Redesigning the Post-Industrial City (RePIC) Ruhr-Universität Bochum

The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Redesigning the Post-Industrial City (EMJM RePIC) is a two-year, English-taught programme jointly designed and delivered by UNIC – the European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition.

Population growth, pressure on limited natural resources, climate change, economic globalisation and tertiarisation have dramatically transformed urban environments, particularly in post-industrial cities. These developments challenge us to rethink existing paradigms and shape more sustainable, resilient, inclusive, socially just and economically viable urban futures.

Building on the complementary strengths of the UNIC partnership and involving associated partners from government, industry and the public, RePIC provides visionary and future-oriented perspectives on the city. It offers a life-changing physical and virtual mobility experience and educates students from across the world in an integrated, innovative and practice-oriented way. Key approaches include City Labs, structured project collaboration, digital storytelling and social design studios.

RePIC aims to build a unique knowledge and innovation community committed to the co-creation, co-design and co-production of transformative approaches to sustainable and resilient urban futures. Graduates develop an in-depth understanding of concepts of the post-industrial city and its institutional arrangements, knowledge of urban transformations and urban design challenges from a global perspective, and the ability to apply advanced knowledge and skills to benefit society and serve the public good.

The programme consists of four semesters and offers several mobility options. Students jointly start the first semester in Bochum. In the second semester, they choose one of four tracks, each jointly delivered by two partner universities:

Track 1 – Cork, Ireland: Urban Transformations and Resilience (UCC/ULiège)

Track 2 – Istanbul, Turkey: Inequality, Diversity, and Social Justice (KU/EUR)

Track 3 – Bochum, Germany: Urban Analysis: Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Cities (RUB/UOulu)

Track 4 – Zagreb, Croatia: Governance of Post-Industrial Cities (UZagreb/UDeusto)

Depending on their chosen track, students move to another partner university. In the third semester, they can pursue in-depth studies or practical training in a profession or research at another host university.

In the fourth and final semester, students choose between three thesis formats: a traditional thesis, a research manuscript aiming at publication, or a practical project accompanied by documentation. The thesis is jointly supervised by two partner universities.

First semester (30 credits) – October to January

• Research Methods I – Quantitative, Qualitative and Geospatial Methods & Data Literacy
• RePIC Core Theory: The Post-Industrial City – Society, Space, and Environment
• RePIC Urban Sustainability Transformations Research Forum
• CityLab I

Second semester (30 credits) – February to August

Courses offered in the four different specialisation tracks include:

• Research Design Studio: Salvaging & Transformations of the Post-Industrial City
• Digital Storytelling & Immersive Fictions
• Conceptualising Society, Space, & the City
• Conceptual and Methodological Tools for Researching Post-Industrial Cities
• The City in Visual Culture
• The Production of Social (In)Justice in the (Post-Industrial) City
• Social Design Studio: Justice and Diversity
• Design for Health and Wellbeing
• Integrative Urban Development in Post-Industrial Cities
• Environmental Urban Planning
• Urban Remote Sensing and Smart Data: Modelling the Post-Industrial City
• Methods of Urban Climatology
• Design Thinking in Urban Context
• GIS Basics and Cartography
• Data and Decision Making
• Sustainable Urban Development Governance
• Governance of Post-Industrial Cities
• Methodological Approaches and Tools for Understanding the Governance of Post-Industrial Cities

Third semester (30 credits) – September to February

In the third semester, students can decide between in-depth studies and practical training in a profession or in research at either University College Cork (Ireland) or at University of Liège (Belgium).

1. Focus at UCC (50% of the cohort): structured learning activities and engaged research placements
2. Focus at ULiège (50% of the cohort): in-depth studies in three domains related to the transformation of the post-industrial city (urban mobility, urban ecology, and urban economics)

Third semester modules/courses for the entire cohort:

• City Lab II (Field Salon)
• Research Methods III

Fourth semester (30 credits) – February to September

In the fourth and final semester, and considering the multidisciplinary nature of the programme, students can choose among three forms of Master's thesis:

• Traditional thesis (jointly supervised by two of the partner universities)
• Research manuscript aiming at publication
• Practical project accompanied by documentation

• University College Cork (UCC, Ireland)
• Universidad de Deusto (UDeusto, Spain)
• Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (EUR, Netherlands)
• Koç University (KU, Turkey)
• Université de Liège (ULiège, Belgium)
• University of Oulu (UOulu, Finland)
• University of Zagreb (UZagreb, Croatia)

Each year, RePIC may accept a study cohort with a total capacity of around 60 students. Admission may be granted to applicants who are not in conflict with national legal requirements for admission and meet the eligibility criteria.

Entry Requirements

Candidates from diverse backgrounds, who have completed a Bachelor’s degree (university first cycle, Bachelor's, EQF level 6) preferably with a thesis, or an equivalent degree, in a discipline of relevance to RePIC, that gives them access to a Master's degree programme and demonstrable experience in themes related to redesigning of post-industrial cities and design-related backgrounds, including but not limited to the following fields:

• Architecture
• Urban Design, Urban Planning, Urban Development
• Geography
• Urban and Environmental Engineering, Geoinformatics
• Sociology
• Public Administration
• Business Studies
• Culture, Media, and Visual Arts Studies
• Other related fields of study

Students have to pay a social contribution fee of approx. 380 EUR per semester, including a semester ticket covering public transport in Germany (https://studium.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en/re-registration-and-social-contribution).

Students with outstanding academic achievements and a high degree of social responsibility can apply for the “Deutschlandstipendium” grant. They will receive a one-year scholarship of 300 EUR per month from the Ruhr-Universität Scholarship Fund: http://www.rub.de/bildungsfonds/info-studierende/en/index_en.html.

International students can apply at the International Office, e.g. for financial support during their final phase of study, such as graduation grants: https://international.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en/scholarships?_wrapper_format=html.

In the city of Bochum, you can find different types of accommodation. On average, students in Bochum pay approximately 400 to 800 EUR per month for a single apartment, which is below the average rent in Germany. A room in a shared apartment is usually less expensive.

About 5,000 students in Bochum live in multiple student halls close to the campus, which are run by the Akademisches Förderungswerk (AKAFÖ). In the halls, each student has a single room and shares a kitchen and bathroom with other students, rents an apartment with a private bathroom and kitchen, or shares an apartment with one or several flatmates. 

More information on the student halls can be found at https://studium.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/de/wohnen.

In addition, private and church-affiliated student halls accommodate up to 1,000 students: http://www.stuwo.de/wohnheim-region/bochum/.