The course forms part of the main field of Urban Studies at the second-cycle level.

The purpose of the course is that students should develop expertise in an area of their choosing and develop their ability to conduct and present an academic study within the main field of Urban Studies. A further of the course is that students should develop and deepen their ability to critically examine and evaluate qualified research work. In their studies students have to demonstrate specialised methodological knowledge.

The course consists of independent work with a Master’s thesis under qualified supervision.

The course consists of several mutually supportive elements:

• Elaborative work with scientific methods
• Independent study and written work
• Group supervision where students critically discuss each other’s ongoing work
• Presentation and defence of independent work
• Critical discussion of other student’s independent work

Following successful completion of the course students should demonstrate

1. a considerable degree of specialised knowledge in certain areas of the field as well as a deepened insight into current research and development work
2. specialised methodological knowledge in the main field of Urban Studies
3. such skills as are required to participate in research and development work or employment in some other qualified capacity within the Urban Studies field
4. a further developed ability to critically, independently and creatively identify and formulate issues within the main area of Urban Studies.
5. the ability to choose and apply relevant methods in an interdisciplinary field
6. a further developed ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information
7. a further developed ability to plan and implement and, using appropriate methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames and thus contribute to the formation of knowledge as well as the ability to evaluate this work
8. the ability to clearly report and discuss in speech and writing their conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences within the framework of both national and international contexts
9. the ability to critically discuss other persons’ academic work
10. a further developed ability to make assessments in the main field of Urban Studies informed by relevant disciplinary, societal and ethical issues and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work
11. the ability to critically discuss the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used
12. the ability to reflect upon a need for further knowledge and take responsibility for one's own learning

Learning activities include literature studies, thesis writing and the assembling of research material, group supervision and opposition seminars.

• Completing a research project within Urban Studies in the form of a written Master’s project as well as its oral and written presentation (20 credits, grading scale (A-E, U)
• Criticism of another student’s equivalent work (5 credits, grading scale UG)
• Active participation in group supervision, including active participation in seminars (5 credits, grading scale UG)

All intended learning outcomes (1-12) are assessed by completing research work and active participation in supervision, seminars and criticism/reviewing.

Students are expected to independently identify, evaluate and use literature relevant to the chosen topic.

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).

If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented.

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format.

The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.