Master in Urban Studies: Urban Business and Development - Real Estate and Transport
Malmö, Sweden
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
15 Jan 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
31 Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
SEK 220,000 **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* first admission round; we recommend international students apply in this round
** full tuition fee
Key Summary
This master’s programme focuses on economic and business perspectives of urban development. Urban development is driven by private and public stakeholders at local, regional, national, and international levels, and the programme provides you with an understanding of the different stakeholders in developing and managing attractive and sustainable cities.
The programme develops your knowledge and understanding of the different incentives and institutions driving the development of sustainable cities. After graduation, you will be able to work in a range of positions within both private and public sectors. Graduates are also eligible for PhD studies.
Rapid urban development poses both possibilities and challenges worldwide. Urban development is driven by a variety of stakeholders and interests, such as the real estate and transport sectors, as well as public and non-governmental organisations. The programme addresses the role and interaction of different stakeholders as well as institutional perspectives on the development of sustainable and livable cities. The education is interdisciplinary with a basis in economics, business administration, real estate management, and economic geography. You will also get broad training in both quantitative and qualitative methods suitable for analysing urban development.
The programme is part of the research environment at the Department of Urban Studies, working with urban business and development. All the teachers in the programme are active researchers. Education and research conducted within the programme have a focus on applied sciences and are highly relevant for actors outside academia, involving the public and private sectors. The department and its researchers collaborate closely with stakeholders in the transport and real estate sectors and with local and regional policymakers.
The first semester provides the students with an understanding of the numerous actors in cities continuously interacting to create value out of scarce resources. You will identify and understand stakeholders’ interests and analyse what drives and limits their actions. You will also learn about strategic work and service innovations. During the first semester, you will also improve your understanding and application of qualitative methods used in research, as well as your academic writing.
During the second semester, the focus shifts to more aggregate patterns and current issues of urban development. Using theoretical perspectives from economics and geography, you will analyse urban development with the help of statistical and GIS software.
During the third semester, you can choose between studying abroad at one of the University’s 250 partner universities, taking freestanding courses at Malmö University, or joining courses in our other master's programmes at the Department of Urban Studies. You can also choose to apply for a research internship and learn how to conduct research by participating in one of the department’s research projects. The second year is completed with a master's thesis (30 credits).
Autumn 2025 - Semester 1
- Urban Studies: Urban Business and Development (US710E), 15 credits, compulsory
- Urban Studies: Strategic Management and Service Innovation (US720E), 15 credits, compulsory
Spring 2026 - Semester 2
- Urban Studies: Spatial Economics (US730E), 15 credits, compulsory
- Urban Studies: Applications of Spatial Economics (US740E), 15 credits, compulsory
Spring 2027 - Semester 4
- Urban studies: Master’s Thesis - Urban Business and Development (US770E), 30 credits, compulsory
Comment
- Semester 3: Students may choose to take courses at Malmö University or another university in Sweden or abroad (i.e. exchange studies). The Department of Urban Studies will offer a few elective courses. These will be made available during semester 2 in time for application. There will be a possibility for a research internship.
Organisation
Urban Studies: Urban Business and Development - Real Estate and Transport is a master’s programme for students who aspire to a future career in developing and managing attractive and sustainable cities. The programme is multidisciplinary in its content but with a basis in Business Administration, Economics, and Economic Geography. These perspectives are important to understand the driving forces behind urbanisation, and to understand spatial development within and between cities and regions. Real estate and transport, and the services they generate, are key factors to a viable integration of cities and regions.
The functioning of cities evolves through the collaboration and cooperation of various stakeholders, in the private as well as in public sectors. The economic perspectives in the programme provide an understanding of the different incentives that drive the development of sustainable cities. It includes business development as well as social development.
The programme provides students with the competence and analytical tools required to analyse and critically assess objectives in urban development, such as new business models and development projects. They can work in private, public, and non-governmental organisations that have different roles in contributing to the integration and development of cities and regions. Students can also continue with an academic career by entering into research education when they finish the programme.
Semesters 1 and 2 are dedicated to mandatory courses within the main field of Urban Studies. During semester 3, students can choose to specialise by taking courses at universities abroad (exchange studies), elective courses at the Department of Urban Studies, or applying for a research internship. These courses do not need to be within the field of Urban Studies.
Knowledge and understanding
For a Degree of Master's (120 credits), the student shall:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the main field of study, including both broad knowledge of the field and a considerable degree of specialised knowledge in certain areas of the field, as well as insight into current research and development work.
- Demonstrate specialised methodological knowledge in the main field of study.
Competence and skills
For a Degree of Master's (120 credits), the student shall:
- Demonstrate the ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and analyse, assess, and deal with complex phenomena, issues, and situations even with limited information.
- Demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues critically, autonomously, and creatively as well as to plan and, using appropriate methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames and so contribute to the formation of knowledge as well as the ability to evaluate this work.
- Demonstrate the ability in speech and writing both nationally and internationally to report and discuss his or her conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences.
- Demonstrate the skills required for participation in research and development work or autonomous employment in some other qualified capacity.
Judgment and approach
For a Degree of Master's (120 credits), the student shall:
- Demonstrate the ability to make assessments in the main field of study informed by relevant disciplinary, social, and ethical issues and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work.
- Demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society, and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used.
- Demonstrate the ability to identify the personal need for further knowledge and take responsibility for his or her ongoing learning.
Urban development requires a broad knowledge of economic perspectives of societal challenges such as transport and property development, as well as deepened insights into innovative processes. These perspectives are important to understand the driving forces behind urbanisation, and to understand spatial development within and between cities and regions.
After graduation, you will have a unique understanding of how such challenges affect cities and regions, making you qualified to work with these issues across sectors. Students will be of interest to the private sector in various consultancy firms or bigger construction companies, as well as in the public authorities at a local, regional, and national level. The programme also provides a solid basis for PhD studies.