Application European Urban Studies (M.Sc.)

Application Deadlines

The European Urban Studies (M.Sc.) study programme is an English-speaking programme with a strong orientation towards research and theory. It is offered by the Institute for European Urban Studies (IfEU).

The time for submitting applications starts on 15th of January, 2024 for both EU, and non-EU students.  

The application deadline for "European Urban Studies (M.Sc.)" for the winter semester, which begins in October of the year for applicants from the European Union including Switzerland is 25 June of the year.

The application deadline for "European Urban Studies (M.Sc.)" for the winter semester, which begins in October of the year for non-EU students is 15 May of the year.

Application Procedure for EU Students (incl. Switzerland)

Prerequisites

Prerequisites

Before you apply for the Masters programme, please check whether you fulfil the formal requirements for admission.
You are eligible to study the Masters programme if you

  • have obtained a university degree (or similar) from a German or an international University with at least 180 CP in the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning / regional planning, urban design, geography, urban sociology, political, social and cultural sciences, European studies and all related disciplines. In case of doubt, the examination board determines upon qualification.  
  • can refer to a certain level of academic or professional experience shown through adequate works samples, text-based and visual, as well as through sample from your previous studies. 
  • have an advanced level of English language skills.

Application Documents

Application Documents

In order to apply for admission to the programme, you need to hand in the following documents and material:

! Please not that all documents are submitted online through the portal (no hard copy for the application)

  1. Completed form from online-application *students from EU countries only (access online-portal here

  2. Motivation letter
    The motivation letter is a very important part of the application procedure. Please prepare it with great care! Your motivation letter (in English, up to 6,500 characters with spaces) should focus on the following points:

    What is your motivation for applying to the study programme European Urban Studies? (Why are you interested in the study programme ? What are your plans for the future and how should this study programme help you achieve your goals?)How does your educational and professional background relate to the study programme? (What makes you a good candidate for this programme? What knowledge, skills and experiences do you have that are relevant to this programme?)What are your specific research interests within the field of Urban Studies? (What issues are you most interested in? What problems would you like to examine in more depth? What would be a possible topic for your Master thesis?)
  3. Essay
    Please submit an essay reflecting on urban issues or your own publication within the field. The essay should not exceed 3,000 characters, including spaces. Feel free to draw inspiration from a relevant urban studies book or author and share your insights on their work.
  4. Certificate of qualification for university entrance | copy
  5. University degree or similar qualification including all relevant study results (courses and grades) | certified copy
    Documents not in German or English need to be submitted in a certified translated version, in German or English.
  6. Proof of English language proficiency according to B2 (minimum) of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages 
    TOEFL-test, minimum 80 points (internet based)
    Cambridge Certificate, (First Certificate FCE), Grade C
    IELTS, Band 6,0
    or others according CEFR B2.
    Exceptions are possible, if previous studies have been completed in English speaking countries and can be proven through documents.
    certified copy
  7. Your CV
  8. You are free to add additional documents like recommendation letters, work references, etc.
  9. If you want, additionally, you are invited to include a PDF file with samples from your previous study or professional work (portfolio) related to relevant fields of studies. The file may consist of works from your previous or current studies, from internships, from previous career, self-initiated projects, publications and/or volunteer work. We appreciate a short description of the projects in the portfolio. Please submit all samples in one single PDF file labelled with your last and first name through Uni-AssistWe appreciate portfolios that do not exceed 6 MB.

The application deadline mentioned on this page is the latest  for online submission through the portal!

Admission and further steps

Admission and further steps

You will be informed on the results latest early in August. Due to the high number of applications, you are kindly asked to please abstain from contacting us regarding the results. You will be informed as soon as the examination board has finished its work.

If your application was considered positively, you will soon after also receive the official admission letter from the university. This document enables you to conduct all the administrative affairs such as visa-issues etc. And it is the precondition in order to enroll to the University for your Master Programme. Only after having enrolled, you  actually  become a student of the programme. Further information is available here . It is only possible to start your studies in winter term.

Application Procedure for Non-EU Students

Prerequisites

Prerequisites

Before you apply for the Masters programme, please check whether you fulfil the formal requirements for admission.
You are eligible to study the Masters programme if you

  • have obtained a university degree (or similar) from a German or an international University with at least 180 CP in the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning / regional planning, urban design, geography, urban sociology, political, social and cultural sciences, European studies and all related disciplines. In case of doubt, the examination board determines upon qualification.  
  • can refer to a certain level of academic or professional experience shown through adequate works samples, text-based and visual, as well as through sample from your previous studies. 
  • have an advanced level of English language skills.

Application Documents

Application Documents

In order to apply for admission to the programme, you need to submit the following documents and material through Uni-Assist which you will first need to register for as it is explained in the paragraph "Application Procedure" which you find further down on this page.

  1. Letter of motivation | signed 

    The motivation letter is a very important part of the application procedure. Please prepare it with great care! Your motivation letter (in English, up to 6,500 characters with spaces) should focus on the following points:

    What is your motivation for applying to the study programme European Urban Studies? (Why are you interested in the study programme ? What are your plans for the future and how should this study programme help you achieve your goals?)

    How does your educational and professional background relate to the study programme? (What makes you a good candidate for this programme? What knowledge, skills and experiences do you have that are relevant to this programme?)

    What are your specific research interests within the field of Urban Studies? (What issues are you most interested in? What problems would you like to examine in more depth? What would be a possible topic for your Master thesis?)

  2. Essay
    Please submit an essay reflecting on urban issues or your own publication within the field. The essay should not exceed 3,000 characters, including spaces. Feel free to draw inspiration from a relevant urban studies book or author and share your insights on their work.

  3. University degree or similar qualifications including all relevant study results (courses and grades) | certified copy
    D
    ocuments not in German or English need to be submitted in a certified translated version, in German or English.

  4. Certificate of qualification for university entrance | copy

  5. Proof of English language proficiency according to B2 (minimum) of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages : 
    TOEFL-test, minimum 80 points (internet based)
    Cambridge Certificate, (First Certificate FCE), Grade C
    IELTS, Band 6,0
    or others according CEFR B2. 
    Exceptions are possible, if previous studies have been completed in English speaking countries and can be proven through documents. | certified copy

  6. Your CV

  7. You are free to add additional documents like recommendation letters, work references etc.

  8. If you want, additionally, you are invited to include a PDF file with samples from your previous study or professional work (portfolio) related to relevant fields of studies. The file may consist of works from your previous or current studies, from internships, from previous career, self-initiated projects, publications and/or volunteer work. We appreciate a short description of the projects in the portfolio. Please submit all samples in one single PDF file labelled with your last and first name through Uni-AssistWe appreciate portfolios that do not exceed 6 MB.

Application Procedure

Once you have made sure that you fulfil the prerequisites and are eligible to apply to the Masters programme "European Urban Studies (M.Sc.)", you can now proceed to apply through uni-assist.

Registration

In order to start the application process go to the following link to register with uni-assit.

https://www.uni-assist.de/online/?lang=en

You will be asked to provide your personal information and to create an account for further use. Once you have entered all information you will be sent a link that will activate your account.

Login & Further Information

As you activate your account, you'll be asked to enter further details. With that step taken, you will then be able to search for the Masters programme "European Urban Studies (M.Sc.)".

Study Offers

This search mask allows you to narrow down your search for the Masters programme you wish to apply for. Enter for example the name of the university and choose Master as the degree you wish to obtain.

Create Application

Once you have choosen the right programme, it is time to create your application. In order to do so, you will be asked further questions. After you have uploaded all necessary documents, you are then asked to print off your form and to submit it online.

Please follow the instructions given by uni-assist. If there are any questions, please check out the following site: https://www.uni-assist.de/en/faqs/

Please note: There is no need to send hardcopies to our University or uni-assist. The application process is only taking place online.

https://www.uni-assist.de/online/?lang=en

Admission and Further Steps

After successful application and admission

You will be informed on the results the latest early in August. Due to the high number of applications, you are kindly asked to please abstain from contacting us regarding the results. You will be informed as soon as the examination board has finished its work.

If your application was considered positively, you will soon after also receive the official admission letter from the university. This document enables you to conduct all the administrative affairs such as visa-issues etc. And it is the precondition in order to enroll to the University for your Master Programme. Only after having enrolled, you  actually  become a student of the programme. Further information is available here . It is only possible to start your studies in winter term.

FAQs

Please visit our FAQs section for more information about the programme and the application process.