"The learning environment is more practical and is not based much on note-taking and exams, but allows individuals to share thoughts, provide arguments in an intelligent way and make decisions that are rational."
My decision to apply for the master's
Growing up, I could never decide on one line of work to pursue. This being the case, I did a rather broad bachelors degree in Surveying (mining, cadastral, geological and engineering surveys) and Geomatics (remote sensing and GIS). The master's Spatial Engineering, unlike other programmes, offers a broad range of fields in technical engineering, spatial data science and spatial planning and governance. The broadness of the master's attracted me a lot as it gave me the freedom to explore more into the various fields whilst I narrow down into a field of study.
Efforts in obtaining a scholarship
During my application, there was the possibility of a partial scholarship aimed for Spatial Engineering as it was a new programme. Like all scholarships, there was a deadline for the application. The major problem that I encountered in applying for the scholarship was that I was not aware that I would need an IELTS certificate as part of the application documents to get an acceptance letter. This then delayed the acceptance into the programme, and if the scholarship deadline had not been shifted, then I could probably have not managed to apply for it.
Thoughts about the Master's
The master's is very interesting. The learning environment is more practical and is not based much on note-taking and exams, but allows individuals to share thoughts, provide arguments in an intelligent way and make decisions that are rational. For me, this way of learning is more effective as you learn not just theory but also practical things that one would need in a working environment. The master's programme allows one to grow professionally, especially with regards to oral communication and presentation skills.
Social relevance
The master programme includes skill knowledge areas (project management, research skills and internationalisation). Equipped with such knowledge, one is able to employ the empathic engineering, handle working in an international setup, negotiate group dynamics etc. This is very relevant as organisations are not made up of one person and hence socially, the master gives the relevant guidelines to handle dynamic situations.
Message to future programme participants
The programme is very interesting and allows you to explore different directions. Getting to learn and discuss with people who have a totally different background from yours can be very challenging (for me it was) but would open up your mind to new directions. If you are an individual with an open mindset, you will learn so much in one year than any of the one-sided master's programmes can give you. The programme is also fun in that you set out your own learning goals and plan on how you want to work as this is not a set stone of constant lectures and not enough time for self-goals.