Do you have a strong affinity with technology and systems and are you are inspired by large-scale, complex challenges? Are you a creative thinker willing and able to look beyond the obvious solutions? Are you eager to engage with what is happening in the world and to use your skills to make our planet more sustainable? If so, this transfer minor to the Master’s programme in Spatial Engineering at the University of Twente may be just up your street.

To prepare for the master’s programme you will you will be taught various scientific skills and your skills in mathematics will be improved to a higher level. You will also attend a course related to Earth Observation.

This online pre-master programme, or transfer minor, dominantly aims at preparing you for the Master's Spatial Engineering. Upon successful completion of the programme, you have direct and unconditional access to this Master’s Spatial Engineering. 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.

This transfer minor dominantly aims at preparing you for the master of science (MSc) degree programme Spatial Engineering and upon successful completion of this minor, you have direct and unconditional access to this master’s programme (See also Entry requirements below).

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 Engineering your transcript, your CV and your motivation will be considered.

Please check the master’s programme’s website https://www.utwente.nl/en/education/master/programmes/spatial-engineering/admission/academic-level/

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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.

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