Local Environmental Change and Sustainable Cities (specialisation of Environment and Society Studies)

Entry requirements

1. A completed academic Bachelor's degree
   In order to get admission to this Master's you will need a completed Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, Spatial Planning, Human Geography, or another related discipline.
2. Proficiency in English
   
   • In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English.This requirement has been satisfied when the student meets one of the following conditions:
     
     • Has successfully completed a three-year Bachelor's programme at a Dutch university.
     • Is a citizen of Australia, Canada (with exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, or the United States of America.
     • Has successfully completed a Bachelor's programme that was taught completely in the English language in one of the following countries: EU/EEA-countries, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United States of America.
     • Has successfully completed a Master's programme from a Dutch university of applied sciences (HBO).
       
       All other students need one of the following certificates (TOEFL and IELTS certificates may not be older than two years):
       • A TOEFL score of ≥90, with subscores not lower than 18
       • A IELTS score of ≥6.5, with subscores not lower than 6.0
       • Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) with a mark of C or higher
3. A background in research methodology
   Because of the academic nature of this programme, we require all our students to have basic training in research processes, e.g. research design and data analysis.

* Applicants are considered to be a native speaker of English if they are from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, UK, USA or South Africa.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Cities around the world are dealing with environmental issues: air pollution, urban heat islands, stormwater flooding, the growing accumulation of solid waste. With growing problems comes a growing demand for professionals with an expertise in the development of sustainable cities. The Master’s specialisation in Local Environmental Change and Sustainable Cities focuses on the local level of sustainability transformations. You’ll be introduced to the latest scientific insights, which will be illustrated with numerous examples of how cities and regions all over the world tackle these problems.

Waste, energy, water, transportation

A broad scope of environmental issues will be addressed, as well as existing measures and instruments. Stormwater management, forms of renewable energy and green roofs are just a small sample of what you can expect to encounter. You’ll also, for example, discover that waste management goes far beyond recycling schemes and how cradle-to-grave products are making way for cradle-to-cradle. In addition, we’ll be dealing with citizens’ initiatives in renewable energy as well as new focus areas, like the possible environmental advantages of community food systems.

What will you learn?

• Gain a theoretical and practical understanding of current environmental issues that cities face
• Learn to understand scientific research and become the bridge between science and society, translating scientific insights into general knowledge
• Explore how individual behaviour as well as politics affects environmental policy
• Learn how to work with various stakeholders to make better environmental decisions

Career prospects

A large majority of graduates from this programme find a job within three months of graduation. Graduates can find work in a variety of positions at different institutions and organisations:

• Policy maker
• Environmental practitioner
• Researcher
• Consultant

To apply for this course, please contact us by e-mail.

Learn more via the Radboud University contact form.

Fees and funding

There are various scholarships available for studying at Radboud University. Some of the opportunities are described below. A full list, including detailed information, can be found on our scholarships and grants page at our website.

Radboud Scholarship Programme

Open to a select number of excellent international students. Instead of the institutional tuition fees, non-EEA students pay the legal tuition fees (€2,209). Visa and residence permit costs, liability insurance and health insurance are also covered.

Orange Tulip Scholarship

Open to students from Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia, South-Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and China. Instead of the institutional tuition fees, non-EEA students pay the legal tuition fees (€2,209). Visa and residence permit costs, liability insurance and health insurance are also covered.

Fulbright-Radboud Scholarships

Open to excellent American students. The grant will be paid in 12 monthly instalments of 1,050 euros. International travel and the cost of the residence permit will be covered, and an extra allowance of €1150 will be paid on arrival.

Sino-Dutch Bilateral Exchange Scholarship

Open to excellent students from China. Consists of a contribution of € 16,113 towards the total costs of one year of study or research in the Netherlands.

DIKTI-Neso Scholarships

Aimed at lecturers at higher education institutions in Indonesia who wish to pursue a PhD or Master's at a university in the Netherlands. A DIKTI scholarship includes allowances for living expenses, insurance, travel costs, tuition fees and more.

Indonesian Education Scholarship (LPDP)

Open to excellent Indonesian students under the age of 35. Involves a full scholarship.

Holland Scholarship Programme

Open to excellent students from Canada, America, India and Turkey. Scholarship consists of 5,000 euros payed at the start of study.

Dutch Student Finance

EU/EEA students and Swiss students under 30 years of age are eligible if they are working at least 56 hours per month in the Netherlands, or have been living in the Netherlands for five years or more. Dutch student finance consists of four components: a basic grant, a supplementary grant (depending on the parental income), a student travel product, and a loan.