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Master’s · Architecture & Urban Planning

Sustainable Urban Development M.Sc.

Technische Universität Darmstadt · Darmstadt · Official programme page

19 facts from 6 official pages · last checked 14 November 2026

Reviewed by Dennis Maaß, admission and immigration expert
Published 8 November 2026 · Last reviewed 8 November 2026

Key facts

Length, deadlines and costs

Language
English
Source
“Unterrichtssprache des Studiengangs ist Englisch.”
“Master of Science; language: English” page

www.intern.tu-darmstadt.de/media/dezernat_ii/satzungsbeilagen/SB_2021-IV.pdf#page=76 · checked 9 November 2026

Single courses or modules can be offered in German; in that case academic literature in German has to be read as well.

Study mode
On campus
Source
“Those who apply at the Technical University of Darmstadt start their studies in the first semester in Darmstadt; those who apply to the VGU start their studies in the first semester there. In the second semester, all students study jointly in Darmstadt; in the third semester, all students study at the VGU.”

www.tu-darmstadt.de/studieren/studieninteressierte/studienangebot_studiengaenge/studiengang_209280.en.jsp · checked 9 November 2026

A joint degree with the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) in Ho Chi Minh City: two of the four semesters are taught in Darmstadt, the third at the VGU, and the thesis semester at either university. Applicants who apply at TU Darmstadt spend their first semester in Darmstadt, so the programme is in scope; applicants who apply at the VGU start in Vietnam.

Credits
120 ECTS
Source
“Die Technische Universität Darmstadt und die Vietnamese-German University verleihen nach Erreichen der im Studiengang erforderlichen Summe von 120 Leistungspunkten (CP) gemeinsam den akademischen Grad Master of Science.”

www.intern.tu-darmstadt.de/media/dezernat_ii/satzungsbeilagen/SB_2021-IV.pdf#page=76 · checked 9 November 2026

Intakes
Winter
Source
“Start of studies Winter semester”

www.tu-darmstadt.de/studieren/studieninteressierte/studienangebot_studiengaenge/studiengang_209280.en.jsp · checked 9 November 2026

First-semester students start in the winter semester only; the central deadline page says "SoSe not possible" for the first and third semester and allows applications for the second and fourth semester for a summer start.

Non-EU deadline
15 Jan 2027 (winter 2027, degrees from outside the EU)15 Jul 2027 (winter 2027, degrees from the EU)
Source
“TU Darmstadt: Bewerbungen für den Masterstudiengang Sustainable Urban Development sind für Bewerberinnen und Bewerber, die den zum Master berechtigenden Hochschulabschluss in einem Mitgliedsstaat der Europäischen Union erworben haben, für ein Wintersemester bis zum 15. Juli des Jahres (Ausschlussfrist) möglich. Für alle anderen Bewerber_innen ist die Bewerbung für ein Wintersemester bis zum 15. Januar des Jahres (Ausschlussfrist) möglich.”
“Sustainable Urban Development (in English) (1. and 3. FS) M.Sc. SoSe not possible WiSe” page

www.intern.tu-darmstadt.de/media/dezernat_ii/satzungsbeilagen/SB_2021-IV.pdf#page=76 · checked 10 November 2026

Applicants whose first degree comes from outside the EU — which includes India, Nigeria and Pakistan — must apply by 15 January of the year of the winter start, six months earlier than EU graduates. These are cut-off dates (Ausschlussfristen) in the binding regulation. Applicants who choose the other route and apply at the Vietnamese-German University have until 18 August.

Non-EU tuition
None
Source
“There are no tuition fees at TU Darmstadt. However, students have to pay a semester fee each semester.”

www.etit.tu-darmstadt.de/studieren/faq_etit/index.en.jsp · checked 9 November 2026

No programme fee: only the semester fee of 402.68 EUR for the winter semester 2026/27, which includes the Deutschland Semester Ticket.

Application fee
Not stated by the university
3 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026

TU Darmstadt publishes no application fee for its own portal TUCaN, and it is not a uni-assist member, so no uni-assist handling fee applies either. Because no page states that applying is free, no value is recorded.

Places
Selection procedure
Source
“Provided that the admission requirements (entrance examination) are met, there are no numerical admission restrictions.”

www.tu-darmstadt.de/studieren/studieninteressierte/studienangebot_studiengaenge/studiengang_209280.en.jsp · checked 9 November 2026

"No numerical admission restrictions" means there is no numerus clausus and no fixed number of places, but admission is not automatic: every applicant must pass the department's entrance requirements verification (Eingangsprüfung), which can include a written or oral examination.

Admission

What you need to apply

3-year bachelor’s
Case by case
Source
“Zugangsvoraussetzung zum Masterstudiengang Sustainable Urban Development ist ein Bachelorabschluss in einem der Referenzstudiengänge oder ein Studienabschluss in einem Studiengang, der Kompetenzen vermittelt, die nicht wesentlich verschieden zu in einem der Referenzstudiengänge vermittelten Eingangskompetenzen sind (vergleichbarer Studiengang).”

www.intern.tu-darmstadt.de/media/dezernat_ii/satzungsbeilagen/SB_2021-IV.pdf#page=76 · checked 9 November 2026

The regulation sets no minimum number of credits for the first degree, so a three-year, 180-ECTS bachelor's is not excluded; the examination board judges whether the competences match one of the reference programmes, which also include spatial, urban and regional planning, urbanism and political or social science degrees focused on urban development.

Subject background
A bachelor's degree in B.Sc. Architektur, B.Sc. Bauingenieurwesen und Geodäsie or B.Sc. Umweltingenieurwissenschaften of TU Darmstadt or an equivalent degree, plus English C1.
Source
“1. A degree B.Sc. Architektur , B.Sc. Bauingenieurwesen und Geodäsie or B.Sc. Umweltingenieurwissenschaften of TU Darmstadt (reference programme) or an equivalent degree; 2. English at C1 (GER) level;”

www.tu-darmstadt.de/studieren/studieninteressierte/studienangebot_studiengaenge/studiengang_209280.en.jsp · checked 9 November 2026

Minimum grade
Not stated by the university
3 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026

Neither the programme page nor the programme's regulation sets a minimum grade; admission turns on the entrance requirements verification, not on a grade threshold.

How your grade is converted
Not stated by the university
3 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026

TU Darmstadt publishes no conversion formula for foreign grades. Applicants submit a transcript and a completed equivalence table (Äquivalenztabelle), which compares course content, not grades.

English
Level C1. IELTS 7 · TOEFL iBT 95 · TOEFL band 5 · Home Edition accepted · PTE 76. Cambridge: Certificate in Advanced English. Also accepted: TOEFL ITP 627, TOEFL Paper 550, TOEFL CBT 213, TOEIC Listening 490/Reading 455/Speaking 200/Writing 200, Oxford Online Placement Test 80, Michigan English Test 64, ECPE, telc English B2-C1 University "C1 certificate", UNIcert III. Exemption: A confirmation from the university where the previous degree was taken that English was the programme's language of instruction
Source
“For Master’s degree programmes with English as the language of study, required evidence of English proficiency must be presented through one of the following certificates: IELTS 7,0 PTE Academic 76 Cambridge University – Certificate in Advanced English (CAT) TOEFL itp 627 TOEFL Paper 550 TOEFL CBT 213 TOEFL iBT (includes Special Home Edition) 95 TOEFL iBT 5 – 5,5”

www.tu-darmstadt.de/studieren/studieninteressierte/internationale_studieninteressierte/bewerbung_und_zulassung_international/index.en.jsp · checked 14 November 2026

TU Darmstadt's central list for English-taught master's programmes. The minimum is C1 on the Language Resource Centre's equivalence list; TOEFL iBT Home Edition is explicitly accepted ("includes Special Home Edition"), and the new 1-6 TOEFL iBT scale counts from band 5. Duolingo English Test is on neither the central list nor the equivalence list, so it is not among the accepted certificates. The page writes the Cambridge certificate as "(CAT)", a typo for CAE.

German
Not needed when applying
Source
“You must pass the “Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang” (DSH-2) as evidence that your spoken and written command of the German language is adequate for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes for which the language of instruction is German … Language Requirements for Degree Programmes taught in English”

www.tu-darmstadt.de/studieren/studieninteressierte/internationale_studieninteressierte/bewerbung_und_zulassung_international/index.en.jsp · checked 14 November 2026

TU Darmstadt asks for the DSH-2 only for programmes whose language of instruction is German; for an English-taught master's it asks for English instead, at application and later. The regulation still warns that academic literature may have to be read in German, and the German embassy's visa section may ask for a language certificate of its own.

Selection
Entrance requirements verification (Eingangsprüfung) against the competences description. Applicants choose where to apply: at TU Darmstadt (first semester in Darmstadt) or at the Vietnamese-German University (first semester in Ho Chi Minh City).
Source
“3. additional requirements: Entrance requirements verification Competences description .”
“Vietnamese-German University: Bewerbungen für den Masterstudiengang Sustainable Urban Development sind für Bewerber_innen, bis zum 18. August des Jahres für das Wintersemester (Ausschlussfrist) möglich.” page

www.tu-darmstadt.de/studieren/studieninteressierte/studienangebot_studiengaenge/studiengang_209280.en.jsp · checked 9 November 2026

The degree is awarded jointly by TU Darmstadt and the Vietnamese-German University.

India, Pakistan, Nigeria

Rules for applicants from India, Pakistan and Nigeria

English test waiver
Possible for applicants from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, with a previous degree taught in English
Source
“Confirmation from the university at which you completed your degree programme that English was the programme's language of instruction.”

www.tu-darmstadt.de/studieren/studieninteressierte/internationale_studieninteressierte/bewerbung_und_zulassung_international/index.en.jsp · checked 14 November 2026

Instead of a test, TU Darmstadt accepts a confirmation from the university where the previous degree was taken that English was the language of instruction, which covers most applicants from India, Nigeria and Pakistan whose bachelor's was taught in English. No TU Darmstadt page exempts applicants by country or by school-leaving certificate, and the German embassy's visa section may still ask for a certificate.

Rules that name these countries
  • India: Applicants with an Indian school or university degree must submit the certificate of the Academic Evaluation Centre (APS) with their application, for bachelor's and master's programmes alike.
    Source
    “All applicants, who wish to apply for a degree program at a German university with a Chinese, Vietnamese or Indian school or university degree. This applies to both bachelor's and master's degree programs, as well as to preparatory programs like the Studienkolleg and German course.”

    www.tu-darmstadt.de/studieren/studieninteressierte/internationale_studieninteressierte/bewerbung_und_zulassung_international/index.en.jsp · checked 14 November 2026

    Only doctoral applicants and applicants who passed the Feststellungsprüfung at a German Studienkolleg are exempt. No comparable rule names Nigeria or Pakistan.

The rules for your country across all universities, and the visa rules on English tests, are on the India, Pakistan and Nigeria pages.

More on this programme

Every value was read on an official page and is stored with a verbatim quote; open “Source” to see it. “Not stated by the university” means none of the pages we checked says, and lists those pages. Rules change: confirm with the university before you apply or pay.