Master’s in Metropolitan Analysis, Design and Engineering (double degree)

You will learn how to act in an environment where a variety of systems, networks, and human actors shape the metropolis and the flows in the city. As a student you make use of new technologies, enabling a much faster and more accurate use of data in cities, and at larger scales than ever before.

The two-year MSc MADE program is a combination of institution and online education, thorough training in academic skills and project work. This is all connected to the research portfolio of Wageningen University & Research, Delft University of Technology, and their industrial and societal partners and brought together in the AMS Institute. 

In the second year, you work in a Living Lab. This project gives you the chance to operate in a real-life problem-solving setting. The living laboratory of Amsterdam supports cooperation with one of the private or public partners in the Amsterdam metropolitan region. The aim is to co-creatively develop an innovative product or process that helps the partner organisation get closer to urban sustainability.

The master's program will be completed with a thesis. This includes a theoretical framework, advancing analytical methods, and explicating conceptual approaches.  

MSc Metropolitan Analysis, Design and Engineering (MADE) programme does not offer predefined specialisations. Instead, it provides a flexible, interdisciplinary curriculum that allows students to tailor their studies based on their interests and career goals.  

Students can choose elective courses and engage in projects that align with various urban challenges, such as mobility, climate resilience, water management, and social equity. This approach enables a personalised educational experience without the constraints of fixed specialisations. 

• Lectures: instructors explain and explore the course material in a classroom setting.
• Tutorials: focused sessions where you complete tasks alone or with a few peers.
• Labs: computer labs where you engage with environmental and statistical modelling exercises.
• Problem-Based Learning: group work under supervision to tackle a specific case study.
• Self-study: time for independent learning is provided, but can also be organised on your own. 
  

We believe that personal attention makes all the difference at WUR. That’s why we provide a larger network of lecturers, study advisors, and student counsellors than other Dutch universities, giving you ample support throughout your studies. This reduces the likelihood of setbacks and creates a more personalised academic experience—an expression of our genuine commitment to your growth. 

• Master’s in Urban Environmental Management
  The Master’s in Metropolitan Analysis, Design, and Engineering focuses on designing sustainable and resilient metropolitan areas through an interdisciplinary approach, combining urban planning, design, and engineering. In contrast, the Master’s in Urban Environmental Management emphasizes managing urban environmental systems such as water, waste, and sanitation, with a focus on policy and practical solutions. Essentially, the first prepares students to shape urban futures through design and engineering, while the second trains them to manage and optimize urban environmental systems.

Check more information on Studiekeuze123.nl.

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You can apply for admission to this joint-degree programme. We require a relevant bachelor's, including a certain number of technical and natural scientific courses. Relevant are for instance specialisations or minors and courses focussing on water and waste management, architecture and the built environment, transport, mobility or logistics, energy and food security and production, health and well-being and spatial planning and geographical information systems.

The additional requirement for starting the master's is that you have successfully finalised the self-paced MOOC Sustainable Urban Development, Discover Advanced Metropolitan Solutions.

Specific admission requirements 

We require a relevant bachelor's, including a certain number of technical and natural scientific courses. Relevant are for instance specialisations or minors and courses focussing on water and waste management, architecture and the built environment, transport, mobility or logistics, energy and food security and production, health and well-being and spatial planning and geographical information systems.

For the MADE programme, the general WUR admission requirements apply. Additionally, the following specific requirements apply:

1) Level A Bachelor degree (or an equivalent award at ISCED level 5A) in a field of science relevant to the selected programme in the technical design and engineering sciences, or in the life or social sciences with additionally acquired technical competences and which degrees relate to metropolitan, urban or environmental issues. In any case, the programmes specified in the MADE Education and Examination regulation.

2) Statement of Accomplishment or Verified Certificate of the MOOC: Sustainable Urban Development: Discover Advanced Metropolitan Solutions developed and launched by the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions in 2016 is considered as prerequisite requisite knowledge before starting the master MADE.

Candidates that apply for this programme can send us an email to virtual.exchange@wur.nl, subject: “MADE + Sustainable Urban Development, Discover Advanced Metropolitan Solutions”, to obtain a code for a free certificate.

Extra requirements Data II course

When participating in the Data II course, students will need a laptop that meets the following requirements.

• Extensive system requirements for the software package we use:
• Enough RAM (> 8 GB minimum);
• Strong processor (minimal 4 cores, for example an Intel i7 qaudcore);
• And above all a good, strong graphics card with his *own* memory and 3D capability;
• View the extensive system requirements for the software package we use. We advise to look at the ‘recommended’ requirements (instead of minimum).

Bachelor's degree falling short of requirements

A quality of the bachelor's degree falling short of the requirements mentioned can only result in admission at the discretion of the Admission Board, when there are sufficient compensating factors such as:

• Thesis result;
• Scores for the courses that are of particular relevance to the MSc programme applied for;
• Indisputable upward trend of course grades;
• A declaration of the educational institute of the applicant on a deviating GPA policy;
• Achievements in postgraduate education;
• Multiple studies;
• Scores for WU/TUD courses (by exchange students or students taking a minor);
• Reference letters;
• Quality of the degree awarding institution. 

You can apply for this Master's here.

The Admission Board may allow and/or suggest compensation of knowledge gaps by:

• a GPA≥7.0* for the previous education for small discrepancies as new knowledge is sufficiently easily acquired;
• a GPA≥7.0* and an individual pre-master's programme for larger discrepancies that can be compensated in ≤30 ECTS and one year of study.

*Check the general admissions page for the International credentials evaluation guide for international equivalencies to a Dutch GPA>7.0. This guide includes compensating factors for a slightly lower GPA the Admission Board may include in their judgement. 

Contact us to discuss the possibilities of a pre-master or how to mitigate knowledge gaps if you are still in the process of obtaining your degree.

Find out more about enrolment and fees of a pre-master's programme. 

There are costs involved in studying. Curious about the expected amounts? All information about the costs of this programme can be found on this page. 

Life as a student isn’t only about your studies. It includes renting a room, enjoying great parties and social events, cosying up in local pubs, and being active in student associations. Festivals and sports clubs offer even more ways to get involved in Wageningen and the surrounding areas. All information about student life in Wageningen can be found on this page.