Urban Design Master's Programme

The Master’s degree programme in Urban Design at the Technische Universität Berlin encourages critical reflection when regarding cities in relation to their design. It is applied to urban systems and spaces from district to regional level. The Urban Design programme deals with urbanisation processes in an international context and covers both historical and current developments. The Master's course of study is aimed at students from different disciplines who wish to prepare for a career in a creative and scientific field of work, or who seek a key role in urban planning and public administration. The objective is to develop the skills of critical research-design: creative solutions for contemporary urban problems need to be scientifically sound and justified and take the cultural, social and political conditions into account. Architects and planners often find that their knowledge and skills alone are insufficient for coping with the challenges and tasks involved in modern urbanisation processes. Urban design is an inter- and transdisciplinary field of knowledge at the interface of architecture, urban and regional planning, urban sociology, landscape architecture and environmental planning. This programme aims at the development and sharing of integrated knowledge. A wide range of courses provides access to the various disciplines. In addition, the interdisciplinary nature of urban design is reflected in the high level of student teamwork and exchanges in the context of design projects, the so-called labs and studios. Above all, methodologies are practised that reveal the high degree of complexity of tasks and enable students to intervene in diverse contexts. In cooperation with Tongji University in Shanghai, China, the Urban Design course of study is also offered as a dual degree Master's programme. Participants will spend the first year of study in Berlin and the second year in Shanghai.