Vrije University - Summer graduate programs
Summer Course in The Economics of CitiesOnline Netherlands
DURATION
1 Weeks
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Jul 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 1,035 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Students, PhD candidates and employees of VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC or an Aurora Network Partner €545 Students and PhD candidates at partner universities of VU Amsterdam €705 Students and PhD candidates at non-partner universities of VU Amsterdam €
Key Summary
Introduction
Over half the world's population now live in cities and, within a few decades, the population of urban areas will exceed the entire global population today. Ongoing urbanization presents opportunities and challenges that are of interest to policymakers and researchers.
In this course, you will learn about the economic forces that underpin urbanization and shape cities. Along the way, you will be equipped with knowledge and skills that help answer questions such as: Why are firms and people moving to cities? How do we measure the performance of cities? What factors explain why some cities thrive, while others struggle? What can policymakers do to improve the economic, social, and environmental performance of cities? To gain insight into these questions, students will participate in lectures, self-directed work, and field visits.
Amsterdam provides a unique base to learn about cities. From humble beginnings as a bridge over the river Amstel, Amsterdam rose to prominence during the 17th century as a center of international trade. Today, Amsterdam forms part of a large, prosperous, and inter-connected metropolitan region that sits at the heart of Europe. The course is delivered by the Department of Spatial Economics at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, whose 60 staff members are actively engaged in multi-disciplinary academic research and policy development. Publications by the Department’s staff are internationally recognized and rank in the top 5% of institutions worldwide in relevant economic disciplines. Many staff also have prominent advisory roles for government and media institutions, linking research to practice.
Course Overview
- Course level: Beginner/Advanced Bachelor's & Master's
- Lecturers: Dr. Stuart Donovan, Prof. Dr. Henri L.F. de Groot
- Forms of tuition: lectures
- Forms of assessment: presentation and paper
- Contact hours: 25 hours
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Equal Access Scholarship
Application Procedure
Application for the Equal Access Scholarship will open in Febraury
Great that you are interested in applying for the Equal Access Scholarship. You can apply to the scholarship between 12 February and 1 April. Please be aware that it is only possible to select one course.
The results of the scholarship selection will be announced in May. Since we have a limited number of scholarships available for a large number of applicants, we suggest - if possible! - to complete your payment at the time of your course application to guarantee your place in the course. However, if you are not able to come without the scholarship, you can just wait until the announcement. If you would like to come, regardless of whether you will be granted the scholarship, it is best to secure your place in the course by completing your payment via our regular application form. If the scholarship is granted to you, the tuition and accommodation fees will be reimbursed.
Deadline to submit your Equal Access Scholarship application: 31 March (23:59 CET).
Requirements
When you apply via the Equal Access Scholarship application form you will be requested to upload the following documents:
- Curriculum Vitae/Résumé (CV) stating your educational background.
- Professional Letter of Reference Including:
- His/her/their experience working with you (either in an academic, professional, or volunteer setting)
- His/her/their motivation for recommending you for the scholarship
- Complete contact information
- His/her/their experience working with you (either in an academic, professional, or volunteer setting)
- His/her/their motivation for recommending you for the scholarship
- Complete contact information
- When filling out the scholarship form, we will ask the following questions*:
- Why are you interested in joining VU Amsterdam Summer School?
- What’s your motivation for selecting this course?
- How you will use the information you learn to make a positive impact in the future for both you and your community?
- Why do you deserve this scholarship?
- Why are you interested in joining VU Amsterdam Summer School?
- What’s your motivation for selecting this course?
- How you will use the information you learn to make a positive impact in the future for both you and your community?
- Why do you deserve this scholarship?
Please stick to a maximum of 150 words per question.
Green Travel Grant
At VU Amsterdam Summer School we are also committed to VU's sustainability goals and we aim to reduce the environmental impact of mobility, and specifically, student travel. Therefore, we are thrilled to offer Green Travel Grants to encourage sustainable travel for students attending our summer school.
Where can I apply?
Once the courses have been confirmed to run in mid-May or June, we will send out a newsletter to our participants with a link where they can apply for either funding for train travel or funding for bus travel.
The application period will last two weeks, and we will select the winners via a lottery system. More information on the specific deadlines can be found in the newsletter we send out in May.
How does it work?
For students to receive the economic compensation they will need to submit their purchased travel tickets via email within two weeks after being selected as winners of the grant. Once the deadline to submit their tickets has passed, the students will receive the reimbursement.
Program Outcome
By the end of this course, students will:
- Have a solid understanding of the economic mechanisms that drive urbanisation, determine why some cities are more successful than others.
- Gain insight into the policy challenges that metropolitan areas face and the pros and cons of the instruments that can be used to tackle these challenges.
- Develop experience in conducting and presenting applied research, including evaluation methodologies used in benefit-cost analysis.