7 Spatial Science Masters Degree Programs in Netherlands

The ISLANDS programme combines a thorough training in scientific research with a thematic specialization in Islands and Sustainability. It also provides multi-faceted training of research skills for social science and environmental research, including Individual Research Training by senior staff and training to work in a multi- and interdisciplinary research group. ISLANDS students will be required to study at the University of Groningen in the first semester and the first half of the second semester of the first year of the programme. Then they study at one of the island-based universities of the consortium where they undertake a Research Internship Module. After returning to Groningen, students will again go to an island-based university to undertake their Master's thesis project in the second semester of the second year. ISLANDS graduates receive a double degree from the University of Groningen (including an acknowledgement that this is an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master degree involving all partner universities) and the island-based University. The ISLANDS programme builds on the existing Research Master in Spatial Sciences programme at the University of Groningen (RUG).

Tackle large-scale, complex, societal challenges with the use of spatial data. Natural disasters, poverty, food shortage, epidemics, and climate change; are the greatest challenges society is facing today and are characterized by enormous complexity. These so-called wicked problems are impossible to solve in a way that is simple or final.

Spatial planners are fascinated by on-going and future changes in cities and regions and take on the role as managers of spatial transformations - think of: regenerating shopping districts or old industrial sites; designating water retention areas; shaping urban mobility concepts for the future. Related challenges vary in scale, from individual property to strategic policy making. Within the Master's Spatial Planning, you have a choice between three Master's specialisations.

The two-year Research Master's in Spatial Sciences has two key features. First, it allows students maximum scientific freedom to learn and discover. Second, it lets students develop serious scientific research skills. Throughout the programme we take inspiration from Einstein's words: 'I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious'. Research Master students don't have to be extraordinarily talented or gifted. But students need to have a passionate curiosity about people and places. With this driving curiosity, the research master Spatial Sciences is a good choice.

The Designing Spatial Transformations track in the Master in Designing Spatial Transformations at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences offers you the tools and knowledge to address complex spatial challenges. Graduates are equipped to design intelligent interventions and co-design proposals with stakeholders, addressing multifaceted challenges in urban and rural settings.

Welcome to the ISLANDS programme, a dynamic 2-year Research Master that delves into the fascinating intersection of Islands and Sustainability with a curriculum entirely taught in English. Our program is tailored to provide a comprehensive blend of research and professional skills spanning spatial, social, and environmental sciences.

Our Master's program allows you to specialize in one of these four fields, but also offers the opportunity to combine courses from all these fields. The program offers you the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to tackle complex problems at a high level of abstraction, keeping in mind the need to translate theoretical solutions into clear-cut policy advice. The contents are firmly rooted in economics, but shed light on the multi-disciplinary nature of many real-world policy questions.