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The Interdisciplinary ERASMUS MUNDUS Master's Course 'International Cooperation and Urban Development' addresses the rapid urbanization process in the Global South and looks at possibilities to prevent or alleviate the problems invariably associated with it. Conventional wisdom of town planning has proven of little use to deal with the situation: the highly complex phenomenon calls for innovative and complex responses that incorporate physical, managerial, economic and social elements simultaneously. Since a large proportion of investments in this field involve foreign aid and finance, a second focus is placed on international development cooperation.
The 2-year course is innovative in its transdisciplinary set-up, arranging knowledge around an emerging global phenomenon rather than starting from the conventional academic faculty framework. Tuition is shared by four prestigious universities in Germany, Italy, Spain and France. All teachers are internationally distinguished scholars and practitioners in the topic of their respective training module, which guarantees a level of quality, which could not be attained by relying on one university's faculty alone. The multinational composition of both students and academic staff fosters the creation of a world-wide professional network - an indispensable asset in this particular professional setting.
The first year of the Masters program consists of a keystone course dedicated to an integral understanding of space, society and technology in urban development in the context of proceeding globalization. It is taught at Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany) and enables students to conceive, oversee and evaluate comprehensive urban projects in the framework of sustainable development. The second year of studies aims at providing further specialization in one of three fields of knowledge. Specialization options - always linked to international cooperation as a common denominator - are:
(A) Development economics (in Rome)
(B) Sustainable Emergency Architecture (in Barcelona)
(C) Urbanism, habitat and and International Cooperation (in Grenoble)
The resulting double qualification allows a graduate from this course to subsequently fill a professional niche unattended in the conventional university system.Tuition is in English and applicants must have a first university degree plus a minimum of one year work experience in a professional context related to the course. Graduates are awarded a double degree (MSc.) and are eligible for subsequent PhD studies in the EU.
The first year of the Mundus Urbano program consists of keystone courses on current issues in urban development planning. Each course is taught as a one-week full time workshop by a scholar or practitioner with international recognition in their field. The isolated modules are connected by a cross-cutting lecture series.
Modules Year ONE -, all students (TU Darmstadt):
Urban Development Strategies: strategic and micro planning; response to globalization pressures; urban governance; regional planning.
Urban management, governance: decentralization; participatory budgeting; land management; program and project funding.
Housing policies: tenure and finance; micro credits; neighborhood upgrading; large housing estates; self-help housing.
Physical planning, urban design & ecology: urban design, participatory planning, cultural heritage development.
Sustainable urban infrastructure & technology: sanitation, mobility, healthy cities, disaster mitigation.
Conviviality and culture: millennium goals and poverty reduction, conflict management and violence prevention; gender mainstreaming; migration and urban social segregation
International cooperation skills: project planning and project cycles; costing and evaluation methods; aid and funding agencies, fund raising, publicity strategies.
Academic skills: research methods, surveying, tuition and presentation didactics.
Year TWO of the Mundus Urbano program is conducted at partner universities in Rome, Barcelona and Grenoble (students choose one destination).
Want to improve your English level for admission?
Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.
- Flexible study schedule
- Experienced teachers
- Certificate upon completion
📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.
There are a limited number of Erasmus Mundus scholarship available for this program. Please indicate your interest in applying for the scholarship on your application form.
Other financing opportunities exist through the DAAD who provide scholarships for masters study within the development field. Please contact your local DAAD office for details. Please check for further financing opportunities.
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