Study Sustainable City and Architecture in Seville

60 ECTS · 1 year · 25 places · Seville · Spanish · Two pathways.

Transform the way you understand cities, architecture and sustainability — and make Spanish part of your professional future

The University Master’s Degree in Sustainable City and Architecture —Máster Universitario en Ciudad y Arquitectura Sostenibles (MCAS)— is an official postgraduate programme at the University of Seville.

Since 2006, MCAS has brought together architecture, urban planning, engineering, environmental sciences, biology, geography, anthropology, philosophy, economics, health and the arts to address one central question: how can we regenerate the places we inhabit in environmentally responsible, socially just and culturally meaningful ways?

The programme is taught principally in Spanish. Selected seminars, guest lectures and activities may be held in English. For international students, this linguistic immersion offers an additional opportunity: to develop advanced knowledge in sustainability while acquiring the language needed to engage directly with professional, academic and community networks across Spain and Latin America.

Explore the programme | Check admission information | Contact MCAS

MCAS at a glance

Official University of Seville degree.
60 ECTS credits.
One academic year, from October to June.
Face-to-face teaching at the Higher Technical School of Architecture in Seville.
25 places per year.
Classes concentrated mainly on Wednesday afternoons and Thursday mornings, with occasional activities on other days.
Two pathways: Research and Professional.
Main teaching and assessment language: Spanish.
Selected international seminars and guest lectures in English.
Individual master’s thesis with academic supervision.

Learn Spanish through the subjects that matter to you

At MCAS, Spanish becomes a language for thinking, designing, researching and working with others. You will use it to discuss climate change, urban regeneration, landscape, energy, public health, materials, biodiversity, housing, heritage and environmental justice.

Studying in Seville places language learning inside an active academic and social environment. You will encounter Spanish through lectures and readings, but also through fieldwork, laboratories, neighbourhood workshops, public institutions and conversations with students and specialists from different countries.

This experience can open access to:

Professional practice and public institutions in Spain.
Research networks connecting Europe and Latin America.
Spanish-language debates on urbanism, architecture and ecological transition.
Direct collaboration with communities and local organisations.
A wider international profile combining specialist knowledge with advanced intercultural and linguistic skills.

Students wishing to prepare or strengthen their Spanish can follow courses at the University of Seville Language Institute, which offers Spanish as a foreign language, different timetable options, level assessment and certification.

Why choose MCAS?

Sustainability understood in its full complexity

MCAS approaches sustainability as an environmental, social, cultural, political, economic and technological challenge. The programme connects ecological theory with the realities of buildings, neighbourhoods, infrastructures, landscapes and communities.

A genuinely transdisciplinary teaching team

Teaching involves specialists from numerous University of Seville departments, together with visiting lecturers, researchers, public-sector professionals, practitioners and international guests. Students encounter complementary ways of understanding the city and learn to work across disciplinary boundaries.

Theory connected to action

The programme combines critical discussion with practical application. Depending on the subject and academic year, activities may include:

Urban and territorial fieldwork.
Participatory workshops with neighbourhood organisations.
Design and regeneration studios.
Laboratory experiments with biological and construction materials.
Energy and environmental assessment.
GIS, BIM and environmental simulation.
Technical visits and study trips.
Collaborative mapping and stakeholder analysis.
Preparation of research papers and project proposals.

Seville as a living urban laboratory

Seville offers a particularly relevant setting in which to study sustainable transformation. Its historic fabric, metropolitan expansion, climatic conditions, neighbourhood inequalities, cultural heritage and ecological transition allow students to examine issues such as heat adaptation, tourism, gentrification, public space, green infrastructure, mobility, community action and the conservation of historic buildings.

The city becomes part of the classroom: a place to observe, interpret and test ideas.

What will you study?

1. City and architecture in the ecological era

The first part of the programme establishes a shared transdisciplinary foundation:

Contemporary environmental thought and climate change.
Social, environmental and economic sustainability.
Territorial and infrastructural transformation.
Urban obsolescence and habitat regeneration.
Landscape as a cultural, social and political construction.
Integrated urban policies and sustainability indicators.
Biodiversity, green infrastructure and ecosystem services.
New architectural responses to ecological transition.

2. Technology and sustainability in architecture

Students then explore how environmental criteria become measurable and applicable:

Energy in buildings, neighbourhoods and cities.
Bioclimatic design and climate adaptation.
Renewable energy and energy renovation.
Environmental assessment and life-cycle analysis.
Construction materials, biocomposites and biomaterials.
Water management and low-impact technologies.
Comfort, health, air quality, light and acoustics.
Relations between living systems, technology and architecture.
Heritage conservation and environmental performance.

3. Regeneration workshop

The workshop is the principal space for integrating knowledge through a complex contemporary problem.

The Professional pathway develops urban and architectural proposals in real settings, using fieldwork, participatory methods, stakeholder mapping and material strategies.

The Research pathway develops critical and experimental approaches to ecosocial transformation, combining advanced design, theoretical enquiry, academic writing, creativity and ethics.

4. Research methods and master’s thesis

Throughout the year, students receive methodological support for their master’s thesis. Training includes research design, literature review, sources, GIS, BIM, environmental software, communication and successive presentations of work in progress.

The thesis allows each student to consolidate an individual line of professional or academic specialisation.

Two pathways, one shared ambition

Both pathways provide professional and research skills. The choice reflects the subject matter and type of work through which each student wishes to specialise.

Research pathway

This pathway is especially suited to students interested in doctoral studies, academic research, experimental practice or the theoretical and technological transformation of architecture.

Its specialist subjects address:

Architecture and the relations between living and non-living systems.
Experimental, biological, low-tech and high-tech materials.
Environmental assessment of materials and products.
Research through advanced design.
Academic writing, creativity and ethics.

Professional pathway

This pathway is especially suited to students interested in applying sustainability within architecture, urban planning, consultancy, public administration or community-based projects.

Its specialist subjects address:

Environmental design and low-impact technologies.
Health, comfort and wellbeing in the built environment.
Water, energy and life-cycle management.
Regeneration strategies in real urban contexts.
Participatory methods and project implementation.

See all subjects and credits

A small and diverse learning community

With 25 places, MCAS supports close interaction between students and lecturers. The programme welcomes graduates from architecture and related fields such as engineering, environmental sciences, geography, biology, sociology, anthropology, economics, law, chemistry and biotechnology, subject to the official admission criteria.

This diversity is central to the MCAS experience. Students contribute knowledge from their previous education, professional experience, countries and territories, learning to communicate across disciplines and cultures.

Where can MCAS take you?

Graduates apply their training in:

Architecture and urban design practices.
Environmental and sustainability consultancies.
Urban regeneration and neighbourhood planning.
Energy renovation and environmental assessment.
Public administration and territorial governance.
Green infrastructure and landscape strategies.
Healthy building and urban wellbeing.
Sustainable materials and construction systems.
Community organisations and social innovation.
Research centres, universities and doctoral programmes.

Students may also apply for voluntary extracurricular placements through the University of Seville’s ÍCARO employment and internship platform.

MCAS alumni have developed careers in several continents and the programme currently records 36 doctoral theses completed by its graduates. In 2026, Susana Clavijo Núñez received the University of Seville award for the best doctoral thesis in Sustainable Human Development for research that began with her MCAS master’s thesis.

The programme has also produced seven academic books, including publications in English and bilingual editions, international seminars, exhibitions and workshops.

Explore MCAS publications | Discover alumni doctoral research

Admission for international students

International graduates may apply with degrees issued within the European Higher Education Area or with equivalent university qualifications from other education systems. Depending on the country and qualification, official translation and legalisation of documents may be required.

Applications are managed through the Andalusian Single University District. International candidates with foreign degrees have access to a dedicated early admission phase, as well as the subsequent general phases.

Because teaching is conducted principally in Spanish, candidates should plan to reach a strong working command of academic Spanish before classes begin. The MCAS team can advise prospective students about the linguistic demands of the programme and the suitability of their academic background.

International master’s admission | University of Seville International Student Guide

Fees and scholarships

MCAS is an official degree at a public university. Tuition fees are regulated annually by the Andalusian regional government, and international students pay the same public rates as other University of Seville students.

Scholarship opportunities may include University of Seville grants, Spanish national schemes and AUIP mobility grants for eligible Latin American students and graduates. Conditions and deadlines vary each year.

Check current fees, scholarships and funding

Prepare your year in Seville

The University of Seville provides international students with information about accommodation, administrative procedures, health insurance, visas and Spanish-language courses. Applicants from outside the European Union should begin preparing translations, legalisation, admission documentation and visa arrangements well in advance.

The regular concentration of MCAS classes on Wednesday afternoons and Thursday mornings helps students organise the rest of their weekly workload, which includes reading, research, project development, group work and thesis preparation.

Bring your questions, your language and your territory to Seville

MCAS is designed for people who want to understand sustainability beyond a collection of technical solutions. It is a place for connecting ecological knowledge, cultural interpretation, technological experimentation and collective action.

Your previous territory and experience will become part of this shared conversation. Spanish will give you a new language through which to develop it.

University Master’s Degree in Sustainable City and Architecture — MCAS
Higher Technical School of Architecture
University of Seville
Avenida Reina Mercedes, 2
41012 Seville, Spain
mcas@us.es

Apply to MCAS | View the current edition | Meet the teaching team

ECTS CREDITS DISTRIBUTION

Basic training: 0

Compulsory: 29

Optional: 22

Externships: 0

Final Master Thesis: 9

Total: 60

Modules and subjects:

Module 1. City and architecture in the ecological era.

S1. Transdisciplinary Fundamentals in sustainability.

S2. Territorial, urban and infrastructural basis for social and material regeneration of the habitat.

S3. Landscape as a social interpretation of reality.

S4. Policies and strategies for integrated urban regeneration.

S5. New architectural scenarios.

Module 2. Technology and sustainability in architecture.

S6. Architecture through the relation between the living with the non-living.

S7. Energy in building and urban processes.

S8. Environmental criteria and soft technologies for eco-friendly architectural design.

S9. Habitat health and comfort.

S10. Flows and links: materials and products for the 21st century.

Module 3. Workshop.

S11. Regeneration projects: action and materiality.

S12. Regeneration projects: research, advanced design, creativity and ethics.

Module 4. Master thesis.

S13. Methods of innovation for thought and action.

S14. Final Master Thesis.