Towards an efficient, sustainable and safe transportation future

• High quality international master programme of 2-years or 120 ECTS, fully accredited
• Multi-disciplinary take on transportation and traffic safety, including psychological, social, urban, environmental and infrastructural aspects
• Students gain professional experience through an (international) internship
• Taught by renown professors from a leading university and Transportation Research Institute specialised in transportation and traffic safety
• In the heart of Europe: in between Germany, the Netherlands, France and the UK
• Low tuition fees for Belgian, EU and international students

A unique approach to transportation challenges

A modern and international transport system is important for moving people and goods in a local, regional and international context. Transportation is inherently connected to economic growth and the environment but also to urban liveability and health. A continuous increase in traffic volumes for passenger transport and freight forwarding transport, leads to major challenges concerning land use, impact on urban areas, traffic safety issues, traffic flow, atmospheric pollution and travel behaviour.

Since transportation is so multi-faceted, the master of Transportation Sciences at Hasselt University has a multi-disciplinary take on transportation including psychological, social, urban, environmental and infrastructural aspects. Students approach the current and future transportation challenges from different angles, integrating knowledge and skills from different domains.

An interactive and integrative study approach

In the first semester students from different complementary backgrounds (e.g. Engineering, Social Sciences, Urban Planning) are introduced to fundamental concepts in behaviour, infrastructure, policy, technological advances and transportation modelling. In parallel and together with fellow students you immediately apply what you learn to the case of an international mega-city such as Jakarta, Lima, Dar Es Salaam or Ho Chi Minh City.

The second semester is focussed on research skills and specialisation with a choice between Traffic Safety or Transport Policy and Planning.

At the core of the second master year are an intensive 10-week internship and the master thesis, with the option to spend an entire semester abroad for data collection and gaining work experience.

”The connections that I have made, the things that I have learnt, the opportunities that have come my way... None of this would have been possible without my internship in Seoul”, concludes Mashhood. “I recommend my fellow students Transportation Sciences and those to come to pursue an international experience as well!” - Master student Muhammad Mashhood Arif about his internship in Seoul, South Korea (read more about his experience here!)

A pronounced international orientation

Since transportation is a cross-border field, it is also important to focus on international aspects of this domain. As a Master in Transportation Sciences we offer you an opportunity to regularly interact with international experts in their field. Some of the experts contributing to our courses are: 

• Prof. Dr. Andrew Morris and Prof. dr. Richard Frampton from Loughborough University, UK lecturers of the course In-Depth Crash Investigation
• Prof. Vu Anh Tuan from the Vietnamese German University, Vietnam for the course Road Safety in the South
• Mr. Jonathon Passmore, Technical Officer Violence and Injury Prevention for the World Health Organisation (Western Pacific Region) as guest lecturer for the course Road Safety in the South he supports the students in drawing up traffic safety country profiles
• Prof. Dr. George Yannis, Professor at the School of Civil Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece will deliver a series of guest lectures on the topic of "Road safety in an international and digital era”

Prof. Dr Geert Wets (IMOB – UHasselt) and Prof. Dr Tom Brijs (IMOB – UHasselt) are both ranked in the top 15 most productive and influential authors in the field of road safety since 1970. This ranking is based on an in-depth analysis conducted by the top magazine in road safety 'Accident Analysis and Prevention'. This is an excellent ranking, considered that IMOB (Transportation Research Institute) is only 15 years old. IMOB’s footprint in the domain might be quite recent, but it is very present. This ranking is highly valuable as it shows that you do not have to belong to large institutions to be influential as a researcher in this global world.
(Read the article here; see table 6 for the ranking)

You can also exchange views and experiences with fellow students from all over the world. Currently students from over 30 different nationalities are studying Transportation Sciences in Hasselt including Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Albania, Slovenia, Russia, Morocco, Nigeria, Tanzania, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Pakistan, Syria, Brazil, Costa Rica, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and many more. 

Programme overview