Education
Studies in Spatial Management have been present at AMU in Poznań since 1990. Since 2011, as a response to the existing market needs, the offer has been extended to include engineering studies. After the completion of Bachelor's degree (3 years, 6 semesters) or engineering studies (3.5 years, 7 semesters) it is possible to continue education in complementary Master’s degree studies (2 years and 1.5 years respectively).
This is an interdisciplinary major, drawing on the achievements of many disciplines, such as geography, economics, urban planning, spatial planning and management. Teaching activities include lectures and seminars on topics such as urban planning and architecture, law, economics and real estate management, urban regeneration, regional development and regional policy or the functioning of local government.
As part of their schedule, Spatial Management students have field classes in cities and communes at home and abroad. They may also pursue additional professional training or internship in public administration units and institutions, design and urban planning studios as well as research units, such as the Marshal’s Office of Wielkopolskie Voivodeship, Poznań Town Hall, Wielkopolska Spatial Planning Office, Metropolitan Research Center and practical internship on strategic and spatial planning at local, regional and European levels.
A graduate of the 1st degree major in Spatial Management may engage in professional activity at home and abroad in project teams in spatial planning and city planning. Under Polish law, graduates of Spatial Management are allowed to practice the profession of urban planner). Moreover, they can participate in strategic and environmental projects related to socio-economic development and local management. Graduates have an interdisciplinary knowledge of geography, economics, sociology, and architecture. They may seek employment in government and local government administration units, e.g., in commune offices, marshal’s offices, voivodeship offices; in firms drawing up planning projects, e.g., studies of determinants and trends in the spatial development of a commune, local spatial development plans; in firms dealing with strategic planning, e.g., local development strategies.
Graduates of the 1st degree major in Spatial Management are ready to build up their knowledge independently, to improve their skills and social competencies, which is crucial in a rapidly changing labour market. They can deal with professional activity or continue education in the 2nd-degree majors or postgraduate studies. Moreover, they may actively participate in social and political life, e.g., engage in the works of architectural and city planning communal committees, regeneration committees, or associations managing spatial order and sustainable development.
In addition, graduates of engineering studies have elementary knowledge of construction technology, technical infrastructure and the use of IT in engineering activity.
Integrated Development Planning (IDP) is the first major of this type in Poland, which aims to respond to legal changes in the strategic management of socio-economic processes and spatial planning. It provides an opportunity to prepare new human resources for administration and institutions dealing with integrated development planning.
IDP offers a curriculum of 3.5 years (7 semesters) resulting from consultations with specialists in regional and spatial policy. The representatives of opinion-making circles were invited to contribute to its development (e.g., Committee for Spatial Economy and Regional Planning, Society of Polish Town Planners), national administration staff (e.g., Ministry of Development), regional (e.g., Marshal’s Office of Wielkopolskie Voivodeship) and local administration (representatives of selected cities’ and communes’ offices), and also representatives of other academic centres in Poland (the Jagiellonian University, Łódź University, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Cracow University of Economics, Warsaw University of Technology and Gdańsk University of Technology).
IDP is a modular, innovative education programme divided into coherent thematic blocks (modules) covering legal, economic, social and spatial aspects of planning. Each module comprises lectures, seminars (including individual and team projects) and studio visits in a logically connected internal structure. The curriculum involves both academic teachers and development policy experts.
IDP is a major leading to a degree in engineering (BEng.) granted after the examination when a student presents an original engineering dissertation, the portfolio of their projects carried out during studies and answers the questions covering the curriculum asked by the examination board.
To summarize, integrated development planning is…
- the first major of this type in Poland
- a curriculum resulting from the consultations with experts in regional and spatial policy
- a modular, innovative education programme
- a major leading to a degree in engineering
Graduate profile:
- Knowledge, skills and competencies acquired during studies allow practising the profession in the following institutions:
- Public administration units—positions related to the preparations of plans and development programmes, planning and implementation of projects, obtaining funds, e.g., from the European means
- Consulting companies drawing up strategies, plans, programmes, expert assessments, etc.
- Economic entities carrying out various types of investment projects.
Socio-economic geo-analysis, a specialisation at geography major (3 years, 6 semesters) offers unique geo-analytical skills related to socio-economic phenomena. Implemented in cooperation with the Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, the specialisation responds to the challenges of dynamically changing Poland’s economy, including the reindustrialisation programme, an innovative knowledge-based economy, and others. It also addresses requests from local government and consulting firms who seek employees with analytical skills combined with the use of technology, and to the latest trends in global science and economic development.
As part of their curriculum, students participate in field classes on socio-economic geography and regional field classes, and also professional training in public administration units (e.g. communes, poviats), design studios, or research units. Moreover, they can participate in internship programmes or activities to improve their qualifications and skills.
The curriculum of this specialisation puts great emphasis on active application of modern methods and tools for collecting, processing and showing data (e.g. data presentation methods, organisation and methods of public research, sociology), cartographic and visual presentation of socio-economic phenomena (e.g. socio-economic cartography, geo-visualisation of socio-economic phenomena), local administration (e.g. administration geography, e-administration, territorial marketing, management and spatial planning, social conflicts in public space and urban landscape), among others.
The major, which leads to a Bachelor’s degree, offers graduates knowledge and skills allowing them to serve as analysts of socio-economic phenomena in a spatial dimension. They may seek employment as geo-analysts in:
- local government units (e.g. commune offices, voivodeship offices),
- consulting firms dealing with advising economic entities on, e.g., company strategy development,
- firms developing planning projects (e.g. the assessment of an environmental impact of the investment planned, landscape audits, studies of determinants and trends in the spatial development of a commune),
- firms dealing with geo-marketing (e.g. spatial analyses of consumers’ localisation,
- location studies of shopping centres, analyses of regional market potential),
- opinion polling agencies,
- companies making digital maps.
The Faculty invites candidates to pursue a PhD degree in human geography and planning under the framework of the AMU Doctoral School of Social Sciences. More information can be found at: