Spatial, Transport and Environmental Economics

Widen your perspective with fascinating, in-depth courses

The first part of the programme consists of two compulsory methods courses in which you will master the basic skills of spatial economic research and policy analysis. You will then embark on your specialization, choosing optional subjects that reflect your own interests. The core specialization courses (you choose 2 out of 3) are discussed below, together with the research requirements.

• Transport economics
  Aims to provide you with advanced knowledge of contemporary transport economics, considering both intra-city transport (e.g. urban transit, congested road traffic) and inter-city transport (notably aviation).
• Regional and urban economics
  Aims to give you an advanced introduction to regional and urban economics. You will learn the theoretical and empirical methods applied in this field, gain a good understanding of the relevant fundamental questions and the current state of science in the literature.
• Environmental economics
  Aims to provide students with key insights into the nature of environmental problems and how environmental policy should be designed.
• Research project
  You will write and present an academic paper based on a literature review, to develop some of the essential practical skills that characterize a good economist: the ability to master a certain field of literature, to identify the relative contributions of different articles, to locate any remaining blind spots and to structure and present this knowledge as a written report and an oral presentation.

Thesis and internships

You will perform your own empirical research on blind spots identified in the literature. You also have the option of combining your thesis with an internship. The teaching staff’s contacts with various companies and government agencies can generate thesis and/or internship topics that are academically challenging and relevant from a policy perspective.