This English-language master's sits at the intersection of architecture, civil engineering and geodesy and focuses on the information technologies that shape buildings, neighbourhoods and cities. Topics include digital twins, smart-city tools, GIS, urban and building information modelling (UIM/BIM), design automation, digital fabrication, remote sensing, AI and human–computer interaction. The programme addresses how these technologies affect urban liveability and responds to the growing need for specialists who can integrate parallel digital developments across disciplines and scales.
You will learn to capture, generate, interpret, use and adapt digital data where different digital systems meet, and to work in interdisciplinary teams on digital aspects of the construction lifecycle. Teaching and project work emphasise the practical management, consulting and creation of digital components for built-environment activities at various project stages.
Graduates gain a combined domain-and-technology perspective: understanding construction-scale requirements, processes and structures in architecture, civil engineering and geodesy, while also acquiring computer-science methods, data-management practices and systems-architecture knowledge. You will be able to identify and analyse information-technology problems in the built world, choose suitable digital methods, develop solutions and determine the relevant stakeholders. Career paths include consulting, developing and managing information models and systems, integrating existing tools, and inventing new digital approaches for the built environment.
Key skills and competencies you will acquire
Language of instruction
Field
This programme combines a clear core curriculum with flexible electives so you graduate as a well-rounded expert in information technologies for the built environment. Compulsory foundation modules give you the essential knowledge, technical skills and professional competencies needed across architecture, civil engineering and geodesy. Elective courses let you close personal knowledge gaps or specialise in emerging technologies and methods relevant to digital design, modelling and data-driven decision-making in the built environment.
Teaching is arranged by semester to move from breadth to applied depth. The first semester consolidates your Bachelor's-level knowledge and delivers state-of-the-art coverage of information technologies across different building domains and scales, establishing a shared understanding of methods, terminology and the IT landscape. The second and third semesters deepen selected topics from at least two domain perspectives to produce integrated, interdisciplinary insight. In the third semester you put theory into practice in the ITBE Fusion Lab—working in interdisciplinary teams with digital methods to devise solutions to real-world built-environment problems. The fourth semester is devoted to an independent Master’s thesis where you formulate a research question, choose or develop an appropriate method, carry out a scientific investigation, analyse results and present the outcome in a written thesis and oral defence.
Key learning outcomes include the ability to integrate multiple domain perspectives (architecture, civil engineering, geodesy), apply cross-cutting digital methods, collaborate in interdisciplinary teams, engage with human-centred engineering and ethical considerations, and conduct rigorous, communicable research. For details on how this programme differs from other related offerings, consult the programme’s wiki.
Requirements and structure (at a glance)
This master's programme expects applicants to hold at least a Bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification in a relevant subject area. Relevant backgrounds include architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, civil engineering, geodesy, geoinformation, informatics, or closely related fields. International degrees that are considered equivalent are accepted — make sure your prior qualification clearly aligns with one of these areas.
Candidates should have a strong grounding either in the built environment (e.g., architecture, civil engineering, planning, geodesy/geoinformation) or in computer science/informatics, together with a clear interest in the complementary discipline. That cross-disciplinary interest must be evident from your previous academic work, professional experience, projects or other activities included in your application.
Requirements (concise)
Winter Semester (International)
31 May 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
31 May 2026
Graduates are prepared for roles that bridge domain expertise and digital technology across the construction lifecycle, such as BIM/UIM manager, digital construction specialist, geospatial or GIS analyst, data manager for infrastructure projects, consultant for smart-city or urban-data initiatives, and product or software roles focused on the built environment. Employers include engineering and architecture firms, construction companies, consultancy agencies, urban planning authorities, geoinformation businesses and technology providers.
The programme’s research and method-oriented training also provides a foundation for further academic work or applied R&D positions. Note that TUM offers funding and fee-waiver opportunities for many international students, and living costs in Munich are estimated at about 1,000 EUR per month; tuition is 6,000 EUR per semester for this programme.
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