Compare the master's Urban Environmental Management
The master's Urban Environmental Management combines expertise of the environment with that of urban planning and urbanisation. Cities are growing rapidly worldwide and the creation, or maintenance, of a healthy living environment has become one of the most pressing challenges. As a result of the large concentration of people, companies and industries in cities, specific solutions that may be applied can have a large impact on the entire global environment. Cities could therefore fulfil a key role in solving global environmental problems.
Compare the programme in Wageningen
The master's Environmental Sciences also offers different perspectives in addressing environmental problems thereby making it similar to the master's Urban Environmental Management. The Environmental Sciences study programme, however, does not specialise in addressing urbanisation specific problems.
The master's Leisure, Tourism and Environment focuses on sustainable, environmental friendly solutions. The study programme mainly focuses on people moving to new destinations for short periods of time compared with the permanent inhabitants and consumers of a city.
The master's International Development Studies, like Urban Environmental Management, focuses on cities in developing countries but it does not specialise in urban situations. On top of that, this study programme is a social sciences analytical study whereas Urban Environmental Management is more solution oriented.
The master's Landscape Architecture and Planning focuses on spatial planning in both urban as well as agrarian areas. This study programme is primarily focused on the Netherlands and Western Europe compared with the master's Urban Environmental Management that also offers many themes in developing countries. While spatial planning is also important in Urban Environmental Management, it is usually in combination with technology- or management-driven solutions.
Compare the programme with other universities
Spatial Planning: Study programmes like the master's Environmental and Infrastructure Planning (University of Groningen) and European Spatial and Environmental Planning (Radboud University Nijmegen) also address spatial planning and environmental quality. But these one-year programmes do not focus specifically on cities compared with the two-year master's Urban Environmental Management study programme at Wageningen University. Urban Environmental Management also goes a step further than planning alone. For instance, you can research urban environmental quality, or search for technological or management solutions to environmental problems.
Cities: The master's programmes Urbanism (Delft University of Technology) and Urban Geography (Utrecht University) also focus on urbanisation and its specific problems. They also study the quality of urban living environments and the increase in urbanisation. Compared with the master's Urban Environmental Management, however, they are not focused on the natural environment but more on the effective and efficient use of the city and its aesthetic qualities.
Environment: Environment related study programmes under different names are given at Radboud University Nijmegen, VU University of Amsterdam, University of Twente, Utrecht University and University of Groningen. None of these studies, however, focus on urbanisation. See the comparison page of the master's Environmental Sciences for an overview of environment related studies given at Wageningen University and other universities throughout the Netherlands.