This two-year, English-language Erasmus Mundus joint Master’s programme is delivered within the UNIC network and addresses the challenges facing post-industrial cities worldwide. It examines how population growth, resource constraints, climate change, economic shifts and service-sector expansion reshape urban environments, and it trains students to design sustainable, resilient, inclusive and socially just urban futures. Teaching combines theory and practice through engaged research methods such as City Labs, social-design studios, digital storytelling and structured project collaboration with government, industry and community partners.
Students begin together in Bochum for the first semester, then move through a curated mobility pathway that lets them deepen thematic interests while studying at different partner universities. The programme emphasizes hands-on, interdisciplinary learning and prepares graduates to apply advanced urban design and planning knowledge for the public good in a global range of post-industrial contexts. The cohort experience includes both physical and virtual mobility and fosters a transnational community for co-creation and innovation.
The course runs over four semesters. After a joint start, students choose one of four second-semester tracks (each jointly delivered by two partner institutions) and may relocate to the host university for that semester. In the third semester students can opt for in-depth academic study or practical professional/research training at another partner institution. The final semester is devoted to the Master’s thesis, which may take one of three forms—a traditional thesis, a research manuscript intended for publication, or a practice-based project with accompanying documentation—and is jointly supervised by two partner universities.
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This MSc runs across four consecutive semesters (October–September) and combines theoretical foundations, applied studios, specialised coursework and a culminating thesis or project. The first semester establishes core skills: Research Methods I (quantitative, qualitative, geospatial methods and data literacy), the RePIC Core Theory module on the post‑industrial city (society, space, environment), an Urban Sustainability Transformations research forum, and CityLab I — a hands‑on, studio‑led component. Together these units build methodological fluency, critical understanding of post‑industrial urban processes, and initial studio practice.
The second semester is organised around four specialisation tracks and a suite of elective and studio courses. Typical offerings include a Research Design Studio focused on salvaging and transformation, Digital Storytelling & Immersive Fictions, Conceptualising Society, Space & the City, urban governance and planning modules, urban remote sensing and GIS, design studios addressing social justice and health, and methodological courses in urban climatology, cartography and data‑driven decision making. These modules deepen disciplinary knowledge and technical capabilities (GIS, remote sensing, data modelling), while also emphasising social equity, sustainability and design approaches for post‑industrial contexts.
In semester three students choose between practical placements/engaged research or in‑depth academic study. Approximately half the cohort focuses on structured learning activities and placements at University College Cork, while the other half pursues concentrated studies at Université de Liège in areas such as urban mobility, urban ecology and urban economics. All students also participate in CityLab II (Field Salon) and Research Methods III to consolidate field research skills. The final semester is reserved for the master’s thesis, with three permitted formats: a jointly supervised traditional thesis, a research manuscript intended for publication, or a practice‑based project accompanied by documentation. Learning outcomes across the programme include advanced interdisciplinary research skills, proficiency with geospatial and quantitative tools, studio‑based design and communication abilities, and experience translating research into publications or professional practice.
Key programme requirements and structure
Each intake may enroll a cohort of approximately 60 students, so places are limited. Applicants must also not be in conflict with any national legal requirements for admission (i.e., meet the host country’s statutory conditions for enrolment).
Successful candidates typically hold a Bachelor’s degree (first-cycle university degree, EQF level 6) — preferably including a thesis — or an equivalent qualification that entitles them to enter a Master's programme. The programme welcomes applicants from diverse academic backgrounds, provided their prior studies are relevant to the themes of redesigning post‑industrial cities and to design-related work.
In addition to the formal degree, applicants should be able to demonstrate experience or engagement with topics connected to post‑industrial urban transformation. This can include academic projects, professional practice, research, internships, design work or similar activities. Relevant fields of study include, but are not limited to, the following:
Winter Semester (International)
28 February 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
28 February 2026
Graduates are prepared for careers that bridge research, design and policy in urban contexts. Typical pathways include roles in urban planning and design practices, municipal and regional government agencies, international and local NGOs focused on urban development, consulting firms (urban/regional resilience, environmental planning, data-driven urban analysis), and research or PhD programmes.
The programme’s emphasis on applied projects, interdisciplinary methods and international mobility also equips students for positions involving community engagement, project coordination, urban regeneration initiatives and knowledge transfer between academia, industry and public stakeholders.
Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg — Cottbus
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar — Weimar
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar — Weimar
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar — Weimar