Master of Geography (MSc)

The Master in Geography is a two-year advanced study programme jointly organised by KU Leuven and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). This interuniversity master's programme offers you a comprehensive training in approaches to social, geographical and/or natural geographical phenomena.

What is the programme all about?

The objective of the Master of Geography is to provide you with a deeper understanding of geographical problems and methods, knowledge to participate in the theoretical debate within the discipline, and training in the use of geographical working techniques. The global aim of the master is to generate geographers whocan play an active role in our contemporary society.

Structure

The full programme comprises of 120 ECTS. In addition to core courses on society-environment interactions and research methods in geography (27 ECTS), you take the compulsory courses within your chosen specialisation (33-34 ECTS) as well as a number of  electives in your field (29-30 ECTS). The remaining 30 ECTS are allocated to the master’s thesis.

The programme offers three specialisations:

• Earth and Climate: focuses on terrestrial ecosystems and environmental changes, emphasising timely and relevant research topics in the geosciences like global warming, soil and water conservation.
• City, Society and Space: focuses on the multifaceted challenges faced in cities in the current era of globalisation.
• GIS and Spatial Modelling: focuses on new approaches and techniques for acquiring, managing, analysing and mapping spatial data. Within this specialisation you can also opt to include a two-month GIS internship.

Strenghts

• The highly competitive programme is jointly offered by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at KU Leuven and the Department of Geography at VUB and is firmly rooted in current research at both universities.
• A strong focus on methods and techniques combined with analytical strength and a broad theoretical background makes you a versatile researcher, prepared to take up a key role in interdisciplinary teams tackling the core challenges of the future like climate change, urbanisation, land use management, migration …