Why do some cities grow while others struggle? How can we build economies that are green and responsible? What factors push up inflation, housing costs, or traffic jams? How can we prepare the welfare state for an ageing population, improve healthcare systems, and share economic wealth more fairly between countries? These are some examples of the challenges you will tackle in the master's programme in Spatial and Applied Economics.
In this master’s programme, you will choose one of seven specialisations:
- Development Economics and Globalisation
- Environmental Economics
- Health Economics and Management
- Public Economics and Policy
- Real Estate and Housing Economics
- Regional and Urban Economics
- Transport and Network Economics
By combining economic theory with cutting-edge empirical tools, you will learn to:
- design sustainable growth strategies;
- future-proof cities;
- craft sound public policies;
- streamline healthcare systems;
- develop real estate policies that improve housing affordability;
- manage congested transport networks;
- promote inclusive development at local, national, and global scales.
This is the only university in the Netherlands offering a master’s programme that fully integrates urban, transport, environmental, real estate, health, development, and public policy economics. Spatial and Applied Economics has been recognized for its excellence, ranked as the Best Economics Master’s in the Netherlands by Keuzegids Masters 2025, consistently receiving high ratings in the National Student Survey, and awarded a bronze medal in Elsevier’s Best Studies 2023.