MScUrban Studies
| Study location | Estonia, Tallinn |
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| Type | Postgraduate, full-time |
| Nominal duration | 2 years (120 ECTS) |
| Study language | English |
| Awards | MSc (Master of Science in Engineering) |
| Course code | 3356 |
| Tuition fee | €1,200 per year |
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| Application fee | €50 one-time |
| Entry qualification | Undergraduate diploma (or higher) Suitable MA candidate has a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent qualification in architecture, landscape architecture, geography, construction, art history, sociology, urban planning, political science, or other arts & humanities fields. The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English / Estonian. Upload the educational document digitally to the application. Only when accepted a candidate must sent the documents physically to Estonian Academy of Arts |
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| Language requirements | English You can apply with the following language test results (Minimum requirements set by the EKA): – TOEFL ITP: min 543 Upload the certificate of foreign language skills digitally together with other requested documents. NB! Language test results are valid for 2 years! |
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| Other requirements | A motivation letter must be added to your application. Motivational letter (500 words max) – Explain why do you want to study in the program and how you understand the terms “city”, “urbanism”, and “urbanization”. How does your education/experience prepare you for the program? How would you benefit from, and contribute to, the program? Discuss. A relevant portfolio is required. Sample of your previous work (portfolio) – Architecture / Urban Design portfolio (single PDF document, max 20 pages and 12 MB) or Writing sample (single PDF document, max 6000 words) REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: • copy of your Bachelor’s degree certificate or equivalent and its translation into Estonian or English. NB! both, the copies and translations have to be attested by notary! • copy of your Transcript of records and its translation into Estonian or English. NB! both, the copies and translations have to be attested by notary! • certificate of foreign language skills • copy of the data page of your passport or ID-card • CV • Motivational letter (500 words max) – Explain why do you want to study in the program and how you understand the terms “city”, “urbanism”, and “urbanization”. How does your education/experience prepare you for the program? How would you benefit from, and contribute to, the program? Discuss. • Sample of your previous work (portfolio) – Architecture / Urban Design portfolio (single PDF document, max 20 pages and 12 MB) or Writing sample (single PDF document, max 6000 words) NB! Students graduating in Spring 2021 who are not able to submit their educational certificates by the requested deadline are asked to contact the International Student Adviser (admissions@artun.ee). For applying, please submit the most recent document with your current obtained grades. Final education documents, including diploma and transcript will be requested from you only in summer (June 2021). All required documents have to be uploaded digitally to your application and when requested should be sent by post to the address below. No not send original documents! Estonian Academy of Arts |
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| More information |
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Overview
As events and transformations of the recent decades have forcefully shown, the urban question permeates all major social, economic and political developments of today. The two-year Master’s programme in Urban Studies critically engages with the wide-ranging manifestation of contemporary urbanity. What shapes have the processes of urbanisation assumed today? How are urban spaces produced?
The programme is situated at the trans-disciplinary crossroad of urban studies, urbanism and urban planning, architecture theory, sociology, urban ethnography and geography.
The education prepares students to engage with urban issues at the intersection between design practice, political practice and theoretical knowledge (urban design, urban and spatial planning, state and municipal policy making, public expertise, community advocacy, social activism, academic and practice-based research). Our graduates work in public administrations, urbanism-focused NGOs, architecture design offices, private consultancies and advocacy organisations. The programme also prepares graduates for further study at the PhD level.
Additional information: www.artun.ee/en/admissions/masters/admissions/
“Growing up in Lasnamäe, I have always been attentive to its inhabitants and dynamics. During my studies in the Urban Studies Master’s programme at EKA, this initial interest crystallised into a more coherent set of ideas and steps. I started the Lasnaidee project, organising community events and struggling to change the negative image associated with the neighbourhood. The studies helped me understand that beneath this image one finds valuable public spaces and rich everyday life. With the Urban Lab, I organised guided walks where experts and visitors can see this for themselves. I am continuously engaged with the issues of cooperation and community organisation, and I have recently become more involved with the planning process itself. While perhaps less colorful, planning is key for the just and equitable development of a city.”
Maria Derlõš
MA Urban Studies ‘15
Founder of Lasnaidee
Programme structure
Knowledge and skills
The broad themes of the first three semesters are: 1) key concepts in urban studies, urban history; 2) urban scenarios and urban agenda setting; and 3) urban regeneration, the logic of urban interventions. The fourth semester is reserved for the Master’s Thesis project and Master Studio.
Structure of the Curriculum
Pedagogically, the curriculum consists of:
- lectures courses, in which key debates in contemporary urban and architectural theory is presented,
- reading seminars, where students are engaged in critical discussion of these debates,
- projects (the core element of the programme), in which students learn how to deal with real situations, engage in them, analyse and propose solutions; a wide range of methods is introduced, including interventions, research, creative planning, urban design, urban management, and scenario planning;
- invited guest lecturers, in which bring the projects are complemented with the up-to-date knowledge from the field of urban design practice;
- annually changing intensive modules on topical themes; these modules are shared between first and second year MA students, helping the two groups integrate,
- excursions to cities in the Baltic Sea Region and Europe, where studied theoretical and design problems can be grasped in situ and in transnational perspective.
In many courses, Urban Studies students work in collaboration with students of architecture and urban landscapes. The student groups are small, and there are more contact hours per credit than in most comparable programmes.