4 Cities: Erasmus Mundus Master in Urban Studies

Deadline: 20 January 2013
Open to: Applicants with 180ECTS bachelor in geography, sociology, literature & cultural studies, architecture & planning, economy, political sciences, public management, tourism, history, criminology, leisure studies, media studies or a similar discipline.
Scholarship: Category A: covers tuition fee, costs of travel and installation plus 1000 euro of monthly allowance, Category B: covers tuition fee plus 500 euro of monthly allowance

Description

4Cities, UNICA Euromaster in urban studies is a unique two-year interdisciplinary and international programme. 4Cities takes students to Brussels, Copenhagen, Vienna, Madrid and a number of surrounding cities (click here for more). The programme is taught in English only. This particular programme adds a European perspective to the field of Urban Studies: it wants to break up and to open the national perspective on urban problems. The growing importance of globalisation and the shift towards a world of flows calls for a new approach in important fields of urban policy like culture, economy, planning… The strength of this masters programme results from the integration of analytical skills typical for the (social-)sciences and the more design oriented skills of planning and architecture. The need for interdisciplinary knowledge and skills as opposed to the more narrowly defined academic disciplines is strong. More info about the programme and its mission can be found here.

Eligibility

Applicants are eligible for the programme if they have an 180ECTS bachelor in geography, sociology, literature & cultural studies, architecture & planning, economy, political sciences, public management, tourism, history, criminology, leisure studies, media studies or a similar discipline. Admission to the master programme will be based on equivalence of diploma (diploma has to equal an 180 ECTS Academic Bachelor degree obtained after minimum 3 years of study in the disciplines mentioned above). Applicants that have an academic bachelor degree in another field of study can also submit an application. The Application Committee will decide on eligibility taking into account the contents of the Bachelor diploma of the applicant, motivation, possible work experience within the field,…. If your degree is not from an university please check if it matches an academic degree. You can do so by contacting the international relations office or student affairs department of your institution.
WHAT IF I DID NOT FINISH MY STUDIES YET?
No problem, we can give you a conditional green light for registration. You should however be confident that you finish your studies in line with the results you have provided us with. If your official date of graduation is after the start of the course please contact us to discuss possible options.
For the language requirement, please check this link.

Scholarship

Erasmus Mundus aims to enhance quality in higher education through scholarships and academic cooperation between Europe and the rest of the world. It should be noted that, while the Category A scholarships should be considered as “full scholarships” covering all necessary costs of the student during his/her study period in Europe, Category B scholarships have to be considered as a “financial contribution” to the student’s costs while following his/her EMMC studies.

• Category A scholarships can be awarded to third-country masters students selected by EMMC consortia who come _from a country other than a European country27 and who are not residents nor have carried out their main activity (studies, training or work) for more than a total of 12 months over the last five years in these countries. Approximate total amount of scholarship for two years is 43.100 Euro
• Category B scholarships can be awarded to European masters students selected by EMMC consortia as well as to any masters students selected by EMMC consortia who do not fulfil the Category A criteria defined above. Approximate total amount of scholarship for two years is 19.900 Euro

For more info about scholarships, amounts and fees, please go here.

Application process

Click on the link here and fill in your name and email address to receive your personal link to the online application form 2013-2014. Then follow these steps:

1. Step 1: On-line application providing us with all the necessary information about your previous studies and results, your motivation, letters of recommendation, proof of your language skills, personal information,… . You have to upload PDF-copies of official documents (diploma, marks list,…). Keep in mind that if you receive a green light to continue registration you have to provide us with the original documents, or certified (translated) copies. If you receive documents from your university under closed envelope (e.g. marks list) please ask for more copies.
2. Step 2: The Selection Committee of the Academic Board with members of the whole consortium will decide soon after each application deadline who can proceed with registration. By submitting an application, the applicant accepts that decisions of the Admission Committee are final and irrevocable.
   As we have a limited amount of places available there are several options depending on whether you applied for a scholarship or not:
   If you did NOT apply for a scholarship:
   (a) you are given permission to proceed
   (b) you are put on the waiting list stating clearly your position on the list (1st, 2nd, 3rd,…)
   (c) you are not given permission. If one or more of the students from category (a) decide not to proceed with registration they will be replaced by students from the waiting list (taking into account the ranking order).
   If you applied for an EMMC scholarship:
   Publication of pre-selection results: end of February 2013 of main and reserve list, the official fellowship confirmation will only be given after EACEA’s (Education, Audiovisual & Culture Executive Agency) notification to the consortium (i.e. around the second half of April following the fellowship application deadline).
   (a) you are selected and will receive an EMMC scholarship, category A or B
   (b) non-selected student, but you could register for the course on a self-paying basis (= no EMMC scholarship)
   (c) you are not given permission.
3. Step 3: Registration. You will register at only one university for the full 2 year period. You will be asked to send in the necessary administrative documents which underpin your application. These documents will be officially authenticated diploma’s (officially translated if necessary), transcripts of academic records, proof of proficiency in English (TOEFL or the like), statement of financial resources, etc.. . The exact documents which are required depend on the university where you enrol. It is only after the screening and approval of these documents by the registering university that you are officially accepted to the course.

Selection process and deadlines

Deadlines for 2012-2013 applications:
1. EU (without scholarships): 15/05/2013
2. A- category scholarships EMMC: 20/01/2013
3. B-category scholarships EMMC: 20/01/2013

The academic board will decide on admittance soon after each of these dates, but please keep in mind that this may take some weeks. You will be notified by email only. If you encounter a technical problem this might be temporary. Please wait and try again later before contacting us (info@4cities.eu) . An impartial evaluation of the applications will be achieved. However, if some application packages get the same score, gender parity and disabled students will be favoured, as well as those students belonging to minority groups. Moreover, the Board will also consider the mix of nationalities and backgrounds when making the selection of applicants.
In addition, any application may be completed by an oral communication through videoconference, web or phone contact.
This will be done on an if-needed basis for the above classification.

Official website.