Student Charter Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences Academic Year

Transcription

1 Student Charter Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences Academic Year

2 Contents Introduction 5 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter General provisions 1.1 Entrance and admission 1.2 Registering for courses 1.3 Graduation Support Scheme 1.4 Teaching 1.5 Credits 1.6 Consultation and participation 1.7 Information facilities 1.8 House rules and order-related measures 1.9 Legal protection Part II Teaching and Examination Regulations General 2.1 Composition of the study program and the degree audit 2.2 Registering and withdrawing 2.3 Examinations 2.4 Studying with a disability 2.5 Exemptions 2.6 Degree audit 2.7 Study progress checks 2.8 Contravention, changes and implementation Part III Implementation Regulations of the Teaching and Examination 43 Regulations 3.0 Semester breakdown 3.1 Admission of those with a higher professional education (HBO) Bachelor s Degree 3.2 Admission requirements for students with other previous qualifications 3.3 The start of the Master s degree program curriculum 3.4 Composing flexible study program 3.5 Examination methods 3.6 Sequence of examinations and admission to and participation in laboratory courses 3.7 Graduation project 3.8 Evaluation plan 3.9 Technology in Sustainable Development (TiSD) annotation 3.10 Entrepreneurship annotation 3.11 Infrastructure & Environment Design annotation 3.12 Honours Programme 3.13 Master s tracks Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences 3.14 Master Geomatics 3.15 European Post Master in Urbanism (EMU) 3.16 Post Master Berlage Master of Architecture and Urban Design 3.17 Electives 3.18 Transitional arrangements Part IV Rules and Guidelines of the Board of Examiners General 4.1 Registering and withdrawing 4.2 Examinations and practicals 4.3 Exemption 4.4 Further rules governing Internship and Projects 4.5 Further rules governing Master final Project

3 4.6 Curriculum components completed elsewhere 4.7 Pass and fail rules and transition ruling 4.8 Conferring the predicate with distinction 4.9 Degree certificates and results achieved 4.10 Appeal and final provisions Appendix 77

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5 Introduction This is the academic year Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, for the Delft University of Technology Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences. The Student Charter describes the rights and obligations of students. Article 7.59 of the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act states that the Student Charter must contain an individual degree program section and a university-wide section, and that the Teaching and Examination Regulations should be included in the individual degree program section. The Student Charter applies to every student who is enrolled for the academic year in question; transitional arrangements with regard to previous regulations have been drawn up wherever necessary. University-wide section The university-wide section of the Student Charter applies to students of every degree program. This section includes descriptions of the rights and obligations of students and an overview of the regulations, which are designed to protect students. Access to the universitywide section can be gained via the Delft University of Technology website. Individual degree program section The Individual degree program section of the Student Charter applies to one specific program and includes: a description of the degree structure and the support facilities provided by the university for students, including information on how teaching is structured, organized and implemented, student amenities, and facilities in relation to the supervision of students, and the Teaching and Examination Regulations. These are subdivided into a general part which, with the obvious exception of the final achievement levels of the degree program, is the same for everyone at the whole of Delft University of Technology, and the Implementation Regulations of the Teaching and Examination Regulations, which deals with particular aspects of the degree program in question. As well as the final achievement levels, the general Teaching and Examination Regulations include provisions on admission to the program and the language in which the teaching and examinations are given. The Implementation Regulations of the Teaching and Examination Regulations consist mainly of descriptions of the study program and of any requirements regarding study progress or eligibility to sit examinations. Structure of the charter of the faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment The Faculty of Architecture and The Built Environment runs the following study programs: Bachelor programma Bouwkunde Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences Master of Science Geomatics for the Built Environment European Post Master in Urbanism (EMU) Post Master Berlage Master of Architecture and Urban Design. Alongside the general university-wide section and the Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, the Bachelor, Master and Post programs have their own specific sections, of which the Teaching and Examination Regulations, including the Implementation Regulations of the Teaching and Examination Regulations, form a part. Rules and Guidelines of the Board of Examiners In addition, the Board of Examiners of the Faculty of Architecture and The Built Environment has laid down the Rules and Guidelines of the Board of Examiners pursuant to Articles 7.10, 7.11 and 7.12 of the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act, which are valid for all the programs. They include provisions on pass/fail regulations, order during examinations, measures to be taken in cases of fraud, etc. 5

6 Education regulations documentation This document contains all relevant documentation on the education regulations for the Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, excluding the university-wide section of the Student Charter: the individual degree program section of the Student Charter the Teaching and Examination Regulations the Implementation Regulations of the Teaching and Examination Regulations that go with the Teaching and Examination Regulations the Rules and Guidelines of the Board of Examiners. Transitional arrangements In principle, the provisions of the Individual degree program section of the Student Charter (the individual degree program section), the Teaching and Examination Regulations, the Implementation Regulations of the Teaching and Examination Regulations and the Rules and Guidelines of the Board of Examiners apply to all students. Should the application of previous regulations still be relevant, this is covered, as much as possible, by transitional arrangements which form a part of these documents. In cases where they are not sufficient, or where their application would lead to inequitable situations, an appeal may be made to the Board of Examiners. The law has laid down rules governing the matters that have to be dealt with in the various regulations. As a result, certain subjects are mentioned several times in the different documents. For example, a particular procedure may be described in the individual degree section of the Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, even though the actual regulations are to be found in the Teaching and Examination Regulations and/or the Implementation Regulations of the Teaching and Examination Regulations. There are also implementation provisions dealing with examinations which are the responsibility of the Board of Examiners, and which are therefore included in the Rules and Guidelines of the Board of Examiners. 6

7 Student Charter University-wide section of the Student Charter University-wide Individual degree programme section of the Student Charter Teaching and Examination Regulations Implementation Regulations of the Course and Examination Regulations Rules and Guide-lines of the Board of Examiners Specific to a particular degree programme. Separate for Bachelor, Master and Post Master Specific to a particular degree programme Specific to a particular degree programme Specific to a particular degree programme. Separate for Bachelor s and Master s 7

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9 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences Academic Year

10 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences,

11 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, Contents 1.0 General provisions 13 Article 1 Evaluating and setting down the Individual degree program section of the Student Charter 1.1 Entrance and admission 13 Article 2 Degree program admission requirements Article 3 HTO as prior qualification Article 4 Other types of prior qualifications Article 5 Exemptions 1.2 Registering and withdrawing 14 Article 6 Exclusion from courses when absent from first face-to-face teaching session Article 7 Master s program timetables 1.3 Graduation Support Scheme Teaching Structure of the degree program 15 Article 8 The Didactic Concept Article 9 Teaching formats Article 10 Graduation process Article 11 Special annotations Article 12 Faculty of Architecture and The Built Environment study programs Article 12.1 Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences Article Track Architecture Article Track Urbanism Article Track Building Technology Article Track Real Estate & Housing Article Track Landscape Architecture Article Explore Lab Article 12.2 Master of Science Geomatics Article 12.3 European Post Master in Urbanism (EMU) Article 12.4 Post Master Berlage Master of Architecture and Urban Design Optional modules 19 Article 13 Optional modules Article 14 Studying abroad Studiability and the quality of the education 20 Article 15 Studiability of the curriculum Article 16 Replacement of teaching staff Article 17 Evaluation of the curriculum Academic Counseling 21 Article 18 Academic Counselors Article 19 Studying with a handicap Article 20 Courses in English 1.5 Credits Study load and credits 22 11

12 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, Regulations 22 Article 21 Teaching and Examination Regulations Article 22 Rules and Guidelines of the Board of Examiners 1.6 Consultation and participation 23 Article 23 Committees 1.7 Information facilities 24 Article 24 Provision of information about courses Article 25 Education and Student Administration 1.8 House rules and order-related measures 24 Article 26 Limited capacity Article 27 Insufficient interest Article 28 Procedure for one-off optional components Article 29 Examinations Article Graduation procedure Article 31 Applying for a Master s degree certificate Article 32 Study costs 1.9 Legal protection 26 Article 33 Appeal Article 34 Ombudsman Article 35 Complaint coordinator Article 36 Confidential adviser 12

13 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, General provisions Article 1 Evaluating and setting down the Individual degree program section of the Student Charter Every year, the Education and Student Affairs department updates the individual degree program section of the Student Charter and all relevant documents and makes any improvements or additions to them as may be necessary. The individual degree program section, including the Teaching and Examination Regulations for the Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, must be approved by the Faculty Student Council (FSC), with the exception of a number of areas, as stated by the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act. These areas relate primarily to the content and admission requirements of the degree program. The Individual degree program section of the Student Charter as a whole is put before the Faculty Student Council (FSC) after recommendations have been obtained from the Academic Board and, informally, from other bodies and individuals who are considered to have a good insight into the program and the situation of the students. Experiences relating to the application of the current Individual degree program section of the Student Charter are a major feature of the recommendations. Before the start of every academic year, the latest version is made available on the student portal of the Architecture website ( > English > Regulations > Student Charter). First-year students are told where they can find the Charter during the Freshman Week. 1.1 Entrance and admission Article 2 Degree program admission requirements The law imposes strict conditions regarding admission to the Master s degree program. It states that candidates may only enroll if they are in possession of a Bachelor s degree in Architecture, obtained at Delft University of Technology, or a notice of admission issued by the university to anyone meeting the set conditions. These conditions must correspond to those that have been laid down in relation to the Bachelor s degree audit (Higher Education and Scientific Research Act, Articles 7.a and 7.b). Students who have obtained a Bachelor s degree in Architecture from Delft University of Technology are therefore automatically able to enroll for this Master s degree program. Students who have obtained a Bachelor s degree in Architecture from the Eindhoven University of Technology, ETH Zürich or RWTH Aachen, are treated in the same way as students who have obtained their Bachelor s degree from Delft University of Technology. Students who have obtained a Bachelor s degree in a different program will only be admitted to the Master s degree program if they comply with the admission requirements (in terms of the subject content) of the university board; that is, of the Teaching and Examination Regulations (Higher Education and Scientific Research Act, Article 7.a) and with the admission regulations in terms of procedure (Higher Education and Scientific Research Act, Article 7.31). Admission to the Master s degree program is governed by Article 8 of the Teaching and Examination Regulations of the Master s program. Article 3 HTO as prior qualification A thirty-credit bridging course is available for students with an HTO Architecture, Urbanism or Landscape Architecture qualification and demonstrable knowledge of English at TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of at least 90 (internet-based test) or IELTS (academic version) overall Band score of at least 6.5 and a mathematics exam (voortentamen Wiskunde T). They also have to complete a bridging course worth thirty credits. The successful completion of the bridging course only grants admission to the Master s program it does not entitle the student to a Bachelor s degree. Delft University of Technology has reached agreements with a number of HTO colleges whereby the bridging program is provided as a minor as part of the HTO program. The bridging program is only in Dutch. In very exceptional individual cases, students will be given a personal screening. See also Article 5 of the Teaching and Examination Regulations of the Master s program and Article 3 of the corresponding Implementation Regulations of the Teaching and Examination Regulations. If you start this Bridging program in the year x the program should be completed by the first of September in the year x

14 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, Article 4 Other types of prior qualifications Prospective students with other types of prior qualifications may contact the Admissions Committee, who will decide to what extent the admission requirements are met or, as the case may be, what additional requirements must be complied with before admission can be granted. Students should follow admission and application rules which they can find on the >studying at TU Delft> admissions and application. Admission applications should preferably be submitted as early as possible, and must be in writing. Send them to: The Admissions Committee, Faculty of Architecture and The Built Environment, PO Box 5043, 2600 GA Delft. Applications must include: certified copies of diplomas certified copies of transcripts, on which the relevant subjects should be listed. Students may be asked to provide further information regarding their requests. In the light of the large numbers of students seeking to gain entry to the program at the beginning of the academic year, applicants should allow plenty of time for their applications to be dealt with. The maximum time from the moment an application is received by the faculty to when a decision is taken is six weeks. Student with a foreign diploma (including those of Dutch nationality with a foreign diploma) should first report to the central International Office before submitting a request to the Admissions Committee: International Office, Jaffalaan 9a, 2628 BX Delft. Telephone: +31 (0) , internationaloffice@tudelft.nl, website Article 5 Exemptions The rules for granting exemptions from an examination (or component thereof) are laid down in Article 22 of the Teaching and Examination Regulations of the Master s program and in Articles 22 and 23 of the Rules and Guidelines of the Board of Examiners. The exemption application form can be found on the student portal of the Architecture website. Prospective students who believe that they may be entitled to exemptions from a substantial part of the Master s program due to previous qualifications, should contact the Admissions Committee who will determine the extent to which exemptions may be granted. A student s individual program will only be approved once any deficiencies have been eliminated. Applications for a screening of this kind should be submitted as early as possible, and must always be in writing. Send them to: The Admissions Committee, Faculty of Architecture and The Built Environment, PO Box 5043, 2600 GA Delft. Applications must include: certified copies of diplomas certified copies of transcripts, on which the relevant subjects should be listed. Students may be asked to provide further information regarding their requests. During the subsequent interview, it may be useful to bring the material for which further information has been requested with you (such as a portfolio). The documents that have been sent and any material brought to the interview will be assessed with a view to the requirements of the degree program. In the light of the large numbers of students seeking to gain entry to the program at the beginning of the academic year, applicants should allow plenty of time for their applications to be dealt with. The maximum time from the moment an application is received by the faculty to when a decision is taken is six weeks. 1.2 Registering and withdrawing Article 6 Exclusion from courses when absent from first face-to-face teaching session Students who fail to attend the first class are not entitled participate in that course in that semester if the course involves group work from the first class, or students are divided into groups in order to make the most optimal use of teaching staff. When registering for courses to which this provision applies, the attention of students will be explicitly drawn to this stipulation. Article 7 Master s program timetables Timetables are available for teachers and students no later than one week before the start of each semester. They are published on the student portal of the Architecture website (timetables) by Education and Student Affairs. 14

15 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, Graduation Support Scheme See Chapter 4 and Appendix 2 of the university-wide section of the Individual degree program section of the Student Charter. 1.4 Teaching Structure of the degree program Article 8 The Didactic Concept In every Master s track, knowledge and specific skills are integrated, and choices made and underpinned in one coherent entity. The didactic tracks take two years and comprise four semesters, each worth thirty credits. Designing means integrating knowledge and specific skills and making choices, underpinned in a coherent entity in an individual design ( knowledge-intensive design ). The essence of the teaching is that students and teaching staff regularly work together in a single room or space. Students learn from each other; as designers, they have to teach themselves how to form opinions about design and their own role in the design process. The studio is also the place where students display their work, where architectural models are made and where design experiments are carried out. As the program progresses, students are given the opportunity to add their own coloring to their program. This serves to encourage the students to draw on their own creativity and use the things they especially wish to learn about as effectively as possible (student oriented learning). In the case of the Real Estate & Housing Master s track, the design task is often a combined design and research assignment for buildings, areas and real estate portfolios. The task is not limited to the physical design object: designing and researching programs, processes and instruments are covered as well, as are research into targets, actors and planning methods, and social and technological contexts. Getting students to work in teams serves to stimulate and develop their multidisciplinary collaboration abilities. Article 9 Teaching formats The Master s degree program includes lectures, tutorials, laboratory courses and project work. Students are tested in various ways, from examinations, essays, theses, designing and presenting papers to websites and interactive games. The study units and examinations are covered in greater detail in the Delft University of Technology Digital Study Guide ( which offers an overview of the program and descriptions of the program and modules. This digital overview is part of this charter. The Digital Study Guide is also available via the Blackboard website ( Article 10 Graduation process The graduation project is regarded as a non-recurrent learning unit, with the evaluations - P2, P4 and P5 collectively counting as the equivalent of an examination as defined by law, and the individual evaluations being regarded as interim examinations. In accordance with Article 10, paragraph 3 of the Master s Teaching and Examination Regulations, only a limited number of these interim examinations (evaluations) take place. The graduation project is scheduled over two semesters. Students are given a total of four opportunities to take a P4: once immediately after the program, and then another three in the three subsequent quarters. Any student who has by then failed the P4 interim examination will no longer be able to pass the full examination, thereby effectively rendering the result of the P2 interim examination invalid and has to start the graduation process from the beginning. Students are given full supervision during the two semesters of the graduation project; it is generally terminated thereafter. Students who have neither taken nor passed a P4 evaluation after the second opportunity will be referred by the mentors to the Academic Counselors to discuss what progress they are making in graduating and any reasons as to why they may be falling behind schedule in their studies. Rules about the graduation process can be found in the Graduation Manual. ( > Education > Master program > Graduation). Evaluation moments There are five evaluation moments in the graduation process: two progress interviews (P1 and P3) and three evaluations (P2, P4 and 15

16 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, P5). The three evaluations collectively count as an examination in the eyes of the law. The P1 and P2 are held in the third semester of the Master s degree program and consist of a preliminary part, from which the curriculum and a provisional design and/or research project will emerge. If a mark is given in the P2 with regard to the research will feature as a component of the graduation process in the P5. P3, P4 and P5 take place in the fourth semester of the Master s degree program, in which students work on their design or research project in more detail. Duration of evaluations Each of the P1 and P3 progress interviews lasts 45 minutes, of which minutes are intended for a presentation and 15 minutes for questions. The duration as laid down by regulations of the P2 and P4 is 45 minutes, of which minutes are intended for the presentation and 15 minutes for questions and appraisal. The duration as laid down by regulations of the P5 is 60 minutes, of which minutes are intended for the presentation 15 minutes for questions, followed by the appraisal also no more than 15 minutes. Immediately after the appraisal the notification of the results and the awarding of the diploma take place. Documenting of graduation project Teaching staff Master s coordinator Lab coordinator Professor Mentors Guest mentor No later than two days prior to giving their final presentation, students must submit in the Delft University of Technology Repository: - Graduation plan - Reflection report - Presentation P5 - Set of drawings/ graduation report - Poster mandatory for Real Estate & Housing students, optional for other students The supplement will not be awarded until the student has fulfilled this obligation. The names of the relevant teaching staff can be found in the Digital Study Guide ( Acting on recommendations made by the Director of Education, the dean appoints a Master s coordinator for every Master s track, who is responsible for the preparation and implementation of the teaching in their track. The Master s coordinators answer to the Director of Education. Following consultations with the departmental director, the lab coordinator is appointed by the professor with responsibility for the relevant research field. Professors are responsible for the content of the education of their field. They safeguard the quality of supervision and of the content of graduation projects that involve their field. The main mentor is responsible for supervising and carrying out assessments in his chair s field. Which of the lab supervisors is to be the main mentor is determined no later than the time of the P1, in order to ensure continuity in the supervision of students in the graduation process. Additionally, students are given a second mentor from the time of the P2. If the content of the graduation project requires it, a third mentor may be appointed by the professor of the relevant field on the basis of a proposal by the lab coordinator. The second and third mentors should be present at the P2. In general, the chief mentor and the second and third mentors should be authorized to mark examinations in the relevant academic field. Every mentor attends every evaluation, starting at P2. The professor of the relevant field may, following an application by the lab coordinator, appoint a guest mentor, subject to the following conditions: 16

17 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, Guest supervisor External examiners - the guest mentor should be authorized to mark examinations for the field in question - the guest mentor may be appointed only if his academic field is not represented in the faculty - the guest mentor may be appointed only as the third mentor. If there is a wish for an external supervisor, and the person in question is not authorized to mark examinations, he or she may be designated as a guest supervisor. External supervisors are not as mentors and do not form part of the mentor team. They may, however, be invited to attend considered evaluations. The external examiner may give the guest supervisor the opportunity to ask questions or make comments. Guest supervisors must be present in an informative capacity during the deliberations and assessment, but do not have a vote. On behalf of the Board of Examiners, the external examiners ensure that procedures are correctly adhered to, and in particular that the appropriate academic standards are applied and that assessments are conducted fairly. Every member of the academic staff may be deployed as an external examiner/ chairman (after having gained experience in the graduation process). External examiners are in any case present during the P2, P4 and P5. The Board of Examiners has drawn up a code of conduct for external examiners, which has been added to the Rules & Guidelines as an appendix. Article 11 Special annotations With each Master s track, it is generally possible to take a Honours Program, or to obtain a Entrepreneurship, Technology in Sustainable Development or Infrastructure & Environment Design annotation. The conditions for these special curricula are given in paragraphs 3.9, 3.10 and 3.11 of the Implementation Regulations of the Teaching and Examination Regulations of the Master s degree program. Students can also obtain a entrepreneurship annotation. There are special courses a student can take in finance, product development and marketing. Students will gain significant knowledge about entrepreneurship, develop skills and can start their own company. Article 12 Faculty of Architecture and The Built Environment study programs Article 12.1 Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences The Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences has five Master s tracks: Architecture, Building Technology, Urbanism, Real Estate & Housing and Landscape Architecture. Each track in turn has programs which are linked to one or more research themes. Acting on the recommendation of the Director of Education, the dean appoints a Master s coordinator for each track. Article Track Architecture At the heart of the Master s Architecture track is Architectural Design. However, conceiving and drafting building designs is not the only thing that staff and students focus on: architectural research is also a major feature of the track. Indeed, it is when conducting research that students develop their capacity to practice architecture independently in relation to social and technical issues. Every student in the Master s Architecture track must study Architectural Design in addition to one or more architectural fields. All programs of the Track Architecture can be find in the study guide ( Students are free to choose what they do in the second semester, the only condition being that they must obtain at least twelve credits in an architectural design exercise, such as that of an architectural program that the student has not yet taken, an optional component that has been approved in advance by the Director of Education on the recommendation of the Architecture Master s coordinator, or an approved design project as part of a program at another university. Student must follow the compulsory course AR2A015 Delft lectures on Architectural Sustainability and write a thesis (AR2A010 or AR2DSD820) in the second se- 17

18 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, mester. The choice of programs made at the start of the third semester is not restricted by the choices made for the first and second semester. Article Track Urbanism The Master Urbanism concentrates on the technical construction of, to name a few, urban regions, cities, villages, districts, local neighborhoods and built-up areas as sustainable living environments and as places where social processes occur. In the courses, urban structure, layout, the position of buildings and public spaces are considered and designed cohesively in relation to their function and/or use. This requires urban planning concepts, planning structures and spatial strategies (including feasibility studies) in which spatial questions are examined and worked out in detail. This ranges from inner city areas to large metropolitan regions, all over the world. In Urbanism, tasks are always looked at from the point of view of the bigger picture: societal relevance is considered and students learn to think outside the box. Article Track Building Technology Building Technology is directly related to architectural design. Students on this track learn how to become designers or researchers with a specialization in building technology. Both concentrate on the integrated design and materialization of buildings and pay special attention to Façade Design, Climate Design (Green Building Innovation) or Building and Structural Design (Computation and Performance). The technical aspects to be studied (research or special component design) are explicitly placed in the context of the building design as a whole. Article Track Master Real Estate & Housing The Master Real Estate & Housing serves to meet the increasing demand for building engineers with a broad and generic university-level education with knowledge of relevant problems, actors, processes and how to manage them during the entire real-estate life cycle. The Real Estate & Housing field is oriented towards property and building stock. The courses and research examine the complexity of buildings, the built-up environment and building processes from an ethical, cultural, societal, functional, technical, economic, legal, organizational and IT perspective. The Master s Real Estate & Housing track includes in addition to the domain-specific courses a related (and compulsory) methodological program which is the same for all Real Estate & Housing Master s students and is given during the first, second and third semesters. Article Track Landscape Architecture The Master Landscape Architecture develops core knowledge and skills as a basis for innovative practical and theoretical applications. The aim is to provide students with typological knowledge and insights into landscape architectonic design tools and techniques across all scales. The program focuses on scientific design education, with an interaction between thinking (analysis and reflection on existing examples), and doing (intuitive, speculative interventions and their evaluation, on the basis of accumulated design knowledge). Spatial concepts, techniques and `production' are its most important components. Quality is an implicit goal; design is one of the pillars of the cognitive system. The studies are grounded in the architectonic traditions of landscape architecture and on its relationship to the urban realm and urbanism. The track shares links with the research program Urban Landscape Architecture via theory and methodology, and through researchers and research projects. The 4 research domains - the foundations of landscape architecture, the landscape of Delta areas, the urban landscape and landscape and history - form core and recurring themes in the teaching program. Article Explore Lab Apart from the graduation laboratories that are provided as part of the standard curriculum, students may, subject to certain conditions, define a graduation project entirely by themselves. The Board of Examiners ensures that students in this position reach all the final achievement levels of the relevant track. Projects of this kind are supervised and the examinations taken in the Explore Lab. For projects to be accepted in the Explore Lab, students have to demonstrate a clear and present fascination for the selected theme, provide a clear 18

19 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, description of the project, and show that the project cannot be carried out in any of the existing graduation laboratories. Students will not be admitted to the Explore Lab until they have successfully completed all the first and second-semester components in their chosen Master s track. The admission is per semester limited to a maximum number of students. Article 12.2 Master of Science Geomatics Not applicable. Article 12.3 European Post Master in Urbanism (EMU) Not applicable. Article 12.4 Post Master Berlage Master of Architecture and Urban Design Not applicable Optional modules Article 13 Optional modules The tracks Architecture, Urbanism, Landscape Architecture and Real Estate & Housing has space for modules worth a total of at least 12 and credits at the most, which can be used for components in and outside the faculty, including the possibility to study abroad. For details of each track, see paragraph 3.13 and 3.17 of the Implementation Regulations of the Teaching and Examination Regulations of the Master s degree program. The prospectus contains an overview of the components offered by the faculty ( For details of components elsewhere, see the prospectus on the student portal of the Architecture website. Modules at another faculty or university Among the optional modules available to students are those given at Master s level from other degree programs. Students wishing to include one or more modules at another Dutch university require a Certificate of incorporation declaration, whereby the Board of Examiners confirms that the subject or subjects in questions is/are not taught at Delft University of Technology. Application forms for such a declaration can be downloaded from the student portal of the Architecture website (Board of Examiners). Applications must include the student s name, address, enrolment number, the subject to be taken, the university and faculty where it is given, the study load of the modules in credits, and the address of the university in question (Central Student Administration). A copy of the relevant page from the prospectus must also be enclosed. The time taken for dealing with applications is forty working days. Most host universities require a certificate of incorporation declaration in advance. If necessary, the declaration may be applied for retrospectively, although there is a risk that the application will be rejected, meaning that no credits will be awarded. Seminars, workshops, contests, etc. Credits can be awarded only if activities of this kind form part of the curriculum. The Director of Education must approve this in advance. See article 40, Procedure for one-off optional components. Article 14 Studying abroad The Faculty of Architecture and The Built Environment encourages students to spend part of their program studying abroad. It is partly for this reason that the faculty has concluded joint agreements with various foreign universities. Grants are available for students who go abroad to study from the Socrates / Erasmus Program for studying in Europe (EU Erasmus Program), for example, and the STIR (International University Fund for Promoting Partnerships) Program for those studying outside Europe (this is a Delft University of Technology grant program). The websites of the Faculty of Architecture and The Built Environment (Education and Student Affairs / Study Abroad), the Student Facility Centre, SFC ( > English) and NUFFIC (the Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education - provide information about studying abroad and about preparing for a period of foreign study, such as admission and enrolment procedures, grants, how to approach your time away, study planning, learning about the 19

20 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, foreign university. The Student Facility Centre also has information in the form of prospectuses from foreign universities, reports by past students, etc. Conditions Student wishing to take part of their program at a foreign university as part of an exchange scheme are subject to the same conditions that apply elsewhere with regard to taking examinations and the sequence in which they are to be taken. In principle, the entire optional part of the Master s degree program can be taken abroad. As the level of education at foreign universities cannot always clearly be defined in terms of Bachelor s Master s, and because our Master s students are sometimes only admitted to Bachelor s components at foreign universities, the Board of Examiners will look, in the case of each individual university, at whether Bachelor s credits obtained abroad can count for the optional section of the Master s. As more and more universities comply with the Bologna Declaration, this exception will be applied with decreasing frequency. Applying To apply and be considered for selection for the exchange program, students should hand in the Study Abroad application form to Education and Student Affairs / Study Abroad. The form can be downloaded from the Architecture website. The selection procedure does not include the need for a portfolio: this should only be submitted at the request of Education and Student Affairs / Study Abroad (as part of the application procedure of the partner university). Students must make clear agreements with Education and Student Affairs / Study Abroad with regard to the study program to be followed and to the recognition of the results obtained by the students Studiability and the quality of the education Article 15 Studiability of the curriculum Programs are deemed to be studiable if they fulfill the criteria below, which serve as guidelines for the division of contact time, learning activities, study time and time spent on evaluation over a particular period. The maximum student contact time in each semester is 33% of the total study load. Additionally, there is a maximum of twenty hours per study week and eight hours per day. Student contact periods for compulsory examination components can be scheduled for one day a week during the evening, in each semester. It is also possible to schedule the teaching of optional modules in the evenings. Students should be informed no later than one week before the start of the relevant semester whether optional modules will be given during evening hours. Student contact time does not include any periods of scheduled, unsupervised self-study. At least two half-days (mornings or afternoons) every study week, four continuous hours are kept free from course activities for the purpose of self-study. The periods in the timetables during which design studios are made available for students to work on their own make up part of this self-study time. Lectures of two hours or more are always interrupted by a break of at least fifteen minutes. In allowing students to devote their whole time to self-study in the run-up to written examinations, the faculty is complying with the yearly education schedule set down by the Executive Board. This generally means that no course activities are timetabled at all during the week prior to the period in which the examinations take place, with the possible exception of the conclusion of the design project. Literature that is compulsory for examinations should be studied during the allocated study period, assuming a rate of five pages an hour. Extra literature for the purpose of gaining more in-depth knowledge may be recommended but may not be considered as part of the material required for the examination. It is only by registering for an entire semester (or components thereof) that a student can be guaranteed a timetable that is feasible and studiable. Article 16 Replacement of teaching staff The chair holder is responsible for replacing any member of the teaching staff who is absent within a week of receiving notification of the absence. This may result in alterations being made to the timetable of the group in question. 20

21 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, Article 17 Evaluation of the curriculum The faculty has a quality assurance system for the education it provides. After every semester, random evaluations are carried out to see if the teaching has complied with preset norms, and an inventory is made of how the courses were perceived by students and teaching staff. The survey deals with aspects of substance, teaching formats and organizational issues in relation to the courses. In addition, the faculty conducts a quick scan among students who followed the courses. The Faculty Student Council (FSC) and the Academic Board are given the results of the survey, which are also published on Blackboard. Every year the dean decides to which specific areas particular attention will be paid during the next academic year, and what instruments will be used to do so. The Faculty Student Council (FSC) and the Academic Board advise on the quality assurance plan. For detailed information about how the curriculum is evaluated, please go to the Quality Assurance website Academic Counseling Article 18 Academic Counselors Students may consult the Academic Counselors if they have any questions or problems that cannot simply be resolved administratively. Academic Counselors are there to enable students to discuss a variety of issues in confidence. They can be involved in any matter relating to a student s studies, living or working conditions. Working closely together with the student, they attempt to pinpoint any problems with regard to the course at a stage as early as possible in order to prevent the student from falling behind in his or her studies. Students can get advice from the Academic Counselors on the following topics: exploring the employment market administration grants and committee work grants and funds in general extracurricular activities financial problems Graduation Support Scheme (both information and submission of application) handicap (or functional disability) and study Information Management Group (IBG), student grants Mentorship changing courses and/or dropping out course problems, problems with choosing optional modules or graduating non-compliance with rules as a result of circumstances beyond one s control personal problems illness Academic Counselors are authorized by the dean, the Director of Education and the Board of Examiners to act on their behalf in taking decisions about the most commonly occurring questions relating to admission to programs and examinations in individual cases where they consider deviation from the standard rules to be acceptable in the interest of fairness. To find out how to contact the Academic Counselors, please go the student portal on the Architecture website. Article 19 Studying with a handicap Special arrangements at national, university and faculty level - apply to students who are impeded in their studies by a handicap or functional disability. With the cooperation of university-contracted doctors, student psychologists and Academic Counselors, attempts are made at finding both individual and group-based solutions that enable the students in question to progress as effectively as possible in their specialization. Any student who is unable to successfully complete his or her program within the period of the combined study grant as a result of sickness or handicap may apply to the DUO for a twelve-month extension of the student grant period and/or normal graduation period. This rule equates chronic physical or psychological illnesses with a handicap. Additionally, students may also be entitled to financial support from the Delft University of Technology Graduate Support Scheme. Various special facilities exist in the Architecture program with regard to taking courses or sitting examinations. These alternatives are determined for each individual in consultation with the Academic Counselors and Board of Examiners, and extended or amended every year if nec- 21

22 Part I Individual degree program section of the Student Charter, Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences, essary (see Article 18 of the Master s degree program Teaching and Examination Regulations). Further information about all these regulations and schemes can be obtained from the Academic Counselors. Article 20 Courses in English The courses in the Master s degree program are, in principle, given in the English language. However, the dean can, on request or if it is in the interests of the quality of the course to do so, authorize an exception to this. See Article 7 of the Master s degree program Teaching and Examination Regulations. 1.5 Credits Study load and credits For the study load and number of credits for each unit of study, see the Implementation Regulations of the Teaching and Examination Regulations of the Master s degree program Regulations Article 21 Teaching and Examination Regulations The programs Teaching and Examination Regulations is part of the individual degree program section of the Individual degree program section of the Student Charter. The Teaching and Examination Regulations are set down every year by the dean, after he or she has received recommendations from the Academic Board. The Faculty Student Council (FSC) has the right to approve the individual degree program part of the Individual degree program section of the Student Charter. Approval by the Faculty Student Council (FSC) relates, as far as the Teaching and Examination Regulations are concerned, to Article 7.13 of the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act, paragraph 2, subsections h to v. This deals with the organizational aspects of the program: a. the number and sequence of the examinations, as well as when they can be taken b. how the program is given: full time, part time or as a an elective course c. where necessary, the sequence and the periods in which, and the number of occasions on which students are given the opportunity to take examinations, every academic year d. where necessary, the validity of examination passes, subject to the right of the Board of Examiners to extend this period e. whether the examinations are oral, written or take another form, subject to the right of the Board of Examiners to determine otherwise in exceptional cases f. the means by which students with a physical or sensory handicap can be given reasonable opportunities to take examinations g. the public nature of oral examinations, subject to the right of the Board of Examiners to determine otherwise in exceptional cases h. the period of time within which the results of an examination are published and whether, and how, this period may be extended i. the way in which, and the period of time during which a person who has taken an examination is able to see his or her work after it has been assessed and marked j. the way in which, and the period of time during which students can find out the information that was needed to answer questions and assignments that formed part of a written examination and of the criteria on which the assessment of the examination was based k. the grounds on which the Board of Examiners can grant exemptions to students from one or more examinations, due to their already having passed higher-education examinations, or for knowledge and skills acquired in a non-higher education context l. where necessary, that passing examinations is a precondition for admission to subsequent examinations m. where necessary, the obligation to take part in practical exercises with a view to admission to the relevant examination, subject to the right of the Board of Examiners to grant an exemption to any such obligation, whether or not other preconditions are imposed instead n. monitoring students progress and supervision of individual students 22