Bachelor and Master of Social Sciences in Social Sciences, Sustainable Urban Development
Tampere, Finland
DURATION
5 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 10,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* per academic year for non-EU/EEA students for bachelor’s programme | €12000 per academic year for non-EU/EEA students for master’s programme
Introduction
Toward socially just urban environments
Cities are inspiring arenas for business, culture, and everyday life. However, they face complex challenges related to the environment and the well-being of individuals. Bachelor's Degree program in Sustainable Urban Development – Social Sciences is a multidisciplinary program developing skills needed to address these challenges.
Urbanization is one of the biggest trends in the globalized world, and it is estimated that 2/3 of humans will be living in urban areas by the year 2050. The world is also facing key environmental challenges such as a changing climate, biodiversity loss, and societal challenges such as social justice and poverty. Urban development needs to be met with sustainable solutions that consider these challenges, and the societal and built environment transformations necessary to meet them.
The Bachelor’s Programme in Sustainable Urban Development offers you a way to develop multidisciplinary expertise related to urban development and sustainability. This multidisciplinary programme consists of three streams: Administrative Sciences, Social Sciences and Technology. Students in the social science stream will study basic and intermediate studies in social sciences, developing a broad theoretical understanding of societal change, and applying this understanding to develop solutions to challenges of well-being and sustainable development. Stream specific courses also equip students with social scientific knowledge and research skills needed to acquire, analyze, and interpret data, and to specialize and develop a professional profile.
In addition to stream-specific studies, a novel aspect of the programme is the multidisciplinary teaching with other Sustainable Urban Development streams. Common courses with students from the administrative science and technology streams help you understand the complex phenomena related to sustainable urban development from several perspectives, develop interdisciplinary thinking skills, and identify novel and constructive ways of solving complex problems.
Another unique aspect of this programme is the style of learning. Through the challenge-based Urban Lab courses, students are engaged in real-life urban development projects in multidisciplinary teams. These projects are carried out in collaboration with companies and public organizations such as the City of Tampere, providing students the opportunity engage with – and learn from - local stakeholders and actors in urban development. For example, we utilize a real-world laboratory, Hiedanranta, which is a future city district and a testbed for innovative projects related to smart and sustainable housing, energy, transportation, and business.
Students of this multidisciplinary program select their specialization program to specialization program program program,program (Administrative Sciences, Social Sciences or Technology) when applying for the program. Although much of the contents of the programme are common for all students, there are variations in the application criteria, study contents and the name of the degree granted after completing the program.
Admissions
Curriculum
Study contents
The scope of the bachelor's programme is 180 ECTS. It consists of the following elements:
- Joint Studies 35 ECTS; such as economics, information technology, language and communication studies and introduction to sustainable urban development
- Basic Studies 50 ECTS; such as research methods, politics of sustainable development, urban studies and optional studies in social sciences
- Intermediate Studies in sustainable urban development 70 ECTS: such as economic renewal of cities and regions, politics and participation, organizational change, transport systems, water management and the Bachelor’s Thesis
- Free Choice Studies 25 ECTS; you can select freely from the offerings of the Tampere University community.
The scope of the Master's Programme is 120 ECTS. The Master's Programme provides an interdisciplinary approach to contemporary societies in Europe. It is based on the strong research tradition on social policy and welfare in social sciences at Tampere University, Johannes Kepler University, and Mykolas Romeris University. The aim of the programme is to facilitate the understanding of social policy and welfare in Europe. The programme focuses, for example, on the dynamics of social policy in the countries representing different welfare models and on analysing different fields of social policies from various perspectives. During the programme, students will learn about comparative designs, and about the methodology of qualitative and quantitative policy studies.
Structure of studies
Bachelor’s Degree programme 180 ECTS
- General Studies 35 ECTS
- Basic Studies in Social Sciences 50 ECTS
- Intermediate Studies in Sustainable Urban Development 70 ECTS
- Free Choice Studies/ Preparatory Studies 25 ECTS
Master’s Programme 120 ECTS
- Advanced Studies 120 ECTS
Program Outcome
After completing the Bachelor’s Degree program in Sustainable Urban Development graduates will:
- Understand the various aspects of the built environment, sustainable urban development, and their societal significance.
- Know the key concepts and terminology and be able to follow the developments in the field of urban development.
- Recognize the central actors, questions, conflicts, and solutions connected to sustainable urban development.
- Be able to carry out development projects individually and in teams related to sustainable urban development.
- Understand the basic principles of academic research and be able to independently design, conduct and report academic research projects.
In addition, those focusing on the Social Sciences field will understand the purpose and societal significance of social research. They will also be familiar with key theories and concepts in social sciences. After completing the program you are eligible to continue studies for the Master of Social Sciences Degree. You will automatically have the right to continue studies in the Master’s Degree Programme in Comparative Social Policy and Welfare.
After completing the Master’s Degree program, students will be able to:
- Understand the European dimension of social policy and welfare.
- Engage in an open and critical examination in the fields of social policy and welfare.
- Use and accomplish research in the fields of social policy and welfare in the countries representing different welfare models.
- Meet the different professional demands in the fields of social policy, welfare, social and welfare statistics, social security systems, labor policy, poverty, gender, etc.
- Discuss relevant current literature, approach new scholarship, and critically present in public.
- Develop, complete and present scientific papers.
Scholarships and Funding
Tampere University tuition fee scholarships
Tampere University tuition fee scholarships awarded at admission cover 100% of the tuition fees for the program duration. The program duration is
- three years for Bachelor’s degrees
- two years for Master’s degrees
- five years if the study right is granted for both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree.
Finland Scholarship
Finland scholarships awarded by Tampere University are part of the national Finland Scholarship program. Applicants to Master's programs are eligible to apply. Finland scholarships are awarded at Tampere University to the most merited applicant in each Master's program.
Finland scholarships cover the program tuition fee for the first year of studies and include a 5000 € relocation grant, paid to the student's Finnish bank account after the student has arrived in Tampere and started studies at Tampere University.
In addition, Tampere University awards a Tampere University tuition fee scholarship for the second year of studies to all recipients of the Finland scholarship. The scholarship covers 100 % of tuition fees in the second year of studies.
Early bird offer
In addition to scholarships, an early bird offer is available at admission to all fee-paying students, excluding students who have been awarded a Tampere University tuition fee scholarship or a Finland scholarship at admission. The early bird offer gives a 50 % reduction on the program tuition fee during the first year of studies.
Students may take advantage of the early bird offer by accepting the offered study place and paying 50% of the first-year tuition fee within two weeks after receiving information on admission.
This offer is valid only for the first year of studies. During consecutive years of study, all fee-paying students are eligible to apply for Tampere University Scholarships awarded during studies.
Gallery
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the Bachelor’s programs will obtain strong multidisciplinary skills and they will be well-experienced to work in a multicultural environment. The programs prepare the graduates to be professionals in matters related to sustainable urban development, an area that is growing and in demand.
The Master’s program aims to improve students' academic credentials and enhance their career prospects as highly qualified analysts and applied researchers in national, European, and international organizations. Graduates are expected to work in the areas of welfare management and social policy development and they will be able to apply their skills in creating, developing, and evaluating social programs and projects.
Internationalization
The studies included in the English-taught degree programs at Tampere University are international by nature, as the student groups consist of students from all over the world. Tampere University also offers plenty of other opportunities for internationalization, such as international student tutoring, student exchange, and/or internships abroad.
Co-operation with other parties
In addition to studies in one’s program, students may take full advantage of the teaching offered by the Tampere higher education community ranging from technical to vocational studies in various fields.
The Master's Programme in Comparative Social Policy and Welfare (COSOPO) is jointly organized by two European universities: Tampere University (Finland) and Johannes Kepler University (Linz, Austria).
Further study opportunities
The Bachelor’s Degree confers eligibility to apply for admission to master’s degree studies.
The Master’s Degree confers eligibility to apply for admission to doctoral degree studies