Architecture and Urban Design (B.Sc.)
The Bachelor's degree program B1 Architecture and Urban Design teaches the technical, artistic and scientific foundations and knowledge that enable students to gain further academic qualifications in a Master's degree program and a first professional qualification for planning and execution tasks in the construction industry. Among other things, the basics of representation, design and construction are taught in the so-called Dortmunder Modell. Within this interdisciplinary training concept, especially in the context of project work, the later professional practice and cooperation between architects and civil engineers is already practiced during the course and the ability to work in a team and social skills are promoted.
At the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering at TU Dortmund University, architects and civil engineers are trained together in the Dortmund Model. This model is unique in Germany and embodies a teaching concept that aims to teach interdisciplinary teamwork with the other engineers involved in the construction process in addition to thorough subject-specific training in their own discipline. The projects that are worked on jointly by architecture and civil engineering students in teams play a key role in learning this collaboration. Realistic planning tasks are used to create the basis for later successful collaboration in practice.
Architects have a wide range of career opportunities: In addition to the classic design, planning and execution activities in an architecture or planning office, graduates have a wide range of fields of activity open to them, e.g. as experts, in construction companies, in housing associations, in project development companies or in the public sector. Due to the close integration with civil engineering in the Dortmunder Modell, architecture graduates are comprehensively and interdisciplinarily trained and thus particularly prepared for the reality of the job market.
In addition to a general university entrance qualification and a good general education, future architects should have an interest and enjoyment in illustration and design and, in particular, a creative and holistic way of thinking. Creativity, imagination, good observation skills, spatial imagination, technical and constructive understanding and the ability to work together and link different and complex issues as well as a high degree of responsibility and resilience are essential.
Experience in recent years and exchanges with other architecture faculties have shown that many applicants for architecture often do not have a clear idea of what to expect in their studies and career and choose the subject because architecture "sounds nice" and the profession is often portrayed as privileged in the media. However, a high level of motivation, perseverance and resilience as well as a certain degree of artistic talent are essential for a successful degree in architecture. For this reason, the faculty gives potential architecture students the opportunity to document their motivation (1st priority) and aptitude (2nd priority) by means of a test. The application for the NC procedure remains valid. Participation in this "motivation/suitability test" is binding and a prerequisite for enrolment after successful admission to the NC procedure. The test procedure is as follows: Applicants have to complete a small task that tests their motivation to study and their aptitude for the subject of architecture. The task is published each year and made available for download on June 15 (parallel to the NC procedure). The completed task must be submitted in full by e-mail by July 15. The complete receipt of the documents will then be confirmed by e-mail by mid-August at the latest. This confirmation must then be submitted with the other enrollment documents at the time of enrollment (see admission letter for deadline). The results of the assignment will be integrated into the curriculum in the first year of study and discussed with the students once again. This additional element within the application process is intended to enable applicants to consider their aptitude and interest in the upcoming degree program at an early stage and thus to reassess the correctness of their choice of degree program.
No pre-study internship is required for admission to the course. However, an internship in an architecture firm can be very useful to check your own study or career aspirations. A construction internship is mandatory during the degree program - this can also be completed before the start of the degree program. You can find the guidelines for this under Internship Guidelines.
All important documents for your studies: general information, examination regulations, study plans, module and WPF manuals, guidelines for the construction internship and BaföG as well as the examination plans can be found under Study Content | Examination Matters.
Formalities / Application Architecture and Urban Design (B.Sc.)
| Degree | Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) |
| Qualification | First professional qualification for construction planning (architecture and planning offices, construction companies, project development, public service, etc.), qualification for further academic qualification as part of a Master's degree program, e.g. Architecture and Urban Design (M.Sc.) or Real Estate and Construction Management (M.Sc.) |
| Standard period of study | 6 semesters |
| Credits / Workload | 180 ECTS / 5,400 hours |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Start date | Annually only in the winter semester |
| Admission requirements | General higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) |
| Admission restriction | Yes, the program is restricted by a local NC. Places are allocated in the order of the A-level grades or the waiting time. You can view the NC status of previous years here. These statuses are for orientation purposes only, as the grade limits are a result of the allocation procedure and are determined each year by the number of study places and applications received. |
| Enrolment requirements | Yes, a motivation and aptitude test must be completed. The task to be completed is made available for download each year at the beginning of June parallel to the NC procedure and must be submitted by e-mail by July 15. By mid-August at the latest, you will receive a corresponding confirmation by e-mail that the test has been received or completed in full, which you must then submit to the Registrar's Office or International Office together with the other enrolment documents when you enrol (see admission letter for deadline). Download motivation and aptitude test WS 2023/24 |
| Application for the NC procedure | The faculty participates in the dialog-oriented service procedure of the Foundation for University Admissions (DoSV) with the Bachelor of Architecture and Urban Design. This procedure for locally admission-restricted degree programs supports the universities in the admission process and helps to avoid vacant study places. If you are interested in the Bachelor of Architecture and Urban Design at our faculty, please register and apply from the beginning of June until July 15 (deadline) at: www.dosv.hochschulstart.de. There you will also find all the necessary information on the dialog-oriented service procedure. If you submit a special application in the online portal there (preferential admission, hardship case, compensation for disadvantages, underage applicants, change of waiting period) or if you are a second degree applicant, you must print out the respective application form or, if applicable, the respective application forms in addition to the online application and send them to TU Dortmund University by July 15, including the required documents. The date of receipt of the TU Dortmund University postmark is the deadline. If you have any further questions about the application procedure and DoSV, please contact the Registrar's Office (for content-related questions) or the Foundation for University Admissions (for technical problems). |
| Application for international Beplicants | From March 15 to July 15 at the International Office of TU Dortmund University. |
| Application for professionallyqualified (without Abitur) | By April 1 to the Student Secretariat. |
| Application for highersemesters | From 15 August to 15 September for the winter semester or from 15 February to 15 March for the summer semester at the Registrar's Office. You can only apply for an admission-restricted degree program in a higher semester if you can be placed in a higher semester on the basis of recognized achievements. Recognition of achievements is carried out by the faculty. Please use the application for recognition of examination results provided by the Registrar's Office. Please submit this application with all the necessary evidence to the Student Coordination Office at least 2 weeks before the application deadline at the following e-mail address, otherwise timely processing cannot be guaranteed. |
| Semester fees | Information on the semester fees can be found here. |
| Internships | An approx. 4-week construction internship (120 hours) must be completed by the time you register for Project 2 / Thesis at the latest. |