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The Master's Degree Program in Transport and Urban Planning (TUP) is a full-time course of study over two years with 120 ECTS that is given in English. The program represents a continuation and specialization in relation to the bachelor's degree program in Civil Engineering, under the technical planning course option. This program offers a practical and profession-oriented specialization, extending a bachelor’s in civil engineering in the study field of integrated urban and transport planning, geographical planning, technology or landscape architecture.

In line with expectations from the industry, the program is planned to be cross disciplinary from the start, with a unique focus also on IT, digital tools and skills commonly used and highly needed in the industry, especially tools and skills related to urban and transport analytics and planning, geographical information systems (GIS) and data science.

Society and authorities place increasing demands on environmentally friendly, innovative and sustainable design of mobility and urban solutions. Climate change in the form of increased temperatures, more precipitation and extreme weather exposes constructions, infrastructure and networks to greater and less predictable stressors. Industry and researchers highlight the need of candidates with expertise at master's degree level (engineers) in the fields of smart mobility and urban analytics who have knowledge in environmental issues relating to this field as well as updated skills on new technology.

This study program offers a combination of expert and interdisciplinary knowledge where the students will achieve a high level of proficiency in sustainable urban development as well as achieving strong digital skills and knowledge. Interdisciplinary studies involve the combination of two or more academic disciplines into one activity. The interdisciplinary nature of this program has two major aspects according to the academic professionals developing this program at the faculty. The first related to the knowledge developed in urban planning and design, urban transport and mobility, as well as ethics and sustainability in this field. The second being digital competence, new technologies and tools, like simulation tools AIMSUN or SUMO, or data analysis software Python, R or Weka, or geographical information systems such as ArcGIS or QGIS.

In-depth areas in this master program will be:

Space Syntax (20 ECTS) which will provide in-depth knowledge of how complex architectural and urban systems work, and how spaces can be planned, designed and manufactured to create a better society bringing together the fields of architecture and urbanism. Space Syntax is a theoretical and analytical framework, as well as a modeling tool to design and analyze the human-built environment. Students will investigate spatial morphology and its social implications by a practical, hands-on program of lectures, workshops and a project.

Urban Mobility (20 ECTS) which will provide in-depth knowledge in land use and transportation planning for smart and sustainable cities that meet the needs of all residents. Students will learn how to experiment and test hypotheses and think strategically about multi-modal transport systems, the movement of people and goods, and intelligent transport systems in urban areas. Students will grow their expertise joining a session of lectures, workshops and through work on projects.

The goal with this program is to educate and train candidates who are qualified to address the challenges of both professional life and scholarly enquiry within their specialization as well as being a productive member of interdisciplinary teams.

Graduates from this program will:

understand the role of their specialization in organizations and society

possess deep technical skills from their own specialization that can be applied in a variety of real-life scenarios

understand how their specialization is part of a wider fabric of skills necessary to solve tomorrow's challenges

have a professional and ethical attitude towards their role in the workplace

display creative thinking in real-life situations, leaning both on theoretical knowledge and on pragmatism

plan and execute their work in a structured and independent manner, be it as professionals or as researchers in their field

have expertise that is in high demand in both the private and public sector. The most relevant employers are advisory engineering firms, municipalities or other public agencies, private companies within transport and urban planning industry and research institutes

qualify students for further studies at the doctoral degree level.

More specifically, the graduates will:

Be able to identify needs in the smart society. This particularly means that the students are trained to plan for mobilities and accessibility to/from services, jobs and amenities that are more fluent in times when tele-commuting and online consumption has increased.

Be aware of and sensitive to, and responsive when planning and suggesting policy measures to handle vulnerabilities. Pandemics, 100-year-storms, and similar have proven to be more than fiction. Planning for a resilient society includes planning for alternative transport solutions, and prioritization of lines, roads, and services in case of emergency.

Be able to integrate sustainability in plans, execution, evaluation and circularity of societal development.

Be equipped with tools and methods for planning and implementing integrative urban landscapes. With specific focus on planning for equal opportunities in urban areas where new technologies for participation in and communication with citizens may be used to different extent due to language barriers, age, trust, etc

After completing the education, the student will be especially suitable for:

Employments in urban, regional and transport planning departments in municipalities and public organizations

Jobs in firms and agencies developing stakeholder strategies, meta-data description and tech-mediation between smart-city developers and users

Consultancy firms developing strategies for smart city developments

Creation and analysis of geo-coded data, including statistical analyses

Research and evaluation work

Students who complete the master's degree program will be awarded the degree of Master of Science (MSc) in Transport and Urban Planning.

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