Frequently Asked Questions

The MAS UTD consists of two semesters of 30 ECTS each. The autumn semester always takes place in Lausanne at EPFL, the spring semester in Zurich at ETH.

Each semester is organised around the Core Design and Research Studio, which is worth around half of the credits. These studio credits include inputs on integrated skills – such as representation techniques, fieldwork, GIS, photography and film. In addition to the Studios, there are two other learning formats: Interdisciplinary Courses and Sessions (smaller entities with 1-3 credits each, making up the other half of the credits per semester). Courses include Urban Ecology, Re-/Source the Environment, Maps in the Making, Prefigurative Ecologies, or Media Strategies (maximum 4 courses per semester). Sessions include, for example, Urban Theory, Critical Methodologies, Sessions on Territory, and Pressure Points (maximum 3 sessions per semester).

Our semesters are conceived at 18 instead of 15 weeks, allowing for 3 weeks of post-production worth 2 credits per semester. This is dedicated to the presentation of the studio results (both research and design) and is meant to impart an extra skill set that will make you more competent to present work and understand how investigative, research-based design can be showcased.

The Final Thesis is the studio project in the second semester, which includes a written component.

The programme sharpens urban and territorial design skills for interdisciplinary work, including collaboration with natural scientists such as ecologists or hydrologists, as well as positions with governmental and non-governmental political and societal actors and agencies. During the MAS you will be exposed to people from these fields who will give input to your design work but also discuss their work and the potential collaborative overlaps and ways of working together. You will learn how to deal with the complexity of designing at these beyond-the-city scales, i.e. region and territory. In particular, we address the contemporary challenges of ongoing climate change and achieving a CO2 neutral future, repairing and regenerating landscapes and the role of cities within that future, with the idea that our own design and planning profession will have to adapt its modus operandi in order to offer relevant expertise in a future planning environment.

This means either that you will still be able to work as a planner, architect, urban designer or landscape designer, but have a wider scope and skill set and can easily navigate interdisciplinary fields, or that you can shift from being an active practitioner to doing consulting work within government and NGO entities that value an interdisciplinary design view. In addition, the MAS can prepare you for further academic research such as a PhD, by introducing you to design/ research links within the broad field of urban studies.

As a post-Master’s programme, the MAS UTD normally requires a previous Master’s degree. However, we also consider candidates sur dossier, especially those with a Bachelor’s degree and professional experience, or with relevant experience in exhibitions, research, urban activism or other fields related to urban and territorial design. A five-year Bachelor’s degree is generally recognised as equivalent to a Master’s degree.

• Copy of Diploma Certificate & transcript of records
• Curriculum Vitae
• Passport copy or identity card
• Declaration of consent
• Motivational Letter
• Portfolio

The portfolio should include a selection of projects that you were involved in during your studies and (where applicable) professional work. It should briefly describe each project in image/drawing/text and specify what your role was specifically (if it was an individual/group school project, your thesis project, a professional project in a collective where you were responsible for one aspect or part). The portfolio is primarily used to evaluate design work, but it can also include urban research projects or participative projects/initiatives or similar.

The portfolio can be either portrait or landscape. There are no requirements regarding length or format; it is, however, important to state precisely what kind of project it is and what role you played in the project when working in a team. Keep the content to the projects you believe are most relevant for this programme.

It is recommended that you provide 2 reference letters, but they are not mandatory. They should not be older than 5 years. They can be addressed to MAS UTD Programme Coordination.

A C1 language certificate is highly recommended for English, as it demonstrates that you can follow the courses at a high level. However, you do not need to upload proof of this level with your application.

Unfortunately, the programme does not offer scholarships or other financial support. We encourage applicants to look for scholarships from foundations or public institutions, particularly in their home countries; several past participants have successfully obtained funding this way.

The housing offices at both schools collect offers available to students and can help with questions during your search. In Zurich, see the ETH housing service; note that most offers only become available once you are enrolled. In Lausanne, contact EPFL Housing Services, who also send out a housing newsletter to EPFL email addresses. Other useful sources are the Facebook group “Lausanne à louer – bouche à oreille” and housing websites such as Homegate, Immoscout24, Urbanhome, Wincasa, Comparis and Newhome.

Students are expected to live in Lausanne during the autumn semester and in Zurich during the spring semester. We advise against commuting: experience has shown that the travel time is difficult to balance with the workload and affects students’ performance. In practice, most students sublet accommodation for six months in each city.