Master's thesis Spatial Planning

Please note: the information in the course manual is binding.
 

 

The aim of the master thesis is for students to prove their ability to integrate the academic knowledge and skills acquired to research specific spatial planning problems in an independent and self-responsible way.

The master’s thesis represents the academic masterpiece of the student’s study of spatial planning. It finalizes the master’s study of spatial planning at Utrecht University. The student has the main responsibility for the topic, the timeline, the case studies, and all other elements of the process of the master’s thesis. This means that the students are expected to take a proactive role in the whole process.

Bridging planning practice and research is an essential and fundamental characteristic of the Utrecht model of spatial planning education. Therefore, the topic of a master’s thesis needs to be directly related to a societal problem in the field of spatial planning, and the research needs to be an academic endeavor. Although an internship is not obligatory within the study program, we strongly recommend linking and combining the master’s thesis with an internship at a private or public organization. This will not only provide substantial insights into planning practice and help establish connections for empirical research but also serve as a step towards the labor market. The internship should preferably be research-driven (onderzoeksstage), supporting the collection of data and the writing of the master’s thesis.