Built environment frames our everyday life. In urban planning and engineering, we shape these frames. Urban realities are becoming increasingly dynamic, complex and fragmented while demands for their liveability, sustainability, competitiveness, and attractiveness increase. This requires new skills in systemic understanding, problem-solving, and integrative planning and policy-making beyond sectorial boundaries. This programme focuses on important future challenges of sustainable built environment, tackling topical global megatrends, such as urbanization and need for greener cities. The uniqueness of the program is its focus on a wide range of approaches from people’s daily life and mobility to large scale strategic and systemic thinking necessary for shaping the built environment.

The students of the programme will gain broad overview from the fields of land use planning and transportation engineering. The students can use integrated land use planning and transport engineering tools for the planning, analysis, and evaluation of urban land use and transport, and in a broader strategic spatial planning frame. They are able to understand the opportunities and limitations of the various approaches of the field. The students understand the ecological, economic, social and technical complexities of urban and regional built environment. They can evaluate multi-dimensional and systemic interdependencies of sustainable development, as related to the field. They can also apply the requirements for development of smart cities and intelligent transport systems, including a range of technological aspects. Furthermore, the students can critically apply, evaluate and develop various theoretical methods and approaches used in spatial and land use planning and transport engineering. The students can utilize diverse sources of information to be used in creative problem solving.

The programme has cross-disciplinary approach, emphasising team work, communication and negotiation skills as well as employing advanced project management skills. The students are familiar with a rich theoretical and empirical knowledge base related to the relationship between people and built environment and can apply and develop a variety of methods and practices for participatory planning. They understand the contested nature of urban politics and urban change. Accordingly, the students gain ethical reflectivity on the value implications of their planning and engineering work.

In his/her studies, the student can specialize in spatial and land use planning or transport engineering, or obtain a broader expertise integrating both fields. After graduation, the student can work in different professional roles of choice, including planning, management and analysis of land use and transportation at urban, regional, national and international levels. Research oriented students can build a solid background for doctoral studies.

More information about Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering (research group) 

 Common studies (compulsory courses 40 cr)

SPT course descriptions(pdf)for the academic years 2020-2022

Please find course substitutions here. 

Advanced studies (select courses 20 cr from below, note prerequisites)

For free elective studies you can study courses offered by Aalto University or by other universities as it is possible by Aalto internal and inter institutional agreements and procedures and course specific prerequisites. Kindly note that your elective studies do not have to form a minor, but can include different types of courses totaling 30 credits.

The structure of our Master’s Programme is designed so that you are able to study your major studies i.e. common and advanced courses during the first year. This leaves the second year for elective courses and Master’s thesis. It also makes it easy for you to go for student exchange during the second year. Alternatively, you can deepen your expertise by taking more of our advanced courses as elective courses, or broaden your expertise by choosing courses from Aalto’s other programmes or from different universities. The choice for elective studies is thus entirely yours: the most important thing is that your elective studies complement your major studies, and provide you with expertise that you personally feel important and inspiring for your career.

Please find Aalto University study offers from Aalto University cross school studies.

Programme has been planned so that it enables you to leave for exchange studies during your second year. You can find more information about exchange studies (incl. application deadlines) from here Exchange studies for Aalto students.

Please note language requirements

Foreign language studies (minimum 3 cr in the same language) are required for the completion of the MSc (Tech) degree in some cases. Please see more information about language requirements for the master's degree students below. 

The master’s thesis is written on a topic related to the advanced studies of the degree programme.

The topic and the language of the master’s thesis are approved by the school upon application by the student; the school also appoints a thesis supervisor and one or two thesis advisors for it. The master’s thesis supervisor shall be one of the professors of Aalto University. 
The topic of the master’s thesis remains valid for one year.

The master's thesis includes a presentation and maturity test.

 Further instructions on the master’s thesis and the related process from Completing master's thesis.