mundus urbano

courses year 1 year 2 in italy year 2 in spain year 2 in france off campus phd	According to the Bologna agreement harmonizing university studies in Europe, the curriculum is structured into modules, which may be broken down further into courses. All modules are defined by their contents, learning outcomes and no. of credit points that can be earned in the course according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). The total two years course requires 120 credit points – normally divided equally into 30 CP per semester.

year 1	semester 1 and 2 – TU Darmstadt
course structure	The master course begins with keystone courses at TU Darmstadt in the first and second semesters (60 ECTS), which basically consists of a series of short and intensive courses (one week) on actual and recurrent themes in urban development planning – each of them being taught by a scholar or practitioner with international recognition in that particular topic. The weekly courses are connected by means of a number of cross-cutting lecture series. To avoid thematic fragmentation and to foster a true interdisciplinary understanding of the theme, the students are required to continuously work on a chosen sample project, to which they must apply the information learned in each and every module and present the outcome in a symposium at the end of the year. The first year of the MUNDUS URBANO program has been designed to build up an integral understanding of space, society and technology in the global urban development. It is taught at Darmstadt University (Germany) and is geared towards the student’s capability to conceive, oversee and evaluate comprehensive urban projects in the context of sustainable development, but also to recognize and analyze any embedded shortcomings. At the end of the two semesters, students will be able to draw up and coordinate multidisciplinary development programs without necessarily knowing all the details of different program elements. The overall modules (each of them broken down in a number of weekly thematic courses) offered over the year are indicated below.
modules	Modules Year ONE –, all students (TU Darmstadt): ► Urban Development Strategies: strategic and micro planning; response to globalization pressures; urban governance; regional planning. ► Urban management, governance: decentralization; participatory budgeting; land management; programme and project funding. ► Housing policies: tenure and finance; micro credits; neighbourhood upgrading; large housing estates; self-help housing. ► Physical planning, urban design& ecology: urban design, participatory planning, cultural heritage development. ► Sustainable urban infrastructure & technology: sanitation, mobility, healthy cities, disaster mitigation. ► Conviviality and culture: millennium goals and poverty reduction, conflict management and violence prevention; gender mainstreaming; migration and urban social segregation ► International cooperation skills: project planning and project cycles; costing and evaluation methods; aid and funding agencies, fund raising, publicity strategies. ► Academic skills: research methods, surveying, tuition and presentation didactics.
course outlines	For full courses outlines see: www.urban-studies.de
off campus	The two month semester break between semester ONE and TWO may be used for internship or field study instead of the period between semesters 3 and 4.

year 2 in italy	Università di Roma ‘Tor Vergata’ in Rome
development economics	Specialization: Development economics Università di Roma ‘Tor Vergata’ in Rome contributes components of the MESCI program ‘Master in Development Economics and International Co-operation’ – which is an international, English taught, post-graduate programme using an interdisciplinary methodology to development. It stands apart from other masters in this field in its practical approach to economic development, analysis of markets, institutions, and regulation by public and private agencies, in order to bridge the gap between academia and the workplace. It aims at training expertise in developing economics and in international cooperation. As an element of the double degree course it particularly responds to the frequently unsatisfied need for qualified economists in urban development cooperation projects. Students opting for studying their second year at Tor Vergata are also expected to attend the same course also for the fourth semester. This will imply structured class learning with a final exam instead of the master’s thesis. Tor Vergata should be chosen by second year students wishing to work in international urban project management in the future.
modules	Quantitative Methods I Quantitative Methods II Global Partnership In International Cooperation: Principles And Pratices Development Economics I Planning Sustainable Development: Project And Programme Evaluation International Development Assistance Development Economics II International Economics: Trade And Finance The Ethical And Social Approach To Development Workshops And Seminars
course outlines	detailed course descriptions
preparative	All students, are invited to participate to an intensive Italian language course offered at Tor Vergata University.
off campus	An internship in an international or donor organization can be foreseen according to students and Tor Vergata University availability.

year 2 in spain	Universität Internacional de Catalunya in Barcelona
architecture	Specialization: Sustainable Emergency Architecture The course modules taught at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC) originate from the long established Master Course “Master of International Cooperation in Architecture”. This degree program is being taught in English (with a number of electives in Spanish). It draws from theory and design to mount a cohesive study of architecture and urbanism’s current global imperatives and initiatives. The curriculum includes lectures, a series of seminars as well as a design studio. A master’s thesis to be submitted at UIC will be design based and covers topics ranging from crisis relief planning, urban ecology, and low-cost design to sustainable development. UIC will be chosen especially by students wishing to enter a professional career in physical planning, housing development, ecology or humanitarian relief work.
modules	The 3rd semester theory modules taught at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya include among others: • Other Modernism (urban and dwelling culture in its relation to the dynamics of tradition • Cities, Urbanism and Development (contemporary urban practices and city form their relation to tradition and innovation, the policies, programs and projects of the international financial institutions and agencies) • Integrated Response Strategies (post WWII development of cities seen through the lens of urban renewal, demographic change, social upheaval, and efforts for social and urban transcendence) • Theories of Critical Development (critical review of multilateral and bilateral agencies’ evolving approaches to urban development and shelter delivery) • Globalization, Citizenship, and Identity (the construction of the modern citizen and the good society in the liberal outlook and its alternatives in the communitarian, social-democratic, nationalist, feminist, multi-culturalist, and post-nationalist perspectives) • Urban Models (We look at the assumptions underlying the United Nations Millennium Task Force’s recommendations on slums, and some of the assumptions underlying critiques of the formerly really existing socialist cities patterns) • Urban Ecology and Sustainable Design (Sustainable development at the intersection of architecture and urban planning, engineering, public administration and economics) • Crisis Relief Planning (The course seeks to enhance a greater understanding of the links between human settlements, humanitarianism and community development.) • Minimum Cost Design (the reach of the architect through community-based design and the reciprocal exchange between designers and their clients) • Design Studios are being run throughout the semester • Elective courses (in Spanish and Catalan language)
course outlines	Detailed course outlines http://www.uic.es/cooperation/
off campus	Both a field study and an internship may be accommodated after the third Semester.
thesis	The remainder of the semester is dedicated to the preparation of the Master thesis which may (but need not) be based on the preceding field work. Supervision of the thesis may be sought with the UIC staff, TUD lecturers, the non-EU partner university or a joint supervision. The thesis results will be presented in a public symposium.

year 2 in france	University Pierre-Mendès-France in Grenoble
social geography	Specialization: Urban Social Challenges The University Pierre-Mendès-France in Grenoble (France), Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, contributes components of their Master Course ‘Urbanism, Habitat and International Cooperation’. This course refers to newly developing professional tasks at the hinge between Globalization and poverty alleviation related to the urban context. Starting points are the analysis of city culture and city administration. Community development, urban governance, strategic planning and decentralized cooperation are key concerns in the curriculum. This option will be taken up especially by students looking for a career in international organizations, Aid agencies and non governmental entities.
modules	The 3^rd semester modules taught at the University Pierre-Mendès-France include, among others: • Politics and programs in the field of international co-operation • Habitat in the developing world • Georisks and environmental impact in Cities of the South • Operational Urbanism and co-development : • North-South-East urban linkages • Analytical city case studies (team work) • Decentralization in urban cooperation • Project planning and project cycles • Potentials of geographical sciences in urban development • Electives and some of the above modules are taught in French
course outlines	detailed course descriptions
off campus	After semester THREE it is suggested that students take up one of the off-campus options. The course director will be available to advice on the details of each available and preferred option to the student.
thesis	The fourth semester is dedicated to the preparation of the Master thesis including its presentation.

off campus
	The second part of Year II foresees an off-campus experience in any of the mobility combinations within MUNDUS URBAO. It may be organized through one of the two visited universities in part fulfillment of the course requirements. It should last for two months and can also be arranged in conjunction with a University in a non EU country, which has associated itself with the consortium or its individual international cooperation partners. According to the university chosen for Year TWO, one or several options exist for the off campus module:
field study	Field study is defined as individual of group work carried out in order to conduct independent research on a topic related to the MUNDUS URBANO course. In most cases the experience will be evaluated within the subsequent Masters thesis or even followed up later as part of a PhD proposal.
project field work	Project field work is conducted by a lager group of students under supervision of an expert in response to a request from an aid or development agency. The availability of this option depends on the existence of requests from the respective agencies.
summer school	A summer school normally implies joint field work with students form several universities. Within the MUNDUS URBANO program it is intended to bring together students from the Masters course with students from the non-EU partner universities.
internship	The internship option is intended for students whose previous work experience was mostly within academic institutions.

phd
doctorate	The MUNDUS URBANO diploma formally qualifies students to apply for PhD study in the EU. Acceptance to such a course normally depends on a professor agreeing to supervise the thesis proposed by the applicant. MUNDUS URBANO graduates with very good results should not have a problem to be accepted in one of the consortium universities or elsewhere. In the case of Tor Vergata University, the option exists for students who wish to pursue PhD research (and require a master thesis to do so) to submit a full masters thesis to be represented on the TU Darmstadt transcript section of the double-degree.