Resource Efficiency in Architecture and Planning, M.Sc.
The Master of Science Degree Programme REAP – “Resource Efficiency in Architecture and Planning” is an international and interdisciplinary programme at HafenCity University Hamburg that is concerned with sustainable planning on different scales.
It aims to enable participants to promote sustainable architecture and urban development in different geographical and cultural settings.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Science (M.Sc.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 semesters, 120 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Required English | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 01.07 |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €330 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
How the selection works and how strong the competition is — we go through it against your certificate when we select programmes for you.
Programme selection →About the programme
Lectures and seminars are grouped around the central project work: real-time, real-world case studies, in which students, with help and guidance from faculty, develop recommendations and solutions for applied tasks.
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The REAP programme consists of 17 study modules taught over 2 academic years. During their studies, REAP students will obtain knowledge and skills within the following areas:
- Sustainability
- Water, Material and Energy Cycles in the city
- Resource efficient urban technologies and infrastructure
- Economics and administration of buildings and urban services
- Legal and policy instruments
- Urban Planning on different scales
- Skills development: dimensioning, preception, assessment and decision making in the field of sustainable resource technologies
- Research methods and decision support techniques
REAP is not an architectural design course.
The master course is not focused on a single discipline - it is interdisciplinary and follows an integrative and multidimensional planning approach.
What you study
In each semester, students enrol for 30 credit points (CP). In Semester 3, students select two of the 5 CP modules from each of the two blocks (Block 1: Resources, Technologies and Environment; Block 2: Resources, Institutions and Instruments) for a total of 20 CP in addition to the 10 CP from Project 3.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
Possible fields of work for alumni of the M.Sc. REAP programme include:
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- national, regional and local governments;
- national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs);
- consulting and finance;
- utilities and technology producers;
- real estate development and in the housing industry;
- education and research institutions.
Suitable jobs might be as:
- specialist consultants in architectural or urban design practices and engineering firms, in local, national and international organisations and the planning departments of city and regional councils;
- resource managers for larger commercial firms and international aid organisations;
- specialists for regeneration and conversion projects in urban industrial quarters;
- managers of energy and environment related infrastructure systems and networks;
- policy advisers and analysts in the development of sustainable regulations and bylaws for infrastructure, building and urban planning projects;
- economic advisers for the determination of the financial viability of sustainable design projects; or
- legal advisers for corporations pursuing sustainable growth and development strategies.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Hamburg), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €330 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | A bachelor's degree in a related field. |
|---|---|
| Language | English C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 01.07 |
The procedure and the set of documents depend on your certificate. We check the university's requirements against your documents and give you a list: what to submit, how to certify and translate it, where and when to apply.
Check the requirementsHow to get into this programme
- 1Check your certificate and its recognitionDirect admission, a year at a university at home, or Studienkolleg first — this decides the whole plan.
- 2Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 3Application via uni-assist until 01.07uni-assist checks documents for 4–6 weeks — send them well before the deadline.
- 4Admission, visa, movingPlan 2–3 months for the visa and the blocked account in parallel.
How to apply
You can submit the application yourself or with our help — the university decides on admission in both cases.
Applications go through the university's portal or uni-assist. Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
StudyInFocus does not represent the university and does not influence the admission decision. We do not sell study places and do not guarantee admission — this is a service for preparing and submitting documents on the applicant's side.
Questions about this programme
How much does the programme cost?
What language level do I need?
When do I need to apply?
Don't postpone the application
The deadline is 01.07.2027 (260 days left). Language, translations and the document check take months, not weeks. In 30 minutes we will build a plan backwards from the deadline and tell you honestly whether you can make it.