Urbanism

During the first year of the Urbanism track programme you acquire advanced knowledge and skills in urban design and planning in the broader sense with a focus on city, neighbourhood and regional scale. You start the second year with an interdisciplinary course. After this you work for three quarters on an individual graduation project on a topic that reflects the research portfolio of the Urbanism department.

Freshly started in September 2024?

Did you start freshly this Master track programme in september 2024? Please see your track programme here.

First semester (MSc1)
The first quarter (Q1) is titled ‘Analysis and Design of Urban Form’ and takes the perspective from urban design and landscape in understanding and designing relations between urban form and carrying spatial structures.

‘Designing Urban Environments’ is the title of Q2 that takes the outlook from environmental design and technology into the processes of how to make and organise sustainable urban space and communities.

Second semester (MSc2)
In Q3 ‘Spatial Strategies for the Global Metropolis’ space is perceived on the level of spatial planning and strategy and is about the design and evaluation of spatial strategies that address the (re-)organisation of networks, programmes and urban patterns at the regional scale. All explicitly address societal and scientific approaches to issues relating to urbanisation and associated debates.

In Q4 you join one of the intradisciplinary courses in which you are challenged to work together with students from other tracks within the Master Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences on overarching themes.

Check the Study Guide for a full overview of the intradisciplinary electives available to Urbanism track students.
To see how the different tracks within the Master AUBS work together, check the list of (intra)disciplinary Q4 electives of all tracks here.

Started in academic year 2023-2024 or earlier?

Master harmonisation 2024-2026

The MSc programme Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences (AUBS) is being harmonised in the academic years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. The harmonisation in the current academic year focuses only on MSc2 and will start in February 2025. The renewal of the second year (MSc3 & MSc4) will follow from September 2025 onwards.

Have you not completed all MSc2 courses in the previous academic year 2023-2024?
If so, you can continue to do so this academic year: enrol for MSc2 courses in the next enrolment period (25 November until 6 December). Check the new or replacement courses in the new MSc2 structure in the Study Guide and Transitional measures 2024-2025 on the Student Portal. Both the AUBS and Geomatics MSc programmes have elective space of 15 EC in Q4. A list of permitted electives for each programme/track is available in the Study guide.
Are you planning to interrupt your studies for the rest of this academic year?
If so, it is best to do this after completing the entire first year. You will then continue your studies from September 2025 onwards, when the new structure of the second year is also in place, with interdisciplinary Q5 electives (15 EC) and a graduation phase covering three quarters (be aware that February 2025 is the last possibility to start graduation in the old structure; more information on the renewed graduation will be available in April/May 2025). For information on temporarily interrupting your studies check the student portal.

Track programme Urbanism 2023-2025

Attention! This information is only meant for students who started the Track programme Urbanism in September 2023 or earlier!

First year

In the first three quarters of the first-year students join the compulsory courses of the track. Within the courses of the first three quarters students may choose location, theme, or subgroup.

Q1: AR1U090 & AR1U121
Q2: AR1U100 & AR1U131
Q3: AR2U086 & AR2U088

Visit the study guide for more information about the courses of year 1.

In the fourth quarter of the first -year students enrol for an elective course or set of courses up to 15 EC. During an elective market, which is scheduled in the second quarter just prior to the enrolment period for the Spring semester, students are informed about the possibilities. Via Brightspace students are informed about the electives market and the electives on offer. Students are free to choose electives offered by Urbanism or one of the other Master AUBS tracks, or by another university master's programme, as long as the 15 EC of electives are obtained while enrolled as a master track Urbanism student at TU Delft.

See the study guide for an overview of electives offered by the Urbanism track (from academic year 2024-2025 these are called (intra)disciplinary electives).

For international students, enrolment for the first two quarters is automatically arranged by the Faculty's Education and Student Affairs. All other students need to enrol for courses offered in Q1 to Q4 themselves. They are informed by email and through Brightspace by the faculty's enrolment team about the enrolment procedure prior to the start of the enrolment periods in each Spring and Autumn.

Students are informed via the Brightspace pages of the courses and via the quarter guides per quarter. Students receive an academic calendar for the MSc1 and 2 of Urbanism indicating the important dates. The calendar is also available via the Brightspace pages of the quarter one, two and three courses.

Second year

The second years starts with the graduation orientation course to set up the individual graduation project accompanied by the graduation exploration course. The graduation orientation course supports students in setting up a draft graduation project, choosing the graduation studio fit for their graduation project and selecting workshops (part of the graduation exploration course) supportive for their project. At a later stage the graduation orientation course supports students in selecting a second mentor.

In the graduation exploration course students attend workshops which provides them skills and knowledge supportive to execute their graduation project.

The studios provide a structured setting in which guidance and tutoring takes place. Within the studio students find their first mentor. More information about the studios can be found here.

Instead of the graduation exploration course, students can also choose to join one of the Joint Interdisciplinary Projects (JIP). Students who join a JIP obtain 18 EC in total in the 3rd semester.

During the fourth quarter of the first year, students enrol for the MSc3 quarter 5 and 6 courses for the autumn (or spring when starting the MSc3 in February) semester of the second year. Students are informed by an email of student affairs about the enrolment period and procedure.

Enrolment for the MSc4 courses is automatically arranged by student affairs after a successful P2 presentation of the graduation project at the end of the MSc3 semester.

Students are informed via the Brightspace pages of the courses and via the year guide. Students receive an academic calendar for the MSc3 and 4 Urbanism indicating the important dates. The calendar is also available via the Brightspace pages of MSc3.

In the Graduation Manual Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences important information about the setup of the graduation process and the official regulations that apply to the graduation phase is provided.