Resource Efficient and Sustainable Building

To achieve climate targets, adapt cities to changing conditions, and reduce systemic dependencies, a sustainable transformation of the construction sector is essential. Students in the Master’s program Resource Efficient and Sustainable Building (M.Sc.) therefore learn to analyze and optimize construction projects with regard to their use of resources and their societal impact, and to design them in line with social, ecological, and economic requirements.

The program is highly interdisciplinary, integrating building physics, building services engineering, building construction, and life cycle assessment. Students develop a holistic perspective on the design, planning, construction, and operation of buildings. In doing so, they consider all spatial scales (region, city, district, building, building subsystem, component, material), all actors along the value chain (e.g., legislators, standards committees and expert panels, planning offices, permitting authorities, clients, planners, engineers, construction companies), and all phases of the life cycle (production, operation, deconstruction, recycling). This enables them to acquire the expertise required to implement resource-efficient buildings and districts using innovative technologies and digital tools.

Graduates of the program are experts in sustainability in the built environment. They are capable of developing solutions at the interface between people, buildings, infrastructure, and the environment to realize resource-efficient and sustainable buildings, and of optimizing resource demand while taking ecological, economic, and sociocultural factors into account. They are therefore excellently qualified both for further academic research and for positions of responsibility in the construction industry or the public sector.

For a comprehensive description of the program, please refer to the degree program documentation:

• Degree program documentation for the Master’s program in Resource Efficient and Sustainable Building (PDF)

The first semester of the degree programme serves above all to provide fundamental knowledge in the four skill areas :

• Architecture, city and landscape
• Building services engineering and renewable energies
• Building physics and energy efficiency
• Building technology and life cycle engineering

The obligatory and elective modules offered here ensure that all of the programme’s graduates have the core skills forming the basis for resource efficient, sustainable construction. In preparation for the interdisciplinary project, graduates of the Bachelor’s programme in Architecture attend the module entitled “Physical principles of energy-efficient construction”, and graduates with a Bachelor’s degree in engineering attend the module entitled “Aspects of sustainable urbanism”.

The above core skills are expanded upon in further obligatory modules in the second semester of the degree programme. The central element of this programme is the “Interdisciplinary Project”, in which the skills obtained so far are implemented and expanded in teams with an interdisciplinary composition (e.g. B.A. AR, B.Sc. BI and B.Sc. UI) in a design-orientated project. The focus here is placed on the interaction between the analysis, for instance of the life cycle-based resource consumption of alternative solutions, and on the synthesis in the context of the design-orientated development of energy concepts in the energy retrofitting of existing buildings and construction of new ones. In this context, the obligatory module entitled “Application of a life cycle analysis” is also part of the second semester of the degree programme, which is directly connected with the application-orientated development work carried out in the “Interdisciplinary project” (IDP). The work carried out in the IDP is highly practical in its orientation. In addition to expanding specialist skills, imparting social skills (e.g. teamwork and team leadership, visual, verbal and non-verbal communication, etc.) in preparation for the IDP is a major element of the first semester of the degree programme and, along with the project, also forms a component of the second semester.

Because of the long list of options available, the third semester of the degree programme offers students the opportunity to expand their specialist knowledge in a targeted manner. Moreover, the third semester offers an opportunity to both obtain and contribute specialist knowledge while spending time at other Universities abroad.

The fourth semester of the degree programme focuses on the Master’s thesis and the Master’s colloquium.

Required language skills for admission:

You need sufficient German and English language skills if you wish to apply for this program. Evidence of your proficiency in both languages has to be submitted before the end of the application deadline. Learn more about recognized certificates and other ways to prove your language skills.

This evidence of your language proficiency confirms that you comply with the minimum language requirements for admission to the program. Depending on the program and your individual background, it may be necessary for you to keep working on your language skills during your studies. Be sure to take a look at the services of our Language Center.  

Languages of instruction:

The languages of instruction for this program are German and English. This means that you need to complete modules in both German and English in the course of your studies.

• Information on exams
• Contact Examination Board
• Information on studying abroad
• Information on internships

The tuition fees for international students from third countries for this degree program are 6,000 euros per semester.

Many international students can have their fees waived or receive scholarships to finance them. You can find all information on waivers and scholarships here.

Please note: The semester fee as a contribution to the student union must be paid additionally. It varies depending on where you are studying. You can find all information on the semester fee here.

Minimum requirements to apply for a Master’s program at TUM are a recognized undergraduate degree (e.g. a Bachelor’s) and the successful completion of the aptitude assessment procedure. The aptitude assessment allows the TUM school to which you are applying to evaluate your individual talents and motivation for study.

During the application period, you must apply through the TUMonline application portal and upload your application documents.

Here you will find detailed information on the requirements for the documents you need to upload for application and admission to TUM.

Generally, applicants with a qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. a Bachelor’s) obtained outside of Germany must have their documents reviewed in advance through uni-assist (Preliminary Documentation).

In detail:

• Applying for a Master’s program: Application, admission requirements, and more 

• Degree Certificate and Diploma or Subject and Grade Transcript of Studies to Date
• Proof of English Language Proficiency
• Proof of German Language Proficiency
• Statement of purpose (Letter of Motivation)
• Collection of Work
• Essay
• Complete and Current Résumé
• Passport
• Preliminary Documentation (VPD) if the qualification for graduate studies (e.g. a Bachelor’s) was obtained outside Germany)

We may require additional documents depending on your educational background and your country of origin. Complete the online application to receive a comprehensive list of the required documents. 

• Application for Enrollment (signed)
• Degree Certificate and Diploma (authentic document)
• Transcript of Records (authentic document)
• Most Current Photo (as for ID)
• Digital notification of your health insurance status from a German public health insurance provider (requested by applicant)

We may require additional documents depending on the type of educational background you earned and your country of origin. A complete list of the required documents will be available in TUMonline once you have accepted your place in the degree program.

Application period for winter semester: 01.04. – 31.05.

Information about applying for a higher subject semester

During the application period, you must apply through the TUMonline application portal and upload your application documents. Please be aware that we can only process your application if you upload all required documents within the application period.

We will review your application as soon as it is complete. Please check your TUMonline account regularly, to see if we have any queries to your documents or if you have to amend one or more documents.

After receiving admission, you will see in TUMonline which documents you have to submit for enrollment, and in which form. 

We recommend that you submit the documents for enrollment as soon as possible after receiving admission. If individual documents are not available by then, you can submit them up to 5 weeks after the start of the lecture period. You will, however, only be enrolled once we have received all documents.

You can check the status of your application at any time in your TUMonline account.

Selection takes place through an aptitude assessment procedure. The aptitude assessment is a two-part procedure after the submission of an official application to a program. In this procedure, the TUM school determines whether you meet the specific requirements for its Master’s degree program.

In the initial stages, the grades you obtained during your Bachelor’s program, as well as your written documents, will be evaluated using a point system. Depending on the amount of points accumulated, applicants are either immediately admitted, rejected, or invited to an admissions interview.

• Aptitude Assessment for Master
• Description of the Aptitude Assessment (German) (PDF 286 KB)