial Sciences: economic and cultural geography, spatial planning and demography. The programme is aimed at people who want to become successful researchers in the field.

The two-year Research Master in Spatial Sciences (before September 1, 2016 called Regional Studies) is interdisciplinary. Spatial sciences, regional studies geography and spatial planning constitute an interrelated, inherently broad and multi-disciplinary field. A field not only rich in theoretical variety but also encompassing both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, from ethnographic to case study to statistical and econometric approaches. You will develop real competences in all of these areas, in order to choose your own area of research, and become a successful researcher in the Spatial Sciences field in general.

You will participate in research projects under supervision of experienced staff members, within the Faculty's Research Program tWIST: Towards Wellbeing, Innovation and Spatial Transformation. Regular personal coaching, guidance and monitoring will help you to identify your own preferred learning trajectory and develop your individual research agenda. You are required to gain some international experience, by doing research in a foreign context, and by participating in international workshops or conferences. You can also choose to study abroad.

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The master's programme Spatial Planning (previously known as Planologie) trains you to solve conflicting interests on urban land. Many stakeholders have different ideas on how to use land – learn to balance them and find sustainable solutions. As a planner, you are also directly involved in preparing public policy for sustainable cities. Apply appropriate methods and instruments that contribute to sustainable, smart, and inclusive spatial policy. Learn how to develop innovative concepts and manage complex governance processes for the sustainable use of spatial resources such as land and shape the urban environment of the future.

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES

The programme prepares you to approach issues such as, facilitating sustainable urban (re)development, finding answers to changing socio-spatial demands (such as demographic or climate change), dealing with complexities of metropolitan areas and real estate development in difficult economic times, or governance of environmental changes in an uncertain climate.

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This Master's degree teaches you why people embrace or reject spatial changes. You will be trained as a technician who seeks optimal quality of life in association with the people involved.

During the Master's programme in Socio-Spatial Planning, you will study spatial issues. You will not only focus on planning urban areas, the environment and traffic, but also on the social aspects of change.

You will study the role of various parties involved in the environment, such as the government and civilians. You will learn to analyse spatial issues, formulate strategies and evaluate the consequences. You will also learn to make policy and supervise projects.

Apart from the compulsory subjects, you can choose some elective courses. You will finish your programme by writing a thesis.

Job perspectives

Socio-spatial planners often work for the government. They design environmental policy. Consultancies, housing associations and developers also hire planners. You may also pursue a scientific career at a university.

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As the preparations for the New Urban Agenda by UN Habitat III signals, the agenda of urban planners in the 21st century will become tighter. Cities and city regions will continue growing in size and function. Challenges derive directly from ‘external’ processes like globalization, climate change and migration. The city and city region is also inscribed as central element into the growth model of the modern society. These challenges translate into the domain of planning, with newly emerging forms of collective plan-making and new governance arrangements taking shape. In a positive sense, urban development is negotiated and created in urban future laboratories. How can planners deal with these changing circumstances, and add value to both the bottom-up emerging local initiatives and revise the top-down approaches towards managing spatial development. How can they safeguard common values of a shared city or regional identity, a functioning ‘spatial fabric,’ or an equitable access to public services?

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