TERRITORIAL PROJECT
FOR SOCIAL AND
ECOLOGICAL CHANGE
Urban and territorial design has acquired a new meaning and urgency. From drivers of progress to the source of planetary hazards, the impacts of cities and urbanisation processes are being recast in the public sphere. The critical examination of anthropocentric world views, the greening of politics and economies, growing social movements, and climate activism are reflected in urban and territorial space, highlighting power asymmetries and fuelling the exploration of alternatives. The future of the urban engages social and environmental imaginaries, which now extend beyond-the-city and beyond-the-human. Rather than an object, the territory becomes a subject among other subjects, and space becomes an agent of socioecological change. In this context, urban and territorial design serves as a crucial field of synthesis, inspiring and negotiating change in science, practice and governance. The design of the territorial project is understood as a possibility to explore common epistemic horizons and new biopolitical paradigms. The MAS programme embraces such a transition as a field of critical and imaginative investigation. Engaging with notions of transformation, reuse, regeneration, reparation, and transition of habitats and ecologies, the MAS will deploy the urban and territorial project as the crucial field of knowledge production across scales.
The MAS in Urban and Territorial Design requires one year of full-time postgraduate study for a 60 ECTS joint degree, the “MAS ETH EPF UTD”. It is taught in English and held at the two Swiss schools, EPFL (Autumn) and ETH Zurich (Spring).
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
16 December 2022–31 May 2023
The programme is addressed to international graduates, young professionals, designers and researchers who wish to link research and design expertise in the context of the extended urbanisation of territories. A Masters degree (ETH-Equivalent) or a minimum of three years of study in a design discipline such as architecture, landscape architecture, civil and environmental engineering or urban planning with an additional two years of work experience is prerequisite.
A C1 language certificate is highly recommended, it is proof beyond doubt that you can follow the courses at a high English level and is therefore important to have.
The programme offers two scholarships to cover tuition fees to the amount of CHF 12,000. The objective of the scholarship is to foster participant diversity and inclusivity in terms of ethnicity, race, gender and socioeconomic backgrounds. The scholarship will be offered on the basis of academic merit and the motivation statement.
In addition to the documents required to apply to the MAS programme, candidates wishing to be considered for the scholarship should submit a separate 1-2 page scholarship application letter, stating the foreseen impact of the scholarship on their educational development during their MAS studies.
The programme is committed to cultivating a successful social environment in Switzerland and cannot be attended remotely. Hybrid teaching formats will be available on a case-by-case basis. Support services are offered to assist in finding accommodation.
Additional application documents
A portfolio, CV, letter of motivation, transcript records and reference letters.
Duration
1 year full-time; 900 hours of contact held at EPFL (Autumn Semester) and ETH Zurich (Spring Semester)
Fees
CHF 12,000 (excluding excursion fees max CHF 1,500) There is an application fee of CHF 50 for persons with a Swiss university degree, CHF 150 for persons with another university degree (non-refundable, credit card payment only)
