The master thesis represents the academic masterpiece of the student’s study of spatial planning. It rounds off the master study of spatial planning at Utrecht University. The student has the main responsibility for the topic, the time line, the case studies and all other elements of the process of the master thesis. This means that the students are expected to take a pro-active role in the whole process.

Bridging practice and research is an essential and fundamental character of the Utrecht model of spatial planning education. The topic of a master thesis needs on the one side be directly related to a societal problem in the field of spatial planning, on the other side it needs to be an academic endeavour. Although an internship is not obligatory within the study programme, we strongly recommend to link and combine the master thesis with an internship. Not only will this provide substantial insight in planning practice and help with establishing connections for empirical research, but it is also a step towards the labor market.

If an internship is accomplished, it should preferably be a research-driven internship (onderzoeksstage). Replacing activities shall be discussed with supervisors.