Transforming City Regions M.Sc.

 

Transforming City Regions (TCR) is a unique, interdisciplinary Master program with a strong focus on the European dimension in territorial development. This course of study was designed to respond to the environmental, social, technological, and economic challenges facing evolving European cities and regions . TCR follows a technically advanced and solution-oriented approach, so you can understand economic efficiency and recognize societal needs. The program is taught entirely in English.

TCR is one of a handful of new programs at RWTH Aachen University that have been designed in order to respond to challenges affecting cities and regions in Europe. Thanks to the program’s distinctively project-oriented focus, you will acquire a solid and highly up-to-date understanding of your field and be able to use different tools and methodologies to provide solutions for transforming European cities and regions. This course of study not only stands out for its interdisciplinary approach, but also for its strong ties to the renowned RWTH engineering tradition.

This program features a prominent European perspective – as reflected in the course content, structure, teaching staff, and student profile. Moreover, the methods, attitudes, and values underpinning TCR represent a uniquely European perspective. The course of study is further enhanced by close cooperations with other European universities, institutions, organizations, and companies. Europeanisation therefore characterizes the entire program.

The course of study features:

• Urban dynamics in a European context
• Guidance from European tutors and professionals in urban design and planning, regional, spatial, and strategic planning

If you have a Bachelor’s degree in urban design, urban, city, or town planning, urban studies, spatial planning, regional planning, landscape architecture, architecture, transport planning, environmental engineering, urban geography, urban ecology, or urban governance, this course of study would be particularly relevant for you.

More information can be found on the Transforming City Regions website.

 

Degree Content

Transforming City Regions is structured in four semesters. The first three semesters follow the same general structure – half of the credit points are available through integrated projects, which investigate complex urban problems – starting from the urban, and moving to the regional and European scale. The remaining half of the credit points is available for mandatory modules, optional courses, a research module, a field trip, impromptu courses, and an external course. The final semester is dedicated to your Master’s thesis.

The European dimension of the course is notable in three different ways:

• The European teaching staff
• Cooperations with European institutions, organizations, and companies
• European study cases in the integrated projects

The curriculum is structured in the following way:

• 8 mandatory modules
• 3 integrated projects
• 2-3 optional courses
• 1 research module
• 1 module consisting of a compulsory field trip and two elective impromptu courses
• 1 external course
• Master’s thesis

Mandatory courses can be structured in such a way that they can last one or two semesters. They can also be taught in a condensed format – over just a few weeks. In other words, instead of 2 teaching hours every week over the course of a 15-week semester, the total number of 30 teaching hours can be split into 3 to 8 intensive sessions that focus on the specific topic of the module.

You can find more detailed information on the curriculum on the Chair and Institute for Urban Design’s website and the website of the Transforming City Regions Master.

 

Prerequisites

Enrollment Prerequisite

• Bachelor’s degree with at least 30 credits acquired in spatial-related modules – for example urban design, urban, city, or town planning, urban studies, spatial planning, regional planning, landscape architecture, transport planning, environmental engineering, urban geography, urban ecology, urban governance, urban sociology, regional economy, cultural heritage protection, GIS, and general design
• A portfolio: a set of creative pieces that demonstrates your ability to understand the spatial context of human behavior and/or spatial – especially urban – structures
• Proficiency in English

Acceptance

Acceptance to the program is evaluated on the basis of your portfolio. You must send your portfolio by mail to the Chair and Institute for Urban Design during the application period.

The portfolio must be in A3 landscape format and document creative pieces of work that demonstrate your ability to design and/or understand the spatial context of human behavior and/or spatial – especially urban – structures. It can contain both graphic and written documentation. The portfolio must be produced entirely in English.

You can find more detailed requirements on the Chair and Institute’s webpage.

 

Career Prospects

Thanks to interdisciplinary approach and European perspective the graduates will be prepared to work for:

• private sector: development agencies, investment banks, technical infrastructure companies, territorial analyses, urban planning offices, companies dealing with structural funds etc.,
• public authorities and institutions, including local, regional, national, European and global level, as well as
• civil society organisations and NGOses in different cultural contexts and within wide spectrum of urban issues.

The contents and qualification goals and the modules of this program do not take into account the requirements for the professional chambers of urban planners nor those set by European or international training guidelines. This means you are not guaranteed a place on the city planner lists of chambers of architects.

 

Examination Regulations

Regulations that apply for all Bachelor and Master courses of study as well as detailed information about the necessary documentation of required language skills can be found in RWTH’s Comprehensive Examination Regulation. Examination regulations are only published in German as they are legally binding.

The Subject-Specific Exam Regulations stipulate the academic goals, the course of study layout, and exam procedures.

 

Faculty

The Master course of study in Transforming City Regions is offered by the Chair and Institute for Urban Design, which is part of RWTH’s Faculty of Architecture.