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Master’s Programme in Urban Mobility
Curriculum 2026-2028
About the programme
Programme code: ENG218
Programme director: Miloš Mladenović
Responsible department: Built Environment
Master’s Programme in Urban Mobility is organized by the School of Engineering.
Master's programme in Urban Mobility is a European double degree programme, which is implemented jointly by leading European universities.The two-year Master's programme is completed by studying at two different universities, both eventually awarding a Master's degree to their graduates.
The participating universities and available double degree partners with Aalto University in intake 2026 are the following:
| Entry University | Exit University |
| Aalto University | University of Tartu, Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), University of Lisbon-Técnico IST, Eindhoven University of Technology |
| Ghent University | University of Tartu, Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC),University of Lisbon-Técnico IST, Eindhoven University of Technology, Aalto University |
| Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) | University of Tartu, University of Lisbon-Técnico IST, Aalto University, Ghent University, Eindhoven University of Technology |
| University of Lisbon-Técnico IST | University of Tartu, Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Aalto University, Eindhoven University of Technology |
At Aalto University, the programme is organized by the School of Engineering. The major offered at Aalto University is called Sustainable Urban Mobility Transitions (SUMT). The programme also contains a compulsory minor, ENG3084 Innovation & Entrepreneurship for Urban Mobility. The coordinating university of the programme is KTH Royal Institute of Technology for the time being.
The world’s cities are changing, but not enough. New technology, business models, and global priorities are transforming the way we get around, and regional planners and urban engineers are under pressure to prepare for and exploit these transformations to help bring about an urban environment that consumes fewer scarce resources, contributes less to climate change, and provides more livable neighborhoods and workplaces. To accomplish this requires competence beyond the traditional urban planning and civil engineering disciplines, along with entrepreneurial skills to drive change that puts innovations into practice.
Sustainable Urban Mobility Transitions (SUMT) focuses on the holistic approach in study, design, development and evaluation of sustainable, inclusive, resilience urban environment. After completing the programme, the graduate will be equipped with the ability to i.a.:
- Participate in strategic work to meet transport-related problems.
- Create and analyse technological solutions to urban mobility challenges.
- Translate innovations into feasible business solutions.
- Identify and assess short- and long-term future consequences of plans and decisions
Degree structure
*) Including entry year studies (40-45 ECTS) and exit year studies (15-20 ECTS) at two universities
**) Including entry year studies (15-18 ECTS) and exit year studies (9-12 ECTS) at two universities and a centrally organized summer school (3 ECTS), possibly at a 3rd location.
Course descriptions in Sisu
Major studies
Major: Sustainable Urban Mobility Transitions
Code: ENG3085
Responsible teacher: Miloš Mladenović
Responsible department: Built Environment
The programme Sustainable Urban Mobility Transitions (SUMT) focuses on the holistic approach in study, design, development and evaluation of sustainable, inclusive, resilience urban environment. The technical learning objectives of the SUMT Master are that a graduate:
Knowledge and understanding:
- Broad knowledge of theories and concepts in urban planning, transport and sustainability, and its disciplinary foundations, proven experience in working with methodological knowledge in the area of ​​urban mobility challenges, and a considerable degree of specialised knowledge of multidisciplinary decision support systems for transport and urban development.
Skills and abilities:
- The ability to critically, independently and creatively participate in strategic work to meet transport-related problems and to be able to relate these measures to sustainable social development, the planning process, the physical infrastructure and transport,
- The ability to harness practical experiences from urban environments to help identify, formulate and deal with complex research problems and challenges for urban transport systems and sustainability planning from a system perspective, for both public actors and the public, autonomously and critically and with a holistic approach.
- The ability to contribute to the formation of new knowledge in research and development work for transport systems and urban planning from a system perspective, as well as the ability to evaluate this work.
- The ability to autonomously and systematically explore and generate new ideas in a wide range of fields in urban mobility planning, and to create, analyse and critically evaluate various solutions to sustainable urban mobility challenges.
- The ability to plan and use appropriate, cutting-edge research methods, processes and techniques both to foster new venture creation and growth in cross-disciplinary teams, and to facilitate that growth as part of a broader transition toward sustainable mobility.
- The ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge from diverse fields related to sustainable urban mobility and translate innovations into feasible business solutions for public or private urban mobility actors that facilitate a transition toward sustainable mobility.
- The ability to model, simulate, predict and evaluate sequences of events in urban mobility systems, even with limited information.
- The ability to apply knowledge, ideas and technology to develop and design new or significantly improved urban mobility policies, products, processes, systems, services, or business models while taking into account the circumstances and needs of individuals and the targets for economically, socially and ecologically sustainable development set by the community.
- The abilities of decision-making, leadership, teamwork and collaboration with various constellations, based on a holistic understanding of the contributions of higher education, research, business, and public entities to value creation, in both limited sized teams and contexts and large-scale organisational processes.
- The ability in speech and writing both nationally and internationally to clearly report and discuss his or her conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences.
Evaluation ability and approach:
- The ability to identify and assess short- and long-term future consequences for urban sustainability of mobility policies, plans and decisions by public, private, and other societal actors, informed by an integrated scientific, social, ethical and intergenerational perspective and to merge this into a solution-focused approach, moving towards sustainable urban mobility.
- Show insights into the role that transport and mobility have in society and impact on the built environment and people's responsibility for how it is used, including ethical, social and sustainability aspects,
- Demonstrate the ability to identify their need for additional knowledge and to take responsibility for their knowledge development.
| Course code and name | ECTS credits | Teaching |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory courses (15 ECTS) | ||
| SPT-E1022 Foundations of Plangineering | 5 | I, English |
| SPT-E1030 Planning Theory D | 5 | I - II, English |
| SPT-E1090 Land-use and Transport Policy D | 5 | II, English |
| Optional courses (27 ECTS) | ||
| SPT-E1011 Planning Systems | 5 | I, English |
| SPT-E8060 Liveable Cities Studio | 10 | I-II, English |
| SPT-E3020 Streetscape Design | 5 | II, English |
| SPT-E4010 Transport Modelling D | 5 | III, English |
| SPT-E4050 Transport Economics | 5 | III, English |
| SPT-E4020 Traffic Flow Theory D | 5 | IV, English |
| SPT-E1070 Planning Studio V D | 10 | IV-V, English |
| SPT-E4030 Traffic Management D | 5 | V, English |
| SPT-E5010 Urban and Regional Development D | 5 | V, English |
| SPT-E8020 Special Course in Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering V D | 2 | any, English |
| Total for the entry year | 42 |
Complete min. 18 ECTS in your major at the allocated exit university, following the local curriculum, and achieving 60 ECTS in total for your major.
Complete min. 42 ECTS in your major at the allocated entry university, following the local curriculum, and achieving 60 ECTS in total for your major.
| Course code and name | ECTS credits | Teaching |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory courses (5 ECTS) | ||
| SPT-E1061 Thesis Seminar | 5 | II - V, English |
| Choose 13 ECTS of the following courses | ||
| REC-E3200 Institutions in Real Estate Economics D | 6 | I, English |
| SPT-E1011 Planning Systems | 5 | I-II, English |
| SPT-E1022 Foundations of Plangineering | 5 | I, English |
| REC-E3100 Real Estate Economics D | 6 | I, English |
| AAE-E1000 Introduction to Advanced Energy Solutions | 5 | I - II, English |
| SPT-E8060 Liveable Cities Studio | 10 | I-II, English |
| SPT-E1090 Land-use and Transport Policy D | 5 | II, English |
| REC-E3400 Housing Economics D | 6 | II, English |
| SPT-E8020 Special Course in Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering | 3 | any, English |
| Total for the exit year | 18* |
*) Make sure you reach a total of 60 ECTS in SUMT major (entry + exit university credits).
**) Organized biannually. No teaching in academic year 2024-2025.
Minor studies
Minor: Innovation & Entrepreneurship for Urban Mobility
Code: ENG3084
Responsible teacher: Miloš Mladenović
Responsible department: Built Environment
| Course code and name | ECTS credits | Teaching |
|---|---|---|
| TU-E4350 Technology Entrepreneurship | 5 | I-II, English |
| TU-E4101 Entrepreneurship Lab | 10 | III - IV, English |
| LC-1317 Integrated Project Communication for MSc Students (o,w) | 3 | III - IV, English |
| Total for the entry year | 18 |
Complete min. 12 ECTS in your minor at the allocated exit university, following the local curriculum, and achieving 30 ECTS in total for your minor.
Complete min. 18 ECTS in your major at the allocated entry university, following the local curriculum, and achieving 30 ECTS in total for your minor.
| Course code and name | ECTS credits | Teaching |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory courses (9 ECTS) | ||
| SPT-E8030 Summer School in Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering V D * | 3 | Summer between entry and exit year |
| TU-E4060 Design & Innovation in Context | 6 | II, English |
| Select 3 ECTS | ||
| LC-1310 Academic Communication for Msc students** | 3 | I-II, English |
| TU-E4040 Opportunity Prototyping | 3 | I, English |
| Total for the exit year | 12 |
*) Centrally organized EIT Urban Mobility summer school; credits awarded with SPT-E8030
**) The course is mandatory for those who have not completed a similar course in their bachelor’s degree in Finland or who have not completed / will not complete a similar course at the partner university (e.g. AK2038 Theory and Methodology of Science with Applications at KTH). If you are not required to take the course or any other language course at Aalto, select TU-E4040 Opportunity Prototyping.
Master's Thesis
The master’s thesis is written on a topic related to the advanced studies of the programme, agreed upon between the student and the supervising professor. The professors of the programme provide master’s thesis topics that are related to their current research activities. The student can also suggest his/her own topic to a supervisor. The recommended time of the thesis project is the second year spring semester.
The master’s thesis supervisor shall be one of the professors of Aalto University or, for special reasons and by decision of the Dean, the thesis supervisor may also be a university lecturer or senior university lecturer of the school. The thesis advisor shall hold at least a master’s degree.
The master's thesis includes a seminar presentation and a maturity test.
Please see further instructions on Master's thesis under During your studies tab.
| Code | Course name | ECTS credits | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| BE.thes | Master's thesis | 30 | Second year |
| ENG.matr | Maturity test | 0 | Second year |