Three universities - one programme

International perspectives in urban planning

Supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers, this two-year joint international programme in Nordic Urban Planning Studies provides a unique opportunity to study approaches to planning cities and urban life with leading researchers from the Universities of Roskilde (Denmark), Malmö (Sweden) and UiT The Arctic University of Norway (in Tromsø).

Cities and urbanisation are increasingly seen as central to many social and environmental problems. At the same time, they are also critical to their potential solutions. Addressing their complexities demands collaborative, interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to planning and design that learn from international experiences.

This programme provides such international perspectives through a Nordic lens. In recent years, Nordic planning has become the focus of intensified interest from urbanists worldwide who are seeking to learn from innovative approaches to sustainability, liveability, mobility, ‘smart’ cities, empowerment and more. This follows the region’s long traditions of pioneering critical and welfare planning. 

Through this programme you will develop international interdisciplinary perspectives that draw on the research strengths and networks of each of the three universities.

The distinctive environments and planning challenges of Arctic cities are also the focus of an optional field course based at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

Why study this joint international Master's Degree?

• By moving between universities and countries, you will develop international interdisciplinary perspectives that draw on the research strengths and networks of each. 
• You will be taught by leading international researchers in urban studies and planning as part of a diverse group of students, conducting your own research both in groups and individually.
• You will be immersed in a wide variety of cities and urban environments, engaging directly with the concerns of different communities, organisations, companies and municipalities, and working in collaboration with communities and practitioners.
• Core training in the first semester at Roskilde University is followed by a flexible programme that allows choice and specialisation at the participating institutions, including in terms of where to research your master's thesis.
• You can study the distinctive environments and planning challenges of Arctic cities through a field course based at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
• Through the programme's unique combination of international perspectives and approaches, you will not only study but also be encouraged to participate in the making of urban futures.

Accommodation, travel and finance

Student mobility is an essential and integrated part of the programme. You will participate in core training at Roskilde (first semester). You then choose from different university tracks in the second and third semesters as well as where to study your master's thesis in the fourth semester. The only requirement is that you follow semesters at more than one university.

Students who choose to relocate to Tromsø or Malmö for a semester can apply for an Erasmus+ grant that helps to cover living expenses and travel (for up to two semesters in total). Further information and the current rates here on RUC Intra.

Read more about admission and financing

For help on issues related to accommodation, travel and finance contact international study guidance.

Relevant practical information on starting study and accommodation is available as follows.

Roskilde University:  Study Start Master's Programmes

Study in Denmark - Bank and budget

At Roskilde University most students live in Copenhagen (21 mins by train). Roskilde University supports the global network Housing Anywhere, which is a peer-to-peer platform where people can rent out rooms to international students. Sign-up to receive a Roskilde University VIP profile on HousingAnywhere.com.

Malmø University:   Arrival Guide

UiT The Arctic University of Norway:  New international students

The three Universities

Roskilde University 

Roskilde University (RUC) was originally established in order to challenge academic traditions and to experiment with new ways to create and acquire knowledge. At RUC we cultivate a project and problem-oriented approach to knowledge creation, because we believe that the most relevant results are obtained by solving real problems in collaboration with others. We employ an interdisciplinary approach because no major problems are ever resolved on the basis of any single academic discipline alone. We also cultivate transparency, because we passionately believe that participation and knowledge-sharing are prerequisites for freedom of thought, democracy, tolerance and development.

At RUC Nordic Urban Planning Studies is taught by researchers based within the research group Space, Place, Mobility and Urban Studies (MOSPUS). This brings together around 30 researchers from a variety of disciplines - including urban, political, cultural and economic geography, urban sociology and anthropology, as well as planning and architecture. The research group has a strong international status and is committed to the development and employment of critical research methodologies. The focus on urban planning and mobility is interdisciplinary and based on meaningful engagement with communities, in part through the use of participatory-, action- and advocacy-oriented research methods and maintenance of ongoing community interactions and collaborations. Central to the efforts to do research that reaches beyond the university is the development of creative and alternative methodologies and research communication tools. These approaches include visual and digital media, storytelling and creative writing, participatory knowledge production, Future Creating workshops and advocacy- and policy-oriented outputs.

Malmö University

Malmö University is an innovative, urban and international institute of higher education, located in the centre of Malmö. We have around 1,800 employees and 24,000 students. Our research and education are characterised by the role we believe a university should play in an open society - to contribute to sustainability and equality in a scientifically grounded way with external partners and stakeholders. Identifying and addressing the challenges of the future are our highest priority. Our researchers and students work collaboratively to create, share and spread knowledge in order to understand, explain and develop society - both locally and globally.

The Department of Urban Studies brings together leading academics in the field, with around 90 staff members and 2500 students in all. Research focuses on themes that include sustainable urban development, culture and urban integration, and housing and the conditions of urban life, with the long-term goal of building sustainable and attractive cities. In 2018 the university launched a new Institute for Urban Research, a university-wide research centre that brings together all urban research at Malmö University, and that hosts visiting international academics and artists in residence.

Drawing on case studies from around the world, IUR integrates knowledge from various disciplines to propose possible solutions to urban societal challenges. The institute engages with citizens, civil society, private actors and public authorities to communicate research results and find ways to implement solutions.

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is the northernmost university of the world, located on the edge of the Arctic. The Arctic is of increasing global importance. Climate change, the exploitation of Arctic resources and environmental threats are topics of great public concern, in which the university in Tromsø takes special interest. With approximately 16600 students, 775 doctoral students and 3600 employees, the university is a driving force of the northern part of Norway.

Research at the Department of Social Sciences covers a broad field, with local democracy, planning and development and place transformation as core topics. The research group ‘Place, power and mobility’ focuses on how places are created and recreated in a continuous interplay between material, social and cultural relations, highlighting the complexity of place and processes of transformation in the north in a comparative global perspective.

As places become more diverse and multicultural, they also become more complex. Increased mobility changes how people relate to place in nonlinear and often unexpected ways. ‘Place, power and mobility’ aims at developing theories, methodologies and empirical analyses enabling the understanding of places as complex, dynamic, relational and situated and to contribute to responsible community development through developing collaborative research designs.