Norwegian version
Two Transport and Urban Planning master's students in front of an illuminated city map of Oslo.

Transport and urban planning

Master's degree

You get a practical and profession-oriented specialisation in integrated transport land use planning, spatial planning, geography, urban informatics, urban economics or landscape architecture.

  • Admission requirements

    To apply for this programme you must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in one of these fields:

    • Architecture
    • Demography
    • Economic history
    • Economics
    • Engineering
    • Geography
    • Geoinformatics
    • Geology
    • Human geography
    • Informatics
    • Landscape Architecture
    • Political science
    • Psychology
    • Physical geography
    • Sociology
    • Statistics
    • Tourism science
    • Urban planning

    You also need

    More about admission to master's programmes.

  • How to apply

    You apply via Søknadsweb, where you fill in your details and upload all the required documents.

    There are different application deadlines based on which country you apply from:

    • 1 November: for applicants from countries outside the European Union, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
    • 1 March: early admission for applicants from the European Union, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, and for non-EU/EEA citizens with a Norwegian national ID number residing in Norway
    • 15 April: ordinary admission for applicants from the European Union, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, and for non-EU/EEA citizens with a Norwegian national ID number residing in Norway
  • Programme cost

    For students from the EU/EEA/EFTA the only cost of this programme is the semester fee (student.oslomet.no) of approximately NOK 1,000, which you pay each semester of the programme. For these students there are no tuition fees.

    For students from countries outside the EU/EEA/EFTA there are tuition fees in addition to the semester fee (student.oslomet.no).

  • Computer system requirements

    • In this study programme, you use a lot of software that only runs on the Windows operating system. We strongly recommend that you get a PC laptop, not a Mac.
    • A laptop is required for 3D modeling already in the first semester, and then we recommend a "gaming laptop" that has powerful video cards that can be used for modelling. The GPU should be at least Nvidia RTX 2060, or Radeon RX5700, but as often you get gaming laptops with better graphics cards than that.
    • The laptop should have 16 GB of memory or better. The processor should be Core-i5 with several cores or equivalent, preferably better. The hard disk should be 500GB or more, we recommend SSD.
    • If you want to use Windows on a Mac, it requires very strong performance on the Mac, and it often costs a disproportionate amount, and often does not work very well. 
  • Programme content

    In this cross-disciplinary master’s degree programme, you will gain a unique insight into information and communication technology (ICT), digital tools and skills that are commonly used and in great demand in the industry, especially tools and skills related to transport land use planning, spatial planning, geographical information systems (GIS) and data science.

    Society and authorities place increasing demands on environmentally-friendly, innovative and sustainable design of mobility and urban solutions.

    Climate change in the form of increased temperatures, more precipitation and extreme weather exposes structures, infrastructure and networks to greater and less predictable stressors.

    Industry and researchers highlight the need for engineers with expertise at master's degree level in transport and urban planning with knowledge of environmental issues and updated skills in new technology.

    In this programme, you will achieve a high level of proficiency in sustainable urban development as well as achieving strong digital skills and knowledge.

    This master’s programme has two specialisations.

    • Space Syntax

      Space Syntax (20 ECTS) will provide you with in-depth knowledge of how complex architectural and urban systems work, and how spaces can be planned, designed and manufactured to create a better society, bringing together the fields of urban informatics, urban planning and design, and architecture.

      Space Syntax is a theoretical and analytical framework, as well as a modelling tool employing a mathematical street network approach to calculate configurative spatial relationships.

      Space syntax allows an understanding of the urban morphology, how street networks relate to functional patterns such as vehicle and pedestrian movement, land use patterns, area differentiation, crime dispersal, property prices, or even the social well-being and malaise.

      The purpose is to understand how cities are spatially constituted and at the same time are functioning as a catalysator related to social, economic, and cognitive factors that is crucial to create future cities and regions.

      The Space Syntax toolkit provides different analytical techniques that can be applied individually or in different combinations at various scales.

      You will investigate spatial systems from a local scale to a city-wide scale using different analytical techniques and data applied to identify and find solutions for urban real-word problems.

      Space syntax is a method applied internationally in research and practice.

    • Urban Mobility

      Urban Mobility (20 ECTS) will provide you with in-depth knowledge of land use and transport planning for smart and sustainable cities that meet the needs of all residents.

      You will learn how to experiment and test hypotheses and think strategically about multi-modal transport systems, the movement of people and goods and intelligent transport systems in urban areas.

      You can develop your expertise through a series of lectures and workshops, and working on projects.

    The goal of this master’s programme, and both specialisations, is to qualify you to address the challenges of both professional life and scholarly enquiry as well as to become a productive member of interdisciplinary teams.

    Programme description (student.oslomet.no)

  • How the programme is taught

    This is a two-year full-time study.

    The programme entails a variety of

    • group work
    • cross-disciplinary projects
    • lectures
    • exercise sessions including digital labs
    • presentations
    • field work
    • seminars and discussions

    You will be involved in peer feedback, as part of the learning process.

    The scheduled study activities aim to motivate and inspire you, and induce non-organised academic work.

    The work methods are intended to stimulate cooperation, individual activity, reflection and fresh thinking.

    Contact with business and industry through external lecturers and projects in addition to ordinary instruction is intended to ensure a relevant and motivational approach throughout the programme.

    Working as an expert researcher in urban or mobility design and planning requires a high level of expertise in the use of advanced computer programmes and simulation tools (ICT tools) for problem-solving. Computer exercises and tasks that require the use of advanced ICT tools are therefore one of the main work methods used in the study programme.

    The teaching will be constantly updated to encompass new knowledge, and research articles are part of the syllabus.

    You will also participate in research-related discussions and be included in ongoing research and development through projects that are part of the study programme.

    Project-based learning relating to urban and mobility design and planning tasks is used to enable you to practise working on complex issues.

    The study programme will prepare you for work methods used in the industry, through group work and project assignments in cooperation with partner companies in the industry.

  • Programme structure

    Optional course Spans multiple semesters

    2nd year of study

    3rd semester
    4th semester
    Valgemner
    3rd semester
  • Exchange

    Exchange is mainly possible in the third semester, but also in the fourth semester.

    You can find information about exchange on our student website

  • Career

    After completing this programme, you will be especially suitable for:

    • employment in urban, regional and transport planning departments in municipalities and public organisations
    • jobs in firms and agencies developing stakeholder strategies, meta-data description and tech-mediation between smart-city developers and users
    • consultancy firms developing strategies for smart city developments
    • creation and analysis of geo-coded data, including statistical analyses
    • research and evaluation work
  • Further studies at OsloMet

Questions about studying at OsloMet

You can contact us by e-mail with any questions about studying at OsloMet, the application process and life as a student.

If you have specific questions about the degree, you can contact the faculty directly by e-mail.

Academic coordinator

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Teachers responsible for the course and project leader

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