* Visa/residence permit, Books
Academic Bachelor's degree
GMAT
Motivation and initiative
Academic Referee
In your application, you have to verify your English proficiency. You can do this by providing 1 of the following English proficiency test scores:
TOEFL IBT: a minimum of 92 points overall and a minimum of 22 points for each sub-score (TOEFL institution code: 9011). The TOEFL Home Edition is allowed for the September 2022 intake.
IELTS (Academic test): a minimum of 6.5 overall and a minimum of 6.0 for each sub-score. The IELTS indicator test is not allowed.
Cambridge Assessment English
Certificate in Advanced English: 180 points overall and in each skill or
Certificate of Proficiency in English: 180 points overall and in each skill.
Test scores must also conform to the following guidelines:
Make sure you schedule your English proficiency test before the application deadline.
Test scores received after the application deadline are accepted, as long as your English proficiency test was taken before the application deadline.
Your English proficiency test score cannot be more than 2 years old before the start date of your programme. For example, if you are applying for the September 2022 intake we do not accept English proficiency tests taken before September 2020.
Be sure to plan your test on time; test dates fill quickly and it can take several weeks for you to receive your results. Applications without a sufficient score or with a test date after the application deadline, will not be accepted.
The Master Urban Geography provides students with a deeper understanding of global and local processes that shape cities across the world. In our programme, we study processes of urbanization, urban inequality and every day urban life through a geographical lens, exploring how seemingly global phenomena take on place-specific forms and contribute to place-specific social and spatial challenges. You will thus learn to study cities not only from the perspective of the global, but also from the perspective of the local.
The 21st century will undoubtedly be an urban age. Cities are celebrated as key engines for innovation and economic growth in the global economy and have also been rediscovered as attractive places to live, work and play. Local housing markets are attracting international investment and gentrification is revitalizing formerly run-down urban areas. Yet, this representation of urban life and cities as places of infinite opportunities is only one side of the story. It is increasingly clear that not all cities share in this success story. Urbanization is, in fact, highly uneven and urban economic growth even more so. Moreover, we see growing disparities within cities. Processes of polarisation, segregation, fragmentation and privatisation of the urban landscape form substantial political and social challenges for urban governments and local residents.
Cities are thus understood to be places of both unanticipated wealth and concentrated poverty, deprivation and vulnerability, shaping the life experiences and opportunities of urban dwellers in diverging and complex ways. This raises important questions about urban inequality and social justice. Students will explore these themes in cities around the world, learning to critically reflect on the similarities and differences in the transformation of urban spaces and places.
Student profile
The programme is very high-level and demanding, and we expect students to devote full attention to their studies during the entire year. It is founded on the principles of interactive learning between students and staff: through student-led seminars, shared fieldwork projects and practical assignments, students are continuously challenged by involved academic staff to explore the boundaries of their own knowledge and of Human Geography as an academic discipline. The Master programme Human Geography welcomes international and Dutch students from all universities with a bachelor’s degree in Human Geography & Planning or a related discipline. This makes the group of students very diverse and results in an international classroom with stimulating group discussions, as all participants bring in their specific background and experiences.
Competencies
Within various interdisciplinary and problem-oriented projects, the programme encourages students to develop their skills in:
The combination of acquired skills with thematic specialisation and the opportunity to strengthen your personal profile in the thesis, prepares students for their future career as a geographer in a wide array of institutional contexts: either public service, profit sector or civil society, either local, national, international or transnational organisations.
Studying Geography in Amsterdam
Geography is all about studying the relationship between people and place and Amsterdam is a great place to do so. The city of Amsterdam itself is the perfect location and junction to study, explore, experience geography. In addition, the University of Amsterdam is a major research university and the Master programme is taught by one of the highest ranked geography departments in continental Europe. Last but not least, the Graduate School of Social Sciences (GSSS) of Amsterdam provides a vibrant and international academic community. The GSSS values diversity in both research and academic content, academic staff and student population.
More information click :here
The Master’s programme in Human Geography provides students with a strong background in contemporary theories and theoretical and methodological debates in human geography, and more specifically in the geographical sub-disciplines that are the focus of the four tracks.
The programme consists of three complementary components:
Geo tracks, which enable students to specialise in either urban, economic, environmental or political geography;
Geo-skills, consisting of courses in which students develop a proper geographical habitus, providing them with relevant research methodologies, including qualitative, quantitative and mixed method research methods and GIS, as well as with other skills to prepare them for future labour market opportunities (presenting skills, cooperation skills, etc.);
Geo focus, where students apply their geographical expertise in multidisciplinary teams, bringing together the four sub-disciplines into a common fieldwork project.
Programme outline
Thesis
Students complete the Master's programme Human Geography with a Master's thesis to demonstrate their knowledge of different geographical theories and research skills. The topics should be related to the geographical specialisation courses that the University of Amsterdam offers. For the thesis, fieldwork can be carried out abroad.
An education in the social sciences will impart a broad range of skills that easily translate into a multitude of careers.
Specific career examples from alumni in Urban Geography are:
programme manager urban renewal District Amsterdam Southeast
policy researcher at the Amsterdam Municipal Statistics of Bureau
statistical reseracher at Netherlands Statistics
free lance journalist reporting on urban issues
programme manager One World NCDO
housing consultant The Hague Municipality
Geography teacher.
Insurance: €420 per year
