Urbanistics, B.Sc.
Are you interested in the interfaces between spatial and social decisions? Are you wondering how the protection of landscapes can be combined with the economic development of a country? Or are you looking for answers to social and environmental questions about the quality of life in cities in Europe and worldwide? Are you ready to get involved in other specialist worlds, e.g. technical, design and political? Do you want to work in an interdisciplinary manner and mediate between conflicting interests without losing sight of what is justifiable or even essential for the city, rural areas and society? Then come to Weimar.
Programme facts
| Degree | Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 8 semesters, 240 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Required German | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 15.07 |
| Admission | Admission restriction (NC): a competition of school grades |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €195.27 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
The programme has an admission restriction: the average grade of your certificate, converted to the German scale, decides. The cut-off changes every year — last year's value shows the order of magnitude, not a promise.
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
We train specialists who, in a few years, will work in city administrations, state governments, independent planning offices or research institutions as experts in the spatial dimension of social development. The subjects of the Urban Studies course are primarily German and European cities and city regions. In addition, the inclusion of the diverse South and North American cities as well as the Chinese megacities broadens our professional horizons. The course of study is vocational, i.e. i.e., he meets the requirements of the German Federal Chamber of Architects in order to be entered in the list of urban planners after a subsequent two-year professional experience.
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As core aspects of the B. Sc. degree program. Urban studies include the practical relevance of teaching and the scientific research orientation. The training covers the areas of activity of urban planners and the applicability of the knowledge learned. This special quality is favored by the intensive participation of professorships from the fields of architecture and urban development (involved professorships). We use the proximity to our faculty's renowned architectural training to provide future urbanists with a solid approach to assessing structural and spatial structures as well as a trained understanding of design issues. Another quality feature of the B. Sc. Urban studies is its scientific foundation. This means that from the first semester onwards, the course introduces research as an essential qualification. The scientific nature of the training is a prerequisite for a demanding future position, including in practical work.
Upon successfully completing their studies, Bachelor graduates receive a defined, internationally recognized title that qualifies them for practical work. The graduates are awarded the degree of "Bachelor of Science" (B. Sc.). Furthermore, the B. Sc. Urban Studies is the qualification for the consecutive master's degree program at our university. There is also the option of taking one of numerous postgraduate master's degree programs as well as other study programs with a research or practical orientation after completing your bachelor's degree.
Five aspects characterize the course of study
- an outstanding curricular position of planning and social science content
- a strong emphasis on the development of a morphologically analytical and design understanding of the city as well as design skills in the curriculum, which introduces urban planning and the working methods of architects
- an outstanding internationality; Staying abroad as a mandatory part of the course of study for all foreign students
- the eight-semester duration of study, which enables a professionally qualifying bachelor's degree
- a personal study atmosphere.
The training is project-oriented, with the social sciences, planning sciences and urban planning subjects receiving a strong emphasis in accordance with the profile. During their studies, students acquire all the necessary skills, basic technical knowledge and the corresponding methodological skills to survive in professional life. These skills also include interdisciplinary qualifications, such as those of a communicative nature and the orientation towards the common good and the principles of sustainable development, which are crucial for urban planning. In addition, the sense of responsibility and the sensitivity to appropriately integrate this orientation into the planning process are conveyed. The course of study is continuously adapted to the requirements of the professional field in Germany, the relevant trends in Europe and other regions of the world as well as in the international and supranational institutions that are most important for spatial planning.
What you study
The aim of the course is to acquire basic planning qualifications. In the project-oriented training, the social and planning science subjects as well as the structural and spatial subjects are given a strong emphasis in accordance with the profile of the urban planner. In addition to the planning project, social science, design or planning policy basics are taught in accompanying compulsory, elective and elective modules.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
The bachelor's degree program qualifies its graduates to work in cities, state governments or research institutions as experts in the spatial dimension of development. Public urban planning was an essential condition for the enormous increase in living standards and quality of life in many countries, especially in the second half of the 20th century, and today places new demands on the analysis and control of spatial changes. This means that the field of practical work and research tasks are constantly changing.
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Urban studies graduates often take jobs as urban planners in public administration, such as urban planning offices and government-level offices. But they are also employed in freelance planning offices, in private companies, social organizations and in political consulting. Another field of work is research, be it in connection with teaching in a university career or in research institutions. International organizations are also increasingly asking for experts with an urbanist profile.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Thuringia), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €195.27 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | If you are interested in fundamental questions and in acquiring knowledge about public control of urban development, in the development of new formats and useful, innovative instruments for urban and spatial planning, then you meet the best requirements for a successful bachelor's degree with us. |
|---|---|
| Language | German C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 15.07 |
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.
- 2German up to C1 and a certificateDSH or TestDaF has to be passed before you apply.
- 3Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 4Application directly to the university until 15.07Send the documents well before the deadline — an incomplete application cannot be completed after it.
- 5Admission, 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.
If your level is not enough yet
The two most common stoppers are a language level below the requirement and a certificate without direct admission. Both can be solved, but they take months — plan them now, not after a rejection.
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 15.07.2027 (274 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.