Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh) - Valdivia, Chile

The Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh) is a leading Latin American institution with over 60 years of experience educating highly competitive professionals at both national and international levels.

Ranked among the top five universities in Chile, UACh stands out for its commitment to knowledge and culture in harmony with the environment. Its campuses—located in Valdivia, Osorno, Puerto Montt, and Coyhaique—draw inspiration from the unique natural landscapes of Chilean Patagonia.

Graduate education is a cornerstone of UACh’s strategic development. With more than 40 years of experience, the university has graduated nearly 3,000 students with master’s, doctoral, and medical specialization degrees. As of 2025, it currently offers 15 doctoral programs, 41 master’s programs, 12 medical specialties, and 5 subspecialties, supported by a multidisciplinary de­part­ment with high scientific output and strong international collaboration.

Graduate studies at UACh are closely linked to advanced research and real-world problem-solving. The university trains professionals to contribute meaningfully to social, cultural, and productive sectors, emphasizing cross-disciplinary research in areas such as energy, the environment, and applied sciences. Many projects directly influence public policy at local, national, and international levels, with notable contributions in sustainability, education, health, and the preservation of cultural and ethnic heritage.

UACh’s programmes emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to critically analyze and design policies, projects, and strategies that foster local and regional development across Latin America, with attention to sociocultural, economic, and environmental dimensions.

The SPRING program at UACh, based in the Faculty of Economics and Management and supported by planning specialists from the Faculty of Architecture and Arts, focuses on regional development through integrated planning strategies. It combines development theory with economics, spatial and natural resource management, disaster risk and resilience planning, and social dynamics in vulnerable areas. The pro­gram also offers a critical perspective on Chile’s decentralization and economic development efforts, while examining broader social and economic processes across Latin America.

Second year

UNIVERSIDAD AUSTRAL DE CHILE in Valdivia

• Module 7: Planning and Research Methods
  • Qualitative Methods in Research
  • Quantitative Methods in Research
  • Geospatial Analysis in Planning

• Module 9: Development Planning Workshop
   
  • Workshop I: Regional Analysis
  • Workshop II: Development Plan
  • Workshop III: Implementation

• Module 8: Environmental Management, Policy and Economic Development Planning and Implementation in Latin America 
  • Regional Planning and Environmental Management
  • Decentralised Development Planning
  • Theorical Foundations for Development Planning
  • Regional and Local Dynamics of Development Intervention

• Module 10: Master Thesis 
  • Topic identification and research proposal
  • Master Thesis research project
  • Final presentation and Thesis defense