Course Content
The master's degree offers students a wide range of courses in many compulsory elective modules, which can be taken flexibly during the program and allow them to specialize according to their own preferences.
At its core, the master's program is a project-oriented course of study, which also has close links to professional practice and research. In the first three semesters, the projects each take up half of the student’s working time (15 CP). The students work on holistic urban projects (urban designs) or they work on a scientific project on partial aspects and questions relevant to urban planning (student research paper). The core of each project is the processing of complex, partly interdisciplinary questions or design tasks in urban, village or regional contexts. The content of these projects is primarily concerned with the formulation of strategies for sustainable urban and landscape development and their control, with innovative land development and redevelopment tasks, and with dealing with cultural heritage.In seminars, which are an integral part of the projects, students acquire key competencies for professional practice. They learn to apply, assess, and adapt associated technical-scientific and artistic knowledge, skills and abilities.
In addition to the core projects, the three course semesters comprise four smaller impromptu designs (so-called “Stegreife”), eight compulsory subjects on the historical, social, environmental, legal and economic aspects of urban and regional planning, one comprehensive research module involving practical research activities, and electives from within and outside the Faculty of Architecture.
The last semester is reserved for the master’s thesis. Students demonstrate their qualification at this advanced stage of their studies in a holistic project, including both synthetic and analytical-scientific components.