Degree programme Spatial Development and Natural Resource Management (Master) accredited

Important information

Please note that not all information is translated. Please refer to the German version for missing information.

Admission requirements

Prerequisite:
• a university degree in a related subject and
• good knowledge of English at level B2: TOEFL (paper 500 or 170 computer or Internet 80) or IELTS 5.0.

aptitude assessment and NC (numerus clausus) selection

• Basis for the selection procedure: TU Dresden Regulations for Award of Master's degrees [Mastervergabeordnung der TU Dresden]
• Notes and Study Regulations on the webpage of the discipline

General information regarding NC selection procedures can be found here.
A short version regarding the NC selection procedure in English can be found here.

German language requirements

International applicants and German applicants with foreign school leaving certificate please find information here: language requirements.

Application hints and tips

If, at the time of the application, proof of the first degree that qualifies for a profession cannot yet be provided, applicants will be considered if 80% of the achievable points of the university degree can be proven by a certificate of the university of origin (Examining Office), on the basis of a completed module exam, assignment paper or colloquium. For Master study programmes with restricted admission (TU-Nc), the certificate shall also include a provisional average mark, calculated on the basis of academic achievements already completed.

General information for the degree programme

The “Spatial development and natural resource management” Master’s degree programme is interdisciplinary, research oriented, and based on an applied approach. The emphasis of the programme is on the integration of findings from spatial and natural sciences with socio-economic and planning knowledge, and how this relates to both practice and fundamental research. The degree programme is based on a long tradition of experience and expertise in environmental and spatial scientific research and teaching cooperation between different disciplines (natural sciences, engineering, business and economic, social sciences) at TU Dresden and its research partners.

The study programme combines courses from all fields within the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, as well as courses from the Faculty of Architecture and the Faculty of Transportation and Traffic sciences. It also includes participation from leading non-university institutions in the field of spatial and environmental development, in particular the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) in Dresden and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ in Leipzig, both of which have outstanding international reputations.

The program teaches students to analyse and solve fundamental questions and challenges regarding spatial development and natural resource management (e.g. water, soil, biodiversity). Key topics include:
• The challenge of implementing sustainable and ecologically oriented urban and regional development
• The development of natural and disturbed ecosystems; as well as the protection and regeneration of soil, water, air, and genetic resources
• The acquisition of key methodological skills, such as conflict resolution, geoinformatics, contaminant analysis, and the indication and evaluation of environmental impacts.

Graduates of the programme will be prepared to manage the complex challenges that need to be addressed at the intersection of spatial and environmental development, which require the integration of scientific insights in a social context.

Study contents

Courses range over three semesters. The fourth semester is dedicated to the preparation of the master thesis. All students are required to attend 7 core courses, plus an additional 6 elective courses (from a selection of 23), which give students the chance to specialise their studies in a direction matching their personal interests.

During the 4 semester of study, a total of 120 ECTS can be gained. Compulsory courses account for 60 ECTS while required electives and the master thesis (including a colloquium) both provide 30 ECTS each. Details concerning single courses are provided by the course regulations (see link below).

Graduates acquire the academic degree “Master of Science” (M.Sc.).