Programme director: Claudio Roncoli

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.

Common studies (compulsory courses 35 cr)

Advanced studies (select 25 cr from courses below, note prerequisites)

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. 

Elective studies

For your free elective studies module 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.
   
The structure of your 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 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 note that the total number of credits for a master's degree (major studies, elective studies and master's thesis) may not exceed 125 cr.

You can complete a minor subject and include it in elective studies. Please note that if you want to have a minor it needs to be master level minor. Please see the list of all minors offered by Aalto University under Minors.  

You can also include max 5 credits of practical training (ENG-E1010 Practical training) in your elective studies.  You can find information on practical trainingon this page.

Requirements of language studies

Language studies (min 3 cr) are a compulsory part of the Master’s degree (elective studies module) if they have not been completed as part of the Bachelor’s degree.
For international students, Finnish and Swedish language courses are highly recommended for elective studies.

According to Government Decree on University Degrees (794/2004), student shall demonstrate proficiency in Finnish and Swedish language that is required of central government staff in bilingual public organisations under subsection 1 of section 6 of the Act on the Knowledge of Languages Required of Personnel in Public Bodies (424/2003) andt hat is necessary for their own field; and proficiency in at least one foreign language that enablesstudents to monitor progress in their own field and operate in an international setting.

Students with Finnish Bachelor's degree

Compulsory language studies are included as part of the Finnish Bachelor’s degree for students who have studied in Finland and whose language of education is Finnish or Swedish. If the language studies have not been completed in the student’s Bachelor’s degree, the student must take 2 ECTS in the second national language and 3 ECTS in one foreign language, including both oral and written proficiency.

Other students

Students who have received their education in a language other than Finnish or Swedish, or received their education abroad, are required to complete 3 ECTS in one foreign language, including both oral and written proficiency. Relevant courses (marked with ‘o’ and ‘w’) are offered by the Aalto University Language Center.
Students who have received their education abroad and who already have excellent command of English (e.g. English as their first language) may choose 3 credits of Finnish or Swedish (basic level) courses instead, hence not covering the requirement of oral/written proficiency but meeting the language requirement of the degree.

Language studies are included in students’ elective studies and are agreed in the personal study plan (HOPS).

Please find more information about language courses and information about learning languages from the Language Centre of Aalto University.

Academic years 2022--2024

Academic years 2020-2022

Academic year 2016-2017