22 Architecture and Urban Design Degree Programs in Netherlands

Learn how to effectively combine design intelligence with a reflective attitude and practical skills. The competence-based curriculum is geared towards mastering seven crucial competencies: design, research, collaboration, communication, entrepreneurial skills, organization, and professional practice.

Cities and urban regions are breeding grounds for innovation and economic growth. However, continuous urban growth can lead to several challenges and differences, and an increasingly global economy has both winners and losers. So how do different people use and experience a diversity of spaces within cities? And how can we explain that some regions grow, while others decline?

The Master Architecture, Building and Planning combines architecture, urban design, engineering, building physics, mobility and real estate. It prepares students for careers as architects, urban designers, structural engineers, planners and building-physics consultants.

The Master's track History of Architecture and Urbanism explores the evolution of cities, villages, and landscape design in Europe within the continuously changing global environment.

The Bachelor in Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences (AUBS) is a 3‑year (180 ECTS) multidisciplinary undergraduate degree taught in English. It combines architecture, urbanism and building sciences with structural design and real estate.

Do you aspire to be an architect? An architect who adds value to people's environment with their smart and beautiful designs that leave a lasting legacy. Our master trains architects to be ethically aware and conscious of the impact they have. Our students work with real people to resolve real problems and are not afraid to explore bold and innovative solutions. They use architecture to improve the quality of people's lives and to have a positive influence, now and in the future. With the above in mind, our motto is: act conscious, get dirty, add value.

The Bachelor's degree program in Spatial Planning and Design is unique within the Netherlands. It covers a wide range of topics and gives students the opportunity to explore their own fields of interest within the physical and institutional design. This degree program gives you the opportunity to learn from internationally renowned and highly trained teachers.

This programme critically examines the theory, recent trends and developments related to urban climate change adaptation and mitigation and how they shape responses to the climate crisis. We move beyond siloed approaches by linking climate change directly to the sustainable management of urban water systems, the built environment, and resource flows.

This programme prepares you to address evolving urban challenges and lead innovations in sustainable urban mobility. It empowers students to become future urban leaders by embracing complexity and competence beyond the traditional urban planning and civil engineering disciplines.

The PhD on Urban Development & Governance is a 4-year flexible trajectory programme that fuses urban management with governance.

The MSc in Global Urban Change, formerly known as Urban Management and Development, is a 12-month English-taught programme offered at IHS. It provides students with a broader understanding of contemporary urban challenges, as well as sustainable and just transformations, while offering an international and diverse classroom environment. Rather than following a rigid path, participants can design their studies through flexible specialisations tailored directly to their career goals,

Cities are more relevant than ever. They play an increasingly important role in the issues of this time: climate change, inequality, safety and health. Our Urban Studies programme gives you the opportunity to be a problem solver, teaching you how to develop real-life answers to today’s and tomorrow’s urban challenges.

The MSc in Environmental and Infrastructure Planning is the best Planning master in the Netherlands, according to the yearly Elsevier magazine survey. During the program, you are going to compare international theory and practice, study urban areas and issues of infrastructure, environment, and water, while involving thinking (policy strategies) and doing (practical work on projects and plans). Our program is linked to international (e.g., AESOP) and national (e.g., Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment) institutes and Groningen offers a wide range of English-language course options and facilities.

The Urban Socio-Spatial Transformations specialisation is for graduates and professionals who are eager to understand the social, economic, and technological forces shaping cities. It is ideal for those seeking to analyse urban inequalities, digitalisation, and innovation, and to contribute to building inclusive, sustainable, and future-ready urban environments.

If you want to achieve a BSc in Human Geography and Planning (Former: Human Geography & Urban and Regional Planning), Groningen is a perfect choice. The strength of the program lies in its combination of five fields: Economic Geography, Real Estate Studies, Population Studies, Cultural Geography, and Planning. There is an open atmosphere and it is easy to contact other students and lecturers.