From the 2026-2027 academic year, students may complete either a research-oriented or a professionally oriented and applied dissertation, two pathways with equivalent academic standards and different intended outcomes

The University of Valencia’s Master’s Degree in Techniques for Environmental and Territorial Management is introducing a new approach to the Master’s dissertation from the 2026-2027 academic year: the formal recognition of two possible pathways, one research-oriented and the other professionally oriented or applied.

Until the previous academic year, the module guide proposed a common structure centred primarily on research questions, hypotheses, theoretical and conceptual foundations, results and academic discussion. Although dissertations with an applied dimension were already possible, there was no formal distinction between pathways or specific assessment criteria adapted to the nature of each type of output.

The new module guide now recognises two equally valid ways of demonstrating the competences acquired during the degree:

• A research-oriented Master’s dissertation, primarily intended to analyse, explain or interpret an environmental or territorial problem.
• A professionally oriented or applied Master’s dissertation, intended to diagnose, address, structure or improve a problem encountered in professional practice.

The change therefore concerns neither the academic standard of the dissertation nor the level of work required. It concerns the rationale underpinning the project and the type of final output that students are expected to produce.

Why is this new pathway being introduced?

The change responds to the diversity of students’ academic backgrounds, interests and professional objectives, as well as to the technical, interdisciplinary and applied nature of the degree.

The programme is not limited to academic knowledge of environmental and territorial processes. It also prepares students to produce diagnoses, manage geographic information, create cartography, assess risks, design strategies, analyse public policies, plan interventions and formulate proposals for companies, public authorities and third-sector organisations.

However, when every Master’s dissertation is identified exclusively with a research structure, technically valuable projects may be required to adopt sections, questions or components that do not fully correspond to their intended purpose. A management plan, an assessment protocol or a cartographic proposal does not necessarily have to begin with a conventional scientific hypothesis. It must, however, define its problem precisely, justify the decisions taken, use appropriate sources, apply a transparent methodology and produce technically robust results.

The professional or applied pathway formally recognises this reality and provides greater clarity for students, supervisors and assessment panels. The aim is to ensure that each dissertation can be designed and assessed according to the nature of its contribution, while consistently maintaining the academic standards expected of an official Master’s degree.

The research pathway: understanding, explaining and interpreting

The research-oriented Master’s dissertation retains the pathway traditionally followed within the degree. It consists of an academic research, analytical or applied review project that examines a problem, process, territory, policy or technique connected with environmental and territorial management.

This pathway is particularly appropriate when the project aims to:

• answer a research question;
• test a hypothesis;
• explain an environmental or territorial process;
• analyse relationships between different variables;
• interpret the development of a territory;
• critically assess a policy, technique or intervention;
• or explore a line of enquiry that could subsequently be continued through academic or doctoral research.

Its structure may include an introduction and justification of the problem, objectives and research questions, methodology and sources, theoretical and conceptual foundations, results, discussion, conclusions and study limitations.

Particular importance will be placed on the student’s ability to relate the findings to academic literature, develop an independent interpretation and provide reasoned answers to the questions or hypotheses posed.

The professional or applied pathway: diagnosing, planning and proposing

The professionally oriented or applied Master’s dissertation involves producing a technical output that addresses an environmental or territorial problem using the knowledge, techniques and criteria associated with professional practice.

Possible outputs include:

• an environmental or territorial diagnosis;
• a professional technical report;
• an applied socioenvironmental analysis;
• a territorial analysis using geographic information systems;
• a planning strategy;
• a management plan;
• an assessment protocol;
• a methodological proposal;
• an analytical tool;
• an intervention project;
• an evaluation of a programme or policy;
• a case study with recommendations;
• or a cartographic product designed to support decision-making.

Rather than necessarily beginning with a hypothesis, this pathway may start with a professional problem, a technical brief or a planning or management need. Its foundations may draw on academic literature, legislation, technical documents, comparable experiences and professional methodologies.

The outcome does not have to take the form of scientific conclusions alone. It may consist of recommendations, measures, alternatives, operational criteria, a protocol, an action plan or a tool applicable to a particular context.

Examples might include:

• mapping social and environmental vulnerability to flooding and formulating recommendations for local planning;
• producing a municipal environmental diagnosis using geographic information systems;
• designing a green infrastructure proposal based on ecological connectivity;
• preparing a sustainable mobility plan;
• developing a protocol for assessing landscape impacts;
• designing a methodology for identifying priority areas for environmental restoration;
• analysing land-use conflicts in a coastal area;
• or creating an indicator system to support environmental and territorial management.

Not an easier option, but a different type of output

The professional or applied pathway does not lower the standard required of the Master’s dissertation. Nor does it allow the dissertation to be replaced by a collection of maps, a territorial description, a placement report or a document produced by a company or public authority.

Every applied dissertation must demonstrate:

• clear understanding and precise definition of the problem;
• appropriate academic, technical, territorial, regulatory or methodological foundations;
• critical use of sources and data;
• an explicit and coherent methodology;
• justification of technical decisions;
• independent analysis;
• a clear relationship between diagnosis, results and proposals;
• identification of limitations and uncertainties;
• consideration of feasibility and conditions for implementation;
• and the ability to explain and defend the work undertaken.

The difference is that quality will not be measured by the length of the theoretical framework or the compulsory inclusion of a hypothesis. It will be measured by the relevance of the problem, the robustness of the analysis, the traceability of the process and the justified usefulness of the final output.

A set of maps, for example, will only constitute a Master’s dissertation if it responds to a clearly formulated problem, explains the sources and processes used, justifies the scales, variables and weightings selected, interprets the results and draws conclusions or recommendations from them.

How will the pathway be selected?

The pathway will be agreed between the student and the supervisor, taking account of the nature of the problem, the objectives pursued, the sources available, the techniques required and the intended final output. Where appropriate, the decision may be referred to the Academic Coordination Committee.

The pathway will not be determined automatically by the specialisation taken by the student. Both research and professional or applied dissertations may be completed within the environmental and territorial specialisations.

There is also no need to impose a premature classification. The initial definition of the project will help determine which pathway best suits the proposed work. If, during development, a different pathway proves more appropriate, the student and supervisor may revise the approach before final submission.

The essential requirement is coherence between:

• the problem being addressed;
• the objectives;
• the project’s foundations;
• the methodology;
• the results;
• the final output;
• and the assessment rubric used.

Two tailored rubrics and the same overall marking structure

The introduction of the two pathways is accompanied by two specific assessment rubrics.

The research rubric focuses particularly on the research problem, objectives or hypotheses, methodological design, critical use of academic literature, results, discussion, interpretation and conclusions.

The professional or applied rubric pays specific attention to the identification of the professional problem or need, the technical or regulatory foundations, the traceability of decisions, the quality of the diagnosis or output, the coherence of the recommendations, and their feasibility and transferability.

Both pathways retain exactly the same overall marking structure:

• 60%: submitted dissertation;
• 20%: presentation and public defence;
• 20%: supervisor’s report.

Students will therefore gain no advantage from selecting one pathway rather than the other. Each dissertation will be assessed according to criteria appropriate to the type of output submitted, but both pathways will maintain the same overall academic standard.

An innovation built on the degree’s experience

The new structure is the result of the INNOVA-TGMAT teaching innovation project, developed over three academic years to examine the difficulties associated with producing and completing Master’s dissertations.

The process included diagnosing the problem, consulting dissertation supervisors, analysing alternative approaches and discussing the options within the Academic Coordination Committee. The findings indicated that improvement should not be identified solely with an increase in credits. Action was also required to clarify the format, define the scope of projects more effectively and adapt assessment to the genuine diversity of dissertation outputs.

On 8 July 2026, the Academic Coordination Committee unanimously approved the new module guide and its three supporting documents: a guide for supervising professional or applied dissertations and two dedicated assessment rubrics.

Through this change, the programme formally recognises two complementary ways of demonstrating the competences acquired during the degree: conducting research to understand and explain territories, or applying knowledge to diagnose, plan and help transform them.