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Master Planning and Sustainability – an international Master’s programme in urban and regional planning


Applications for academic year 2025-2026 are closed.



How to apply?       FAQ


Application timelines vary depending on the platform: 

EEF

  • Applications open: October 
  • Institutions begin sending responses: March 

MonMaster: 

  • Applications open: February 
  • Institutions begin sending responses: May 
  • Additional application phase: June–July 


Presentation    Detailed content   Scientific partnership
 

Presentation

The Master Planning and Sustainability is in line with the international priorities which aim at including sustainable development in higher education programmes. According to the United Nations, urban planning is a priority field for universities to address effectively the environmental and social challenges facing cities.
The programme involves learning about current challenges of sustainable development of cities through research. It focuses on issues around urban and regional development in European countries as well as in the Global South. As such, it develops a “one world” approach, providing skills that students can use as planners working in various geographical contexts. The students will be trained in research methods relating to planning and urban studies, with an emphasis on various planning cultures and on the need to incorporate environmental issues in urban development.

Regarding career prospects, this Master’s degree opens the way to a PhD in spatial planning and urban development. The curriculum is closely linked to international research operations of the laboratory Cities, Territories, Environment and Societies (CITERES, University of Tours and CNRS –National Agency for Scientific Research). The Master’s also equips students with expertise to manage and design urban studies, as researchers in a public or private organisation or as consultants. In addition, it opens the way to careers in public or private organizations in the field of sustainable urban development and regional planning throughout the world. These job prospects are continually growing given the high rate of urban development in emerging countries. The lack of courses in planning in these countries and the conversion of urban development to combating climate change make the Master Planning and Sustainability an exciting opportunity for foreign students to develop a professional project including expatriation or integrating the labour market of the country of origin.

The Master's has been selected by the French Embassy in the United States and Campus France USA to be part of the 2021 webinar series: Exploring Master's Programs in France. Together with three alumni, Prof. Christophe Demazière presented the aims and contents of the curriculum and answered questions. 


Présence d'un lecteur vidéo




Since it opened, in September 2010, this Master has incorporated over 130 students , coming from the EU countries or from countries neighboring the EU, but also from North America, from Asia, from the Middle East and from Africa.

The laboratory ‘Cities, Territories, Environment and Societies’ (CITERES, University of Tours and CNRS) supports this programme, in particular through its team ‘Action and Dynamics in Spatial Planning and the Environment’ (Dynamique et action territoriales et environnementales - DATE).
This multidisciplinary team focuses on two fields in particular: urban studies and environmental research.
It is composed of 25 permanent members, including 11 research directors. It currently hosts more than 30 PhD students. The 14 spatial planning and urban development associate professors or professors are very much involved in the Master.
The courses they teach follow-on from international research work. Students get access to CITERES for their research internship, with the possibility of co-supervision by scholars from the universities of Hanover, Porto and Wroclaw, or other laboratories. The UNESCO “River Cultures” chair, attributed to one of the contributing professor, also provides support for the course.

From september 2018, the Masters’programme is organized in two years and provides 120 ECTS. During the first year, the curriculum is organized around 195 hours of seminars and workshops (30 ECTS) and a mobility in a partner university in Europe (30 ECTS).The second year is devoted to 165 hours of seminars and workshops (30 ECTS) and a research internship of 5 months (30 ECTS). Each students writes a Master thesis and is involved in seminars or international conferences.

Detailed content :

Scientific partnership

This Master’s is offered by the Planning and Environment Department of the Polytechnic School, one of the largest planning schools in France, through its staff, its number of postgraduate students, or its number of graduates.

The Department is a truly internationally-oriented research and education centre. Besides taking part in numerous cooperation schemes with foreign partners, it is a founding and active member of key international associations in spatial planning, urbanism and environment:
  • the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP)
  • the French-speaking association of planning schools (APERAU Internationale - Association pour la Promotion de l'Enseignement et de la Recherche en Aménagement et Urbanisme)
  • ESDP - European Spatial Development Planning network
These networks connect us to the most important research and education centers in planning over three continents (America, Europe, Africa and Middle East).

The Planning and Environment Department also takes part in the Global Planning Education Association Network (GPEAN), which has organizes every five years the World Congress of Planning Schools and events with UN Habitat.