Program Overview

Master in Urban Systems

The Master in Urban Systems program aims to provide students from engineering and architecture disciplines with the necessary foundations to address sustainability challenges in urban areas and their surrounding territories. It enables them to master the interactions between technological and physical systems, regulatory frameworks, and human behaviors, and to become leaders in urban transition within companies or public administrations.

Overview of the Program

The transition to sustainable cities and urban areas presents challenges that require interdisciplinary thinking and creativity in problem-solving. This process increasingly relies on the availability of data, whose growing volume requires innovative conceptual approaches to understand a system as a whole and find relevant solutions.

This master's program trains professionals aiming for leading roles in sustainable transition with the necessary skills to:

• Identify the values that should guide the transition
• Analyze the interactions between different stakeholders
• Understand the opportunities offered by legal frameworks
• Recognize the conditions necessary for the social acceptability of transition projects
• Identify economic risks associated with them
• Plan the implementation of measures

Structure of the Program

The program is a two-year, 120 ECTS program consisting of:

• Core Courses (34 ECTS):
  • Territory design and analysis
  • Systems engineering in urban and territorial contexts
  • Policy and governance for sustainable agendas
  • Computational thinking for transition
• Specializations (30 ECTS):
  1. Mobilities and transports facing climate change
  2. Ecological transitions in urban systems
  3. Health and well-being in urban environments
• Projects:
  • Base project (10 ECTS)
  • Specialization project (10 ECTS)
  • Project in human and social sciences (6 ECTS)
  • Master's project (30 ECTS)

Admission Requirements

The program is open to holders of a bachelor's degree in civil engineering, architecture, environmental sciences and engineering, and related disciplines from a recognized institution, with an excellent academic record. It is consecutive to the EPFL bachelor's degrees in civil engineering and environmental sciences and engineering. Holders of these degrees are directly admitted. Holders of an EPFL degree in architecture or another EPFL engineering degree, as well as those from other institutions, must submit an application and may be required to take preliminary courses.

Specializations

The program offers three specializations:

Mobilité and Transports Facing Climate Change

This specialization aims to train specialists in the ecological transition of transport and mobility systems. Students will approach transport from different angles, including analytical methods, planning practice, infrastructure design, and their impact on land use, as well as the introduction of new methodologies to promote the ecological transition of mobility.

Ecological Transitions in Urban Systems

Students will acquire in-depth transdisciplinary skills necessary to design cities and territories of the future in the context of climate change. This specialization provides a wide range of skills in urban design and analysis that enable the implementation of climate change adaptation in urban and territorial development.

Health and Well-being in Urban Environments

The impact of the built environment on health and well-being is increasingly recognized, particularly in urban contexts. This specialization explores this relationship by building an interdisciplinary knowledge base, identifying effective interventions in the built environment at different scales, and discovering how new environmental detection and analysis technologies can contribute to the search for healthier environments.

Career Perspectives

This program prioritizes project-based learning and practical experience to prepare graduates to play an active role in implementing sustainable agendas. Their versatility and expertise will enable them to occupy a wide variety of positions in urban planning, environment, and territorial development:

• Responsible for sustainable urban and territorial planning at all levels.
• Developer of public policies and strategic development plans at local, cantonal, and federal levels.
• Project managers in large-scale urban transition projects.
• Consultants for transport and mobility operators, urban infrastructure providers.
• Consultants in medical institutions focused on urban health and environments.
• Positions in NGOs focused on sustainable urban practices and transitions.
• Positions in research and development, within a research institution or university.

Diploma

Upon completion of their master's program, students obtain a Master of Science MSc in Urban Systems degree from EPFL. This degree confers the right to bear the title of EPF engineer.