After successfully passing six of the eight modules you can start working on your project (including the project introduction).
To prepare and defend orally a postgraduate project thesis
Examples of projects
Mariėtte de Visser, In-depth analysis of single vehicle accidents, 2002
Single vehicle accidents in the province of Groningen (the Netherlands) are approximately one third of all accidents on rural roads and the consequences are relatively serious. Trying to find effective countermeasures is difficult, because not much is known about the factors that influence the occurence. Until now most research on single vehicle accidents in the Netherlands is statistical research.
Research from all over the world shows that several factors are contributing to the occurance of single-vehicle accidents. These are age, time and day, alcohol use, speeding, inattention including fatigue and curves.
In this research interviews have been held with accident drivers and these have been compared with data of a control group and with other exposure data. This indicates that in addition to the above factors, familiarity with the car and the number of years drivers have their licence for the particular type of vehicle are significant different for both groups.
Based on a case-to-case analysis of the accidents, the accidents could be divided into four types: "Inattention", "Pullout-manoeuvre", "Skidding" and "Perception and/or judgement error". For each type a group of major contributing factors could be distinguished. The division in types is important since it can be helpful in developing specific countermeasures for each type.
It is concluded that the used method is useful; it gives more information especially about human factors and results in a more complete and comprehensive analysis of single-vehicle accidents.
Alumni telling about the course
Adrian Lord, Transport Planner, Arup Midlands Campus
"Embarking on the MSc was very much a 'step into the unknown' for me. Although I was working in transport planning as a consultant, my first degree is in Environmental Studies and I hadn't done any kind of 'academic' study for fourteen years. I felt very unsure of whether I would have sufficient background knowledge and academic ability to complete the course.
The six weeks leading up to my first residential week in Stuttgart were an agonising time. Although the course materials were excellent and instructive, it was difficult to know how much work was required and what level of detail was needed. It was a relief to meet fellow students in the hotel bar on the first night and realise that we had all experienced the same agonies!
The residential weeks were all very valuable in helping to crystalise the key topics in each module, and more importantly in meeting and socialising with fellow students. After that, it was much easier to phone or e-mail each other (or the module tutors) for help when we got stuck, or just to exchange ideas.
Seeing at first hand how the integrated transport systems of cities such as Stuttgart and Bordeaux work, and learning directly from the people involved in their development really is a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity. One of the strengths of the course is that there is a good balance between 'practical' problem solving aspects of day to day transport and the more 'academic' side looking at the underpinning principles and the potential for future developments in each topic.
The course has given me an overview of many different aspects of transport planning and traffic engineering that I may not otherwise have encountered in my day to day work. The European dimension of the course has been particularly important in seeing the many different ways in which countries deal with transport and traffic issues. There is no doubt that distance learning requires a certain amount of self-motivation and hard work at times, but the provision of comprehensive course materials and structuring of each module help to ease the strain!"
Mariėtte de Visser, Policy Advisor, Province of Groningen
"The major reason for me to do this Msc in European Traffic and transportation was the fact that I worked in the field of traffic and transportation without having specific education to do so. The Msc covers a wide variety of subjects within the field of traffic and transportation. This also includes modules like "logistics" and "road user behaviour", subjects for which only few people, at least in the Netherlands, have been trained. In your work people will take you seriously when they realise you know what the subject is about. Also important are the residential blocks, when you stay with your student-colleagues in one of the four cities of co-operating universities. This gives you the opportunity to learn from experiences in other countries. A specific module is European traffic and transportation. Since we all increasingly have to deal with European policy and regulations this was interesting. We often focus too much on our direct local or regional surroundings. In the last year of the course, doing your project teaches you to do research on an academic level on your own. The strict deadline to finish the project makes planning very important. This of course is good, since in a lot of work situations this applies as well. I combined, like most other students, work and study, which gives it an added value. Often you will recognise things in your work that you have came across in the manuals shortly before, or are able to apply newly-learned methods in your work immediately. My conclusion is that taking the course was very useful and helped me a lot in my personal development."
