This English-taught Master of Science focuses on practical, place-based approaches to making regions more sustainable and resilient. Core themes include sustainable land-use planning, circular-economy solutions, and fostering innovation across urban and rural areas. The programme emphasizes hands-on, applied work so graduates can design and implement measures that strengthen local communities and promote cooperative regional development.
Students study on the Triesdorf campus in Bavaria, a centre with a 20-year track record in rural and regional development education. The curriculum is interdisciplinary and oriented toward real-world practice, drawing on multiple fields to address environmental, social and economic challenges at regional scales. This makes the degree especially suitable for those who want to work on policy, planning, community development or project implementation in diverse regional contexts.
International applicants will benefit from the campus’s practical facilities and the programme’s collaborative approach, which helps build skills in working with stakeholders across sectors. For specific information about entry criteria, application steps and deadlines, consult the official programme pages and the university’s admissions office.
Entry & application notes
Curriculum overview
This MSc program combines spatial planning, resource management, and socio-economic perspectives to prepare you for shaping sustainable regions. In the first semester you build foundational skills in spatial planning and land/resource use, develop scientific research methods, and improve public relations and communication—alongside elective options to tailor your interests. The second semester shifts toward implementation and innovation: project management (including agile methods), sustainable economic development and circular economy principles, regional value-chain analysis, plus modules on strategy, entrepreneurship, and best-practice approaches to sustainable regional development.
Key modules and learning outcomes
Core modules such as Spatial Planning and Development, Land Use and Resource Management, and Sustainable Regional Development & Best Practices teach you to assess and design land-use strategies that balance ecological, social and economic goals. Research Methods and Public Relations & Communication Skills equip you to conduct rigorous investigations and communicate findings to stakeholders. Project Management & Agile Methods together with Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship Basics develop practical capacities to lead initiatives, manage interdisciplinary teams, and translate sustainability concepts into viable regional projects and business models. Elective courses let you deepen specialization or acquire complementary skills.
Capstone and applied work
In the final phase you undertake a project study that applies classroom learning to a concrete regional challenge, culminating in a master’s thesis defended in a colloquium. This sequence is designed to demonstrate your ability to integrate theory, empirical research and practice—preparing you for roles in planning authorities, consultancy, NGOs, or further academic work.
Program components (requirements to complete the degree)
Admission requirements
This Master’s programme is open to applicants who have completed, or are in the final stages of completing, an undergraduate degree with at least a “good” grade — equivalent to a grade point average of 2.5 or better in the German grading scale. The bachelor’s qualification should be in one of the specified subject areas (or be demonstrably comparable).
Normally the programme expects applicants to hold 210 ECTS credits from their bachelor’s studies. Candidates with 180 ECTS may also be considered; in that case the missing credits must be compensated through additional theoretical or practical coursework before or during the Master’s programme. If your first degree was earned outside Germany, an official preliminary review is required to verify its comparability.
International applicants whose degrees were awarded abroad must supply a Vorprüfungsdokumentation (VPD) from uni-assist. In addition, applicants whose degrees come from India, the People’s Republic of China or Vietnam must provide an APS certificate issued by the relevant Academic Verification Office in their home country. Check the programme’s application page for any further documentation or deadlines.
Key admission points
Winter Semester (International)
15 July 2026
Summer Semester (International)
15 January 2027
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
15 July 2026
Summer Semester (EU/EEA)
15 January 2027
Graduates are prepared for roles in regional and spatial planning, local and regional authorities, rural and regional development agencies, NGOs, sustainability consultancies and companies working on circular-economy solutions. The programme’s mix of project work, stakeholder communication and practical methods equips alumni to plan and implement development strategies, manage interdisciplinary projects and advise on sustainable land-use and value-chain innovations.
The course also provides a strong foundation for further research or PhD study in environmental planning, regional development or sustainability-related fields.