Urban Studies
MSc Programme
- CROHO 66601 (Sociologie), 66620 (Sociale Geografie) or 66622 (Planologie) (depending on specialisation)
- UvA Registration Code 4095 (Sociologie), 4102 (Sociale Geografie) or 4100 (Planologie)
Duration: 1 year (60 EC) - Start: September
Tuition fee
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The master's programme in Urban
Studies at the ISHSS is an interesting and challenging programme. The courses are within different faculties and with students of other programmes as well, which gives you different perspectives and new insights. By choosing your own courses you can compose a programme that fits your interests. The lecturers are often well-known professors with a lot of knowledge concerning the topics. Sietske Voorn (Dutch) |
Globalisation, de-industrialisation and the rise of information technology have changed the cities of the Western world. They have become metropolitan areas which are both internally divided social worlds and important socio-economic nodes in world-encompassing networks and flows. The Master's programme introduces students to this complex reality by offering theoretical tools as well as research training focused on the problems of metropolitan development. The core courses approach these problems from both an institutional point of view (Metropolitan Governance and Spatial Planning) and a social point of view (Social Challenges in a Globalising World and World Cities). An individual research/thesis project is part of the programme.
The Master's programme in Urban Studies provides the student with a solid theoretical, conceptual and methodological foundation in urban and regional development. It offers students an interdisciplinary approach to the main challenges facing twenty-first-century cities. The historical and comparative dimensions emphasised in the majority of the courses train the student to analyse urban issues from various perspectives and to locate them in wide-ranging sociological, political and cultural contexts. The combination of empirical studies with theoretical reflection will provide the intellectual tools that students need to better understand, analyse and deal with the contemporary complexities of urban development around the globe.
The student's progress will be reviewed through regular contact with the academic adviser and the programme manager in both individual and group meetings. During the thesis-writing phase, students are expected to participate actively in the thesis seminar and to present their thesis proposals and one or more chapters. Upon completion of the programme, students will have acquired an extensive knowledge of the theories and concepts used to research and analyse specific social and/or political problems. They will have learned how to analyse and evaluate social science theories, research methods and results from a critical perspective. In addition, students will have acquired advanced skills for reading, analysing and summarising literature within their field of specialisation, and for placing that literature within larger historical and intellectual contexts. They will have learned how to conduct literature and data searches, to design research projects, to write argumentative texts and to present their research findings, scientific papers and policy papers.
In order to complete their degree, students will apply their knowledge in writing a research proposal and in conducting empirical research for their Master's thesis. Being part of an international programme will help the student to acquire the linguistic and social skills necessary to be able to work in an international, multicultural environment.
More information
More information about this programme and how to apply is available on http://www.studeren.uva.nl/msc_urban_studies/.
