Design viable interventions with spatial data.

Learn how to structure complex spatial challenges, model scenarios and make trade-offs explicit, together with stakeholders.

Important note
For administrative reasons, you apply under the programme name Spatial Engineering. After graduation, your diploma will also state Spatial Engineering. The programme you will follow is communicated as Spatial Systems & Society.

Spatial challenges like climate adaptation, disaster risk and urban growth are rarely solved with one final answer. What matters is making choices that work in practice. In Spatial Systems & Society you learn how to turn geospatial data into decisions.

You combine spatial analysis and modelling with governance and socio-economic context. That means you don’t just build maps or models. You learn how to use them to compare scenarios, clarify stakeholder needs and design interventions that are viable in the real world.

You work on real case studies, build evidence-based outputs and graduate with a portfolio that shows what you can do.

This online pre-master programme, or transfer minor, dominantly aims at preparing you for the Master's in Spatial Systems & Society. Upon successful completion of the transfer minor, you have direct and unconditional access to the Master’s in Spatial Systems & Society. It is a full-time online study programme of one semester with four courses.

 

With respect to Academic Research Skills:

- Explain what (academic) research is, which kinds of research and which phases can be distinguished and how quality of the research can be guaranteed.
- To formulate research questions and objectives, based on an existing problem.
- To carry out a thorough literature study and specify research questions/objectives, based on this.
- To produce a plan for technological research, based on the formulated questions and/or   objectives.
- To answer the research question, including a reflection on the original objective.
- To write a scientific paper on the research results (in English).
- To orally present the results (in English) to an audience of supervisors and peers.
- To critically reflect on the results of their own research and that of fellow students (peer review).

With respect to Statistics:

- Probability density functions and concepts of correlations and regressions
- Describe parameter uncertainty like variability, RMSE and R2 

With respect to Challenge

- Identify and describe gaps in your knowledge.
- Plan, execute and reflect on the learning process needed to bridge the gap.
- Integrate knowledge in formulating an actionable challenge using the challenge-based learning approach.

With respect to core knowledge

If your knowledge gap concerns Technical Engineering you will learn to be able to:

- Describe cycles of nutrients, water and carbon and underlying principles such as conservation of mass and energy (Process thinking and conceptualization).
- Apply schematizing complex systems using existing techniques to capture them in equations (System thinking and model conceptualization).
- Apply probability density functions and concepts of correlations and regressions (Stochasticity) to estimations of relevant parameters of earth system processes.
- Apply parameter uncertainty like variability, RMSE and R2, to make interpretations of outputs of models that simulate earth system processes (Parameter uncertainty).

If your knowledge gap concerns Spatial Planning for Governance you will learn to be able to use spatial concepts, instruments and measures in a given spatial planning situation.

- Theory and context.
- Describe the evolution of spatial planning theory and practice and how these relate to notions of sustainable development and resilience.
- Explain the political, legal and institutional context of a spatial planning situation.
- Analysis of a planning situation.
- Analyse a given spatial planning problem/situation, identifying key stakeholders and their interests.
- Describe the trade-offs between competing interests in a given spatial planning situation.
- Advise on a planning situation.
- Develop and present a concept plan for addressing a given spatial planning situation.
- Recommend evaluation and future needs.
- Elaborate on ways to measures to guide, monitor and evaluate the realization of spatial plans.
- Discuss how spatial analysis can assist in anticipating future needs and emerging issues in society.

If your Knowledge gap concerns Spatial Information Science you will learn to be able to:

- Conceptualize and represent the real world in digital geospatial data.
- Identify and apply methods for the exploration, analysis, integration, synthesis and presentation of digital spatial data and imagery in a geographic information system (GIS).
- Apply basic statistical methods to geographic data to gain insights.

Good to know that this minor aims to attract students from universities of applied sciences (HBO) who have the adequate motivation and capacities to complete an English-taught degree programme on university level. At UT we assume that knowledge of Mathematics or English is comparable the level of VWO.

In any case you need have to completed 120 EC’s from your current related bachelor’s studies before starting this transfer minor.

In order to determine whether your current studies is sufficiently related to Spatial Systems & Society your transcript, your CV and your motivation will be considered.

Please check the master’s programme’s website.

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Block 1A, 1B

Academic Research Skills (7,5 ECTS)     
Research proposal, scientific article and oral presentation.

Statistics (5 ECTS): Assignments and/or Quiz

Challenge (5 ECTS): Actionable challenge presentation

Core Knowledge (12,5 ECTS): Assignments, Quiz and oral test

The transfer minor entails a full-time programme of 30 ECTS and there is only one term of enrolment in September.

More information about this minor can be found here.

Contact information:
https://www.utwente.nl/en/education/master/programmes/spatial-systems-society/contact/