The Urban Studies MSc course at Estonian Academy of the Arts equips students with urban design skills with a focus on environmental change, whilst offering opportunities for field trips.

The Urban Studies MSc is a two-year interdisciplinary programme focused on rethinking cities and socio-environmental change.

Key areas include urban nature, housing and infrastructure. Students engage with materials, architecture, landscapes and technology against the backdrop of global capitalist dynamics and persistent social hierarchies.

The programme centres affordability and reparative action in order to transform planning, policy and society. Urban Studies classes comprise collaborative research, site visits, field work and project-based creation.

The instruction prioritises small-group, student-led learning activities in and outside the classroom, while engagement with theory and writing is centred in order to unlock curiosity and critical thinking.

Students master skills and tools such as critical mapping, institutional literacy, strategies for degrowth and urban political ecology.

Based in Tallinn, the programme brings students on field trips to cities such as Berlin and Lima, in order to emphasise comparative urbanism and geographical difference. Urban Studies is a collaborative place for students with interdisciplinary backgrounds.

What unites them is a shared concern for social equity spanning the built and natural environments.

The programme opens up pathways to transformative, unique careers in design, policy, planning and beyond, and provides a good basis for doctoral study.

School: Estonian Academy of the Arts
Course: Urban Studies MSc
Type: Postgraduate
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Course dates: September 2027 to June 2029
Application deadline: 1 March 2027

Find out more about the course and apply ›

What will I learn during this course?

– Critical thinking
– Institutional literacy
– Strategic planning
– Community engagement
– Fieldwork and academic writing
– Basic methods in design, mapping and GIS

What are the requirements?

– A bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification in architecture, landscape architecture, geography, construction, art history, sociology, urban planning, political science, or other arts and humanities fields
– English proficiency at B2 level at least
– CV, motivation letter and a sample of your previous work (portfolio or writing sample or a combined sample of creative and written work)

What facilities and resources are available?

– Library
– Technical equipment rental
_ Prototyping lab
_ Professional photography
– Sound studios
– Workshops for wood and metalworking
– 3D modelling
– Workshops for textiles, glass, ceramics, printmaking and many more

What career prospects can I expect upon graduating?

The programme opens up pathways to truly transformative, unique careers in policy, planning, academia, advocacy and beyond. It also provides a good basis for doctoral studies.

Who teaches this course?

– Maroš Krivý, professor and head of curriculum
– Sean Tyler, visiting lecturer
– Andra Aaloe, tutor
– Lia Alarcó, tutor
– Nabeel Imtiaz, tutor
– Milla Kallio, tutor
– Wangui Kimari, tutor
– Kaija-Luisa Kuri, tutor
– Leonard Ma, tutor
– Mattias Malk, tutor
– Agáta Marzec, tutor
– Efe Ogbeide, tutor
– Andres Ojari, tutor
– Miina Pohjolainen, tutor
– Helen Runting, tutor
– Mira Samonig, tutor
– Paco Ulman, tutor
– Karina Vabson, tutor

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