Environmental Planning

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Deadline: Feb 1, 2025
140 place StudyQA ranking:4409 Duration:2 years

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In recent times, more and more environmental concerns have reached the public attention. Examples of this include the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, a competition in land-use demands, the decrease of biodiversity, and the growth of urban areas that consume open spaces, creating consequences for humans and nature.
Postgraduates studying environmental planning at Technische Universität (TU) Berlin will learn to meet the challenges posed by a fast changing world and environment.
This is achieved by the degree programme's interdisciplinary approach and also by multifaceted co-operations with partners from the public and private sector. Furthermore, the programme teaches a cross-section of skills essential to environmental planners including ecological, creative, and social engineering as well as planning know-how.
This allows students to develop competences in landscape planning, environmental assessment, the conservation of nature and biodiversity, environmental economics, remote sensing, and in handling geographic information systems.

The programme puts a strong focus on two study projects, each of them lasting one term. Innovative planning or research problems are addressed in small groups. In these projects, students not only gain technical expertise, but are also given the opportunity to further develop their time management, communicative and analytical skills. Our Master's in environmental planning provides an innovative and rigorous programme. The balance between structural guidelines and a broad range of elective courses encourages personal development. The programme provides a thorough education in landscape planning and environmental assessment, economics of environmental protection and conservation, and the application of geoinformation and remote sensing methods.

Educational organisation

The essentials of environmental planning are conveyed in mandatory core courses in the first semester. They are deepened and expanded in two study projects which form the core of the programme. In each project, students will work in small groups on a research topic involving an innovative planning task in a practice-oriented manner.
The large choice of additional mandatory core courses allows for a specialisation according to individual desires. Since the programme is closely related to the Master's programmes of landscape architecture and urban ecosystem sciences, exchange with these programmes is guaranteed.

Core Courses:
Instruments of Landscape Planning in National and International Contexts, Fundamental Concepts and Frameworks of Landscape Planning, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Impact Mitigation Regulations, Institutional Economics, Integration of Sector Policy, Comparative International Environmental Policy, GIS-Applications for Environmental Planning, GIS-Supported Landscape Analysis and Assessment

Examples of Electives:
1. Methods of Environmental Impact Assessment
2. Analysing International Environmental Policy
3. Remote Sensing of Environment
4. Environmental Planning and Society

The programme is internationally oriented, which means that mandatory core classes and most of the elective courses are taught in English. Thus, it will become a vivid platform for meeting and interacting between German and foreign students in the field of environmental planning.

Course objectives

Graduates with a Master's degree in environmental planning are qualified for work in a national or international environment. Generally, Master's students will become engaged in organisations and planning offices operating in Europe and overseas, take on professional positions in public administrations, or choose to pursue a scientific academic career.

Language requirements

Prospective students have to prove that their English skills meet the level of B2 of the Common European Framework (CEF), TOEFL: 79 points (Internet-based) or equivalent are required.

There is no official requirement for a certain level of German skills for the application. However, it is recommended to have at least basic German skills (B1) and to be willing to expand these skills during the studies at TU Berlin. This would allow students to choose from classes that are only offered in German (classes from other Master's programmes as choice modules). At TU Berlin, the ZEMS (Zentraleinrichtung Moderne Sprachen) offers language classes ranging from level A2 to advanced levels and special classes for planning and architecture students, which students can take and which can also count as electives.

Academic requirements

In order to be eligible for the Master's programme, prospective students have to meet the following requirements ("Zugangsvoraussetzungen") as regulated in the Study and Examination Regulations ("Studien- und Prüfungsordnung") for the Master Environmental Planning: undergraduate degree (Bachelor or "Diplom") from a recognised university in one of the following fields:
Landscape Planning and Landscape Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning, Spatial Planning, Geography, Geo Sciences, Biology with a major in ecology or nature conservation ("Biologie mit Schwerpunkt Ökologie oder Naturschutz"), Political Sciences with relations to environmental planning or related disciplines.

English language skills at level B2 (TOEFL: 79 points (Internet-based) or equivalent are required). A minimum of basic German language skills are highly recommended, as several courses (electives) are not offered in English.

Enrolment fees

Upon enrolment, students have to pay a semester fee composed of the social contribution to the student union, a contribution to the student body, and the enrolment fee. Furthermore, students have to pay for a public transportation ticket.
This adds up to 250 EUR to 300 EUR per semester.

Costs of living

Expenses for housing and living in Berlin will depend on the lifestyle and personal preferences. Berlin allows students to live quite well on a modest budget. Rent prices have increased during recent years (approx. 300 EUR to 500 EUR for a room in a shared flat).

If you are not insured through a private health insurance in your home country and if you are not an EU citizen or you do not come from a country that has signed a social security agreement with Germany, you will need approx. 60 EUR per month for basic student health coverage.
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