MSL3000 Learning with Mobile Technologies Course description

The program is a full-time program over two years that consists of a lecture-based component with a scope of 90 credits and an independent project, the master’s thesis, with a scope of 30 credits. The master’s degree program will prepare students to meet society’s need for up-todate, forward-looking expertise in sustainable and smart urban analytics and transport planning. In this master program, the students will achieve knowledge in both the fields of Transport- and Urban Planning.

The courses are organized in a systematic way. The transport courses provided in the first semester will provide students strategic and technological knowledge of the state-of-the-art transport system and the challenges it is facing. Moreover, basic research skills will also be provided to help students to handle more methodological courses in the second semester. During the second semester, the widely applied analytic and modeling method will be provided to students with the focus on human activity and needs. Their knowledge will be expanded from the transport system to the whole city. Students will have in-depth skills and concepts of urban analytics and regional science. In the second year, students will select their expertise and conduct a master thesis based on everything they learned in the first year.

Transport planning concerns the evolution of transportation networks and transport planning strategies. The study program focuses on providing the students with more detailed knowledge of the history, trends, problems, and opportunities in land use and transportation. The program incorporates substantive knowledge in transport demand and travel behavior, land use and transportation policy and planning, street design and urban space, and implications for a sustainable urban future. The study program also aims to provide updated skills on new technology in this field as well as knowledge in innovations in equitable and sustainable urban mobility.

Urban planning is analyzing and understanding the evolution and challenges of urban development, as well as urban and land use planning. The study program focuses on providing the students with solid, theoretical knowledge and applied skills in urban systems, management of urban design and human factors in sustainable cities. Climate change and increased focus on resource use and environmental impacts thereby entail a greater focus on the choice of urban design. The study program focuses on providing the students with more detailed knowledge of town-friendly planning and green policy. The study program also aims to provide updated skills on new technology in this field as well as knowledge in innovative and sustainable urban planning.

In the third semester, students have the option to choose in-depth knowledge in either smart mobility or in urban analytics. Students who choose to specialize in smart mobility will take the Urban Mobility elective, and students who choose to specialize in urban analytics will take the Space Syntax elective. The elective courses give students necessary knowledge in these areas, and experience applying the skills and methods learned in the first and second semester to specific problems in Transport and Urban planning. After completing the elective, students will then complete a master’s thesis in the fourth semester. The master’s thesis will then give the students further practice in applying their knowledge and skills to relevant issues through more comprehensive project work.

The study program focuses on teaching students how to use advanced computer programs and simulation tools to solve complex problems relating to sustainable urban and transportation problems, so the development of digital skills is an important integrated part of all the courses. This also helps make the program cross-disciplinary, including elements of computer science, analytic disciplines (like modeling, simulation), artificial intelligence, machine learning etc., because that is what the industry needs today

The study program also aims to qualify candidates with the competence to participate in research work in the field. The two courses Research Methods and Research Ethics (5 ECTS) and Advanced Research Methods (5 ECTS) underpins the master’s thesis and provides an introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods, ethics, and academic writing and dissemination of results

The master’s thesis is an independent, supervised research or development project in the core areas and represents further specialisation in either transport or urban planning.

The structure of the programe:

The master’s degree program consists of eight compulsory courses, two elective courses in addition to a master’s thesis. The course portfolio is composed so that the compulsory courses ensure academic and professional breadth, at the same time as the students are given an opportunity for in-depth study and specialisation through elective courses and the master’s thesis.

The choice of elective courses for the third semester (Transport and Urban Planning) is made at the end of the second semester. The whole fourth semester is dedicated to the master’s thesis. It is natural that the master’s thesis builds on the project work that forms part of the specialization topic in the third semester. The topic of the thesis can either be linked to a client’s issue or to relevant research projects in the department.

In order for students to be able to present the master’s thesis, all courses from the first year of the study program must be passed.

Students are encouraged to contact relevant enterprises in the region for the purpose of gaining practical training and experience in the fields through a summer job or similar, and to establish cooperation on project assignments.

On completion of the master’s degree program in Transport and Urban Planning, candidates are expected to have the following learning outcome defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:

The candidate has advanced knowledge

• of theory and tools for modelling and design across the areas of smart city transportation, logistics and urban areas
• of methods and regulations used in the design and policy of urban areas and urban mobility
• to evaluate climate and environmental effects on urban areas and mobility infrastructures and apply this knowledge in solving new urban and mobility challenges
• to analyze issues related to mobility and urbanization based on the historical and current development of the discipline and take into account new technology and society’s need for more sustainable design of mobility and urban environment

Skills:The candidate is able to

• analyze space in terms of built environment, transportation, topography and climate sensitivity based on relevant data
• use relevant computer software and information and communication technology (ICT) tools in the analysis, optimization, prediction, design and visualization of mobility and urban structures
• carry out an independent, delimited research or development project under supervision and in accordance with applicable research ethical standards
• utilize earlier research and information for own innovation and development
• work independently and in cross-disciplinary teams to solve complex, practical and theoretical problems related to city transportation, logistics and urban planning

General competence:

The candidate is able to:

• identify reliable data sources, find relevant data and ensure its quality
• analyze academic, research and professional issues and make ethically sound recommendations of smart mobility and urban solutions, including their impact on humans and the environment
• apply his/her knowledge and skills to analyze and design solutions on cross-disciplinary and complex issues
• communicate the results of independent and project work, both in writing and orally, to authorities, professionals and general public
• contribute to development and innovation within smart city transportation, logistics and urban planning