Master in Urban Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change: Integrated Management of Land, Water and Air

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Climate-neutral and resilient cities are essential goalposts in the quest to tackle the growing threat and impacts of climate change. This master's track focuses on examining different conceptual, theoretical, and practical approaches to leading sustainable urban transformation and managing climate-neutral and resilient cities worldwide.

The study programme in a nutshell

Climate-neutral and resilient cities are essential goalposts in the quest to tackle the growing threat and impacts of climate change. Students will examine critical social, economic and governance dimensions of climate-neutral and resilient cities.

Why this programme

Urban Environment, Sustainability & Climate Change

Climate-neutral and resilient cities are essential goalposts in the quest to tackle the growing threat and impacts of climate change. But this quest must be undertaken in the framework of sustainable development goals, which strive for the proper use and management of key natural resources that safeguard the planet in the first place. This track evaluates different policies, approaches, and instruments to achieve climate resilience, climate neutrality and environmental sustainability in urban areas worldwide, focusing on the three critical natural resources and public goods land, water and air.

What are some of the special features of this track?

Apart from earning your MSc diploma from Erasmus University Rotterdam, an institution that is consistently ranked among the top 3% of the world’s best universities, studying the Sustainability & Climate Change track also means that you will get to:

Evaluate climate change from a broader perspective

During the master track, students will learn how to critically reflect upon and engage with sustainable development frameworks, such as “doughnut economics” (Kate Raworth, 2017), and their relationship with climate change.

Evaluate the multi-faceted principles of “resilience” and “risk”

With a sound understanding of climate-induced threats and risks, students will be able to apply these principles to land, water, and air using nature-based solutions.

Design and present a climate resilience strategy for a client organization

At the end of the master track, students will design and present a climate resilience adaptation and mitigation strategy for a client organisation in response to an actual development need and based on existing data, circumstances, and institutional frameworks.

Site visits to relevant projects

Students of this track will visit different examples of climate change resilience and sustainability initiatives in the Netherlands, which they will evaluate critically in the framework of theoretical concepts presented and discussed in class.

Apply tools used by practitioners to analyse the urban environment

Participants of the master track will learn to use GIS tools to analyse the natural and built environment. Insights from georeferenced data can be essential in climate adaptation and mitigation decision-making.

Theoretical and practical relevance of thesis projects

The master track encourages students to critically apply and evaluate theories presented in class to case studies in their thesis projects and (later) publications, and in so doing, to help build theory.

Why study at IHS, Erasmus University Rotterdam?

Earn your MSc degree from a top 100 university

Known for its academic rigours and high quality of education, Erasmus University Rotterdam is consistently ranked in the top 3% of the world’s best universities.

Our teaching methods are unique

Alongside IHS teaching and research activities, our faculty members work in the field on real-life cases around the world. Challenges, learnings, and questions from these different contexts are brought back to the classroom and woven into our curriculum.

You apply everything you learn

Students learn through a blend of lectures, real-life case studies, discussions, debates, simulation environments, written assignments, and group work. Field visits and projects in Rotterdam and other Dutch cities provide first-hand exposure to local urban problems. Students have the option to complete their thesis fieldwork abroad and immerse themselves in a relevant urban context to collect data.

We offer a truly international and diverse environment

The IHS classroom comprises mid-level professionals and fresh graduates with rich and varied experiences from more than 45 countries. Typical backgrounds include architecture, engineering, planning, economics, social science, environmental science, and housing.

Study in Rotterdam - a hub of sustainable urban innovation

Iconic architecture, pioneering urban planning, and a celebrated multicultural population have thrust Rotterdam to the forefront of innovation and cultivation within the urban world.

Enjoy guest lecturers from UN-Habitat and other key stakeholders in the urban field

IHS works with global leaders in the field of urban development, including UN-Habitat, Cities Alliance and ICLEI, and with leading universities in the Netherlands and around the world to ensure additional academic resources for our students.