Metadata

Title: Transforming City Regions M.Sc.
Category: undergraduate
UUID: 1e0a2f1c1c9747119e44df8338a02dbc

Source URL: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/sgnp?lidx=1
Parent URL: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/csei/lidx/1
Crawl Time: 2026-03-17T08:25:39+00:00

Transforming City Regions M.Sc.

Source: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/sgnp?lidx=1 Parent: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/csei/lidx/1

Key Info

Basic Information

Degree : Master of Science

Start of Studies : Winter Semester

Standard Period of Studies : 4 semesters

ECTS Credits : 120Further Information: ECTS are credit points that measure the workload of one's studies.

Language : English

Admission Requirements

First university degree, required qualifications according to the examination regulationsFurther Information:

A first recognized university degree, through which the necessary education background for the Master course of study can be proven. The necessary knowledge needed in order for studies to be successful is determined in the respective exam regulations (PO). - Proficiency in EnglishFurther Information: You must provide documentation of your language skills for the language of instruction at the time of enrollment. The exam regulations stipulate the relevant requirements.

Admission to First Semester

Open (No NC)

Admission to Higher Semesters

Open (No NC)

Dates and Deadlines

Overview

Transforming City Regions (TCR) is a unique, interdisciplinary Master program with a strong focus on the European dimension in territorial development. This course of study was designed to respond to the environmental, social, technological, and economic challenges facing evolving European cities and regions . TCR follows a technically advanced and solution-oriented approach, so you can understand economic efficiency and recognize societal needs. The program is taught entirely in English.\ \ TCR is one of a handful of new programs at RWTH Aachen University that have been designed in order to respond to challenges affecting cities and regions in Europe. Thanks to the program’s distinctively project-oriented focus, you will acquire a solid and highly up-to-date understanding of your field and be able to use different tools and methodologies to provide solutions for transforming European cities and regions. This course of study not only stands out for its interdisciplinary approach, but also for its strong ties to the renowned RWTH engineering tradition.

This program features a prominent European perspective – as reflected in the course content, structure, teaching staff, and student profile. Moreover, the methods, attitudes, and values underpinning TCR represent a uniquely European perspective. The course of study is further enhanced by close cooperations with other European universities, institutions, organizations, and companies. Europeanisation therefore characterizes the entire program.\ \ The course of study features:

Urban dynamics in a European context
Guidance from European tutors and professionals in urban design and planning, regional, spatial, and strategic planning

If you have a Bachelor’s degree in urban design, urban, city, or town planning, urban studies, spatial planning, regional planning, landscape architecture, architecture, transport planning, environmental engineering, urban geography, urban ecology, or urban governance, this course of study would be particularly relevant for you.

More information can be found on the Transforming City Regions website.

Degree Content

Transforming City Regions is structured in four semesters. The first three semesters follow the same general structure – half of the credit points are available through integrated projects, which investigate complex urban problems – starting from the urban, and moving to the regional and European scale. The remaining half of the credit points is available for mandatory modules, optional courses, a research module, a field trip, impromptu courses, and an external course. The final semester is dedicated to your Master’s thesis.

The European dimension of the course is notable in three different ways:

The European teaching staff
Cooperations with European institutions, organizations, and companies
European study cases in the integrated projects

The curriculum is structured in the following way:

8 mandatory modules
3 integrated projects
2-3 optional courses
1 research module
1 module consisting of a compulsory field trip and two elective impromptu courses
1 external course
Master’s thesis

Mandatory courses can be structured in such a way that they can last one or two semesters. They can also be taught in a condensed format – over just a few weeks. In other words, instead of 2 teaching hours every week over the course of a 15-week semester, the total number of 30 teaching hours can be split into 3 to 8 intensive sessions that focus on the specific topic of the module.

You can find more detailed information on the curriculum on the Chair and Institute for Urban Design’s website and the website of the Transforming City Regions Master.

Prerequisites

Enrollment Prerequisites

Bachelor’s degree with at least 30 credits acquired in spatial-related modules – for example urban design, urban, city, or town planning, urban studies, spatial planning, regional planning, landscape architecture, transport planning, environmental engineering, urban geography, urban ecology, urban governance, urban sociology, regional economy, cultural heritage protection, GIS, and general design
A portfolio: a set of creative pieces that demonstrates your ability to understand the spatial context of human behavior and/or spatial – especially urban – structures
Proficiency in English

Acceptance

Admission to the programme is assessed based on the academic track and the portfolio.

The portfolio complements the module description and should demonstrate experience in spatial-related fields. The format is free, but it should not exceed 20 pages and be written entirely in English. It may also include a curriculum vitae and a personal statement of motivation.

The portfolio must be submitted via the RWTH online portal in the space provided (TCR Portfolio) and must not exceed 5 MB in size.

Documents sent by e-mail will not be accepted and it is not necessary to send a hard copy by post.

Career Prospects

Thanks to interdisciplinary approach and European perspective the graduates will be prepared to work for:

private sector: development agencies, investment banks, technical infrastructure companies, territorial analyses, urban planning offices, companies dealing with structural funds etc.,
public authorities and institutions, including local, regional, national, European and global level, as well as
civil society organisations and NGOses in different cultural contexts and within wide spectrum of urban issues.

The contents and qualification goals and the modules of this program do not take into account the requirements for the professional chambers of urban planners nor those set by European or international training guidelines. This means you are not guaranteed a place on the city planner lists of chambers of architects.

Module Handbook and Examination Regulations

The module handbook provides a description of all modules of a degree program and offers a comprehensive insight into the program contents.

The examination regulations are comprised of legally binding provisions on learning objectives, prerequisites for study, the course structure and processes, and examination procedures.

Regulations that generally apply to all Bachelor's and Master's degree programs, including information on language proficiency requirements, can be found in RWTH's General Examination Regulations. These general regulations are further specified and complemented by the subject-specific examination regulations.

If two examination regulations are valid for a degree program during a transition phase, the most current version shall apply to students enrolling in the program for the first time.

Please note that only the German examination regulations are legally binding.

Module Handbook \ Subject-Specific Examination Regulations \ RWTH's General Examination Regulations

Faculty

The Master course of study in Transforming City Regions is offered by the Chair and Institute for Urban Design, which is part of RWTH’s Faculty of Architecture.