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Sustainable Cities

Master degree

Sustainable Cities

The programme aims at learning the students how we can achieve a sustainable change of cities. The programme will cover issues of engineering such as waste, energy, water resources and transport, as well as political science, green growth and different forms of impact assessment.

Reasons you should choose this programme

You aim to create sustainable consumption
You take part in the green transition
You build bridge between humans and technology

Copenhagen

2-year educationEnglish

Master degree

Sustainable Cities

The programme aims at learning the students how we can achieve a sustainable change of cities. The programme will cover issues of engineering such as waste, energy, water resources and transport, as well as political science, green growth and different forms of impact assessment.

Reasons you should choose this programme

You aim to create sustainable consumption
You take part in the green transition
You build bridge between humans and technology

Copenhagen

2-year educationEnglish

Do you want to work with the sustainable transition of today’s cities? Do you want to influence and plan how we deal with climate change and environmental problems in our cities? Do you want to learn how urban infrastructures and systems can be transitioned to being sustainable? Then you should study Sustainable Cities at Aalborg University in Copenhagen.

Focus on The Sustainable Development Goals

Internationally, cities pose a significant challenge to sustainable transition, both environmentally, socially and economically. In the future, up to 70-80% of the world population will live in cities, and thus it is important to handle the challenges they pose. It is essential that planning is done within and across professions and infrastructure sectors, like energy, mobility, water, waste, etc. Thus, it is necessary to be able to think across sectors, analyse consequences in multiple areas and include stakeholders such as government, citizens, companies and environmental organisations.

Meet Ida and Jule from the programme

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Sustainable Cities: Meet Ida and Jule

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Sustainable Cities: Meet Ida and Jule

Sustainable transition of our cities

The Master of Science Programme in Sustainable Cities at Aalborg University Copenhagen aims to teach you about how we can achieve the sustainable transition of cities. This is done in two parts. First by covering issues of engineering by looking at four main infrastructure sectors being 1) resources (waste) 2) energy, 3) water and climate change and 4) transport and mobility. Second, by looking at political science, synergies across sectors and different forms of impact assessment.

During the two-year Master, we cover challenges related to each of the specific infrastructure sectors, present specific tools for quantifying and analysing the challenges as well as understand how policy, citizens, practice and organisations influence sustainable transitions.

The graduates from this Master of Science are educated to be capable of creating the framework for the Sustainable Cities of the future, where economic, social, technical and environmental elements are integrated in new ways. By understanding technical elements of the sustainable engineering solutions, but also being able to facilitate change in political and economic systems, the Sustainable Cities engineer can play an important role in the sustainable transition as a sustainable city planner.

Academic content and semester descriptions

Graduates from the Sustainable Cities programme have a comprehensive understanding of city infrastructures and future urban development, and in this way they can contribute to promoting sustainable development and tackle climate change in the future.

Jørgen Abildgaard, Climate project director of Copenhagen 2025 climate plan and roadmap 2017 - 2020

Internship

The 3rd semester at the Master Programme In Sustainable Cities will provide you with the option of an internship within for example a private consultancy firm, a public authority or a private NGO. The choice of internship is made on the basis of your interests. During the internship, you will participate in the activities of an organisation and collect information for the project report. The project report is expected to have both a theoretical and empirical part relating to the actual experience of the internship. 

We recommend all our international students to consider an internship abroad. It is our experience that it can be a challenge to find internships in Copenhagen due to the strong competition and language barriers. 

Study abroad

An alternative option is to enrol at another (Danish or foreign) university in order to undertake a semester's study there. A study abroad is an excellent opportunity for you to gain valuable educational, cultural and international experience. Aalborg University has established cooperation agreements with a number of foreign universities with a special view to student exchange.

For more information about internship and study abroad please visit International Office's webpage

Meet graduates

Climate adaptation

I wrote almost all of my projects about climate adaptation and the water sector. All of that has given me knowledge that I use in my present job. I have also learned to see climate adaptation as a part of a sustainable transition, which I can especially thank my thesis supervisor for.

Signe, graduate

Holistic approach

Thinking holistic in projects is probably the number one skill from my education that use in my job today. It is key from an environmental perspective to have a holistic approach, but it is also important in securing internal and external funding for your projects.

Klaus, graduate

Energy planning and collaboration skills

At my current job, I am using some of the energy planning knowledge from the education. Moreover, during the study, I learned competences for working in teams with different types of personalities, which is highly relevant in my current job. Finally, project planning and management is a key competence that you get to learn first-hand during the programming that you will likely use later in your career.

Kenneth, graduate

Admission and requirements

Your future career

As an engineer in Sustainable Cities, you choose your own profile. Many of our graduates work with climate, environment and green transition in relation to cities. You can work with

  • buildings
  • energy
  • heat
  • smart cities
  • transport and infrastructure

You can also work with research or teaching in the above subjects.

Often your job title will be 'planner' - for example waste planner, local planner, city planner, traffic planner or mobility planner. It could also be project employee, project manager, consultant or adviser.

You can work in

  • energy companies and local authorities that create the basis for renewable energy systems in cities
  • local authorities, companies and consultancies working with mobility planning in urban areas
  • NGOs and research centers that work with behavioral changes of users and consumption in relation to sustainable construction and energy-efficient products.

Build your CV during your studies

We make it a high priority that you have the opportunity to work with external partners, e.g. in your semester projects, which can be done in collaboration with authorities, companies, NGOs, etc. In this way, you get the opportunity to work with real life problems and thus prepare yourself for your future professional career.

Get help at AAU to start your career in Denmark

AAU Career helps you on your way from student life to job life in Denmark by giving you the tools to examine your options and find out what to do.

While studying at AAU, you can participate in career and job-related events, find help on our website, and book a personal career counselling session to talk about e.g.:

  • Finding your way in your career
  • Danish working culture
  • Application and CV the Danish way
  • What you can offer an employer
  • How to go about job search in Denmark – both student job, internship and full-time job

Read more about AAU Career here

Contact

We are here to help
Are you curious about this programme? Please contact our student guidance counsellors. We are here to help.
Student counsellor, Copenhagen
Asta Knive
Where
Aalborg University Copenhagen
A. C. Meyers Vænge 15
2450 København SV - DK
Hours
Please send an email to arrange a meeting.
Expected response time 3-4 working days. During holiday periods, the response time may be slightly longer.
E-mail
info-cph@byenergimiljo.aau.dk

As a student at AAU you meet …