Conservation and Landscape Planning

In the Nature Conservation and Landscape Planning project studies you will deal with the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems as well as with the implementation of conservation objectives. This will enable you to deal with current social challenges and to actively participate in current transformation processes in our living environment.
With its focus on landscape planning, this degree program differs from other master’s programs in the field of nature conservation.
It is characterized by a deepening of knowledge in nature conservation issues and teaches you the methodical approach to landscape planning, so that you can solve complex problems in transformation processes in a goal-oriented manner. The understanding of social and ecological processes and their evaluation is one of the main goals. In order to ensure sustainable nature conservation, you will develop innovative solutions and implement them through landscape planning or other suitable means. During your professional internship in the third semester, you can expand your professional and personal horizons at home and abroad and gain important experience and contacts for your future professional life. In addition to full-time studies, we also offer you various part-time options (50% or 66%). We also allow the Master's degree to be shortened by up to two semesters through recognition of credits: The prerequisite is that you have already achieved equivalent to the compulsory area of the master's degree in a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture or landscape planning with a standard period of study of more than six semesters, or have already completed an internship in the department of approximately six months. Thus, it is possible for you to obtain a master's degree in landscape planning within ten semesters.

With your degree in nature conservation and landscape planning you can take up leading positions in governmental, freelance or private landscape and nature conservation planning or work in university research. Of course you also have the opportunity to do a doctorate or a career in the higher civil service at the federal, state or local level. You are in great demand with an application for planning offices, public administration or international NGOs. You can also find interesting jobs at natural history museums, nature conservation associations or higher authorities in nature conservation.
If you have completed a six- or seven-semester bachelor's degree in landscape architecture and landscape planning at another university, you can become a member of the Chamber of Architects after this Master's degree, which is advantageous for professional practice in planning offices.

The core of the Master’s in Nature Conservation and Landscape Planning is a project study. In the first two semesters 30 credits must be earned in the required modules. This includes two projects with 10 credits each. Topics on theoretical or empirical-ecological planning bases as well as practical, planning and nature conservation topics can be selected. Another 30 credits are covered by electives in the first two semesters, allowing you to pursue your individual professional interests in conservation and landscape planning or, for example, also have the opportunity to take language courses or other interdisciplinary qualifications.
A six-month professional internship is scheduled in the third semester, while at home or abroad you can put your theoretical knowledge into practice and gain insights into the field of landscape planning and nature conservation. You will also gain 30 credits for the extensive report on this that you have to create.
To successfully complete your studies, you will write your Master's thesis in the fourth semester on a topic of your choice.
Through recognition of credits, your Master's degree can be shortened by up to two semesters if you have a bachelor's degree from the corresponding field of study of more than six semesters. This means that the total duration of bachelor's and master's studies remains at ten semesters.

Interest aroused? Just take a look at an exemplary curriculum!

After completing your studies, you will be able to work with the various means of nature conservation and landscape planning to define, design and apply innovative solutions for environmental protection and sustainable development. You will apply in-depth knowledge of organismic ecology to nature conservation strategies and landscape planning. With your ability to recognize complex interrelationships, you will be able to deal with problems that arise and find theoretical, methodical and practical solutions.

You will understand the consequences of global climate change and social change for biodiversity and be able to explain their importance for the sustainable development of landscape and nature. You will have learned to carry out species and biotope surveys and to evaluate them. Developing, working on and scrutinizing planning and nature conservation issues will be as much a part of your acquired knowledge as the preparation of expert reports.

You will be able to present the results of such work in a professional form and communicate at a highly professional level. Due to the project nature of the program, you will also have strengthened your specialist, methodological, social and personal skills and demonstrated them in the professional internship.

Application requirements and eligibility

Prerequisite for the application is a qualified Bachelor's degree of at least six semesters in the fields of landscape architecture and landscape planning (focus on landscape planning, environmental planning), (landscape) ecology, biology (with focus on biodiversity, nature conservation, ecology), physical geography (major), environmental sciences (environmental protection, environmental planning) or comparable courses of study that you have acquired at a domestic or foreign university.

A proof of English language proficiency is no longer required.

For the Master's program Conservation and Landscape Planning, there is a so-called "soft transition" from the Bachelor's to the Master's program, i.e. at the time of application, students must provide evidence of module examinations amounting to:

• at least 120 credits in the case of a six-semester Bachelor's program,
• at least 150 credits in the case of a seven-semester Bachelor's program, and
• at least 180 credits in the case of an eight-semester Bachelor's degree program.

Proof of having passed the Bachelor's degree must then be submitted within one year of starting the Master's program.

Preliminary Documentation (VPD): Attention! Applicants with a qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. a Bachelor's degree) obtained outside the EU / EEA must apply via uni-assist.

First you have to apply for the VPD at uni-assist and then upload the VPD with your application at TUM. Note that processing your VPD by uni-assist can take 6-8 weeks. Be sure to apply for it as early as possible, at the latest before the TUM application deadline. If you apply late in the application period, you have to expect delays in handling your application at TUM. We can only handle your application once all documents are complete, which includes the VPD.
 

Semester fees and tuition fees at TUM

All students have to pay a semester fee for the student union (Studierendenwerk).

++ NEW ++ For international students from third countries, i.e. countries that do not belong to the European Economic Area, tuition fees will be charged from the winter semester 2024/25. All information on fee levels, waivers and scholarship programs can be found on the website on tuition fees for international students.
 

Application period and start of studies

The application period is from 01 April to 31 May each year for the following winter semester.
Start of the degree program is only possible in the winter semester. See here for semester dates. For the summer semester we only accept applications for higher semesters.

For international students, we strongly recommend to apply as early as possible.
 

Online application

Application is only possible via our online application portal (TUMonline), where you need to set up an applicant account. You find instructions for your online application here.  You do not have to submit any hardcopies before your application is reviewed and you receive an offer of admission. Please upload all documents to TUMonline before the end of the application deadline. Documents submitted via email cannot be processed.

Depending on your nationality and the country where you obtained your Bachelor’s degree, you will have to submit the different documents via our online application portal (TUMonline). Please check, which documents are necessary in your case and make sure, you have them ready for your online application. Documents issued in German or English need not be translated. Documents not issued in German or English must be translated by a sworn translator into either German or English. Please merge both the original and the translation and upload them as one PDF file. Be aware of specific regulations for certain countries and see glossary of documents for details on the requested application documents.

Please note: We can only consider your application if you upload all required documents and submit the complete application within the application period.
 

Aptitude assessment procedure

In a subsequent aptitude assessment process, we will check whether you have the appropriate qualifications and skills for the Master`s program Conservation and Landscape Planning. More information on the aptitude assessment can be found in the actual Academic and Examination Regulations (FPSO).
 

Enrollment

Once you are admitted to this program, you have to accept your study place in your applicant account. Subsequently you have to submit your certified paper copies for enrollment and pay the semester fees. All relevant information will appear in your TUMonline applicant account. See here for details on the enrolment process and here for the glossary of documents.

Please note that from the time where you receive admission, we will only contact you via your tum.de/mytum.de email address, that you find in your applicant account. Make sure that these emails can be received by you. See here for instructions how to set up your email address at TUM.

• Curriculum
  The degree chart gives you an overview and recommendation, which modules you should take in which semester according to academic and examination regulations (FPSO).
   
• Timetable (TUM ID required for login):
  This timetable is intended to give you an overview of the planned compulsory and elective modules of a semester. It is for orientation purposes only and will not be updated during the semester! 
  
  Via TUMonline you can have a timetable created for each semester according to FSPO.
  
  You can also create your own individual timetable, which can contain not only the dates of the selected courses, but also your personal appointments.
  
  First steps with TUMonline

Important note for part-time studies:

For each semester you study part-time, an individual study and examination plan has to be worked out together with the student advisory service. This plan is a binding regulation between you and TUM and may only be changed after consultation.

Please arrange an obligatory counselling interview with your academic advisor about 2-4 weeks before the start of the lecture. This obligatory regulation will no longer apply to the new 2023 version of the study program. However, we still recommend that you make an appointment with your student advisor based on your study and examination plan.

• General Academic and Examination Regulations at TUM (APSO)
• Academic and Examination Regulations (FPSO)
  • Academic and Examination Regulations 20231 (start of study from WS 23/24)

• Examination dates & registration via TUMonline
  In TUMonline you can register for the module examinations that accompany your studies. 

  Important: You can only take most of the exams if you have actively registered yourself via TUMonline within the registration period. The registration and deregistration period will be displayed at the exam date.

• Further examination matters
  • Academic progress check
  • Examinations
  • Recognitions
  • Theses
• Board of Examination
  The board of examination is a committee consisting of university professors and lecturers of the degree program. The chairperson of the board of examination of your degree program is Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Johannes Kollmann. Applications to the board of examination are received by the secretary and submitted to the board of examination for decision. You can reach the secretary by sending an email to examination.co(at)ls.tum.de.
• Diploma Supplement
  The Diploma Supplement is an English language addition to the university degree certificate. It describes the qualifications associated with the study programme according to uniform criteria.
  Diploma Supplement: List of activities and docket

A subject-specific stay abroad is planned for the 3rd semester. This internship can also be done abroad. Thanks to a variety of contracts and partnerships with foreign institutions as well as specific support and advice, there is a worldwide selection.

All further details on planning, funding and the internship report can be found here

• Information about the stay abroad (with TUM login only)
• Map of our Partner Universities
• Internship database of the TUM School of Life Sciences

Student Exchange Coordinator Landscape Studies (only for enrolled students):
Andreas Printz
Tel.: +49 8161 71 3714
a.printz(at)tum.de

More information about

• Internships
• Excursions

If full-time studies are not possible in your current life situation, we also offer you a part-time model. This model offers flexible options in special life situations, for example, for child-raising periods, caring for relatives, working or starting a business.

The possibility of being able to study this course of study part-time does not mean that there are special events in the evening or on weekends. Instead, there is the possibility of being restricted to certain days or only studying for certain periods on certain days.

Before the beginning of each semester you decide which level you would like to enrol in. The choice of level is linked to the maximum number of credits per semester. It is possible to change between the different forms (full-time, part-time 66% and part-time 50%) before each semester (changeover period see below) in order to be able to adapt to changing life situations.

By choosing different time models, the standard period of study can be extended or shortened. This results in an individual study duration.

Study plan

Your individual study plan has to be coordinated with the student advisory service before each semester. This obligatory regulation will no longer apply to the new 2023 version of the study program. However, we still recommend that you make an appointment with your student advisor based on your study and examination plan. You can use the offer from the full-time Master's programme for the preparation. In both part-time models, the modules are taken over a longer period of time.

Change to another time model

The change takes place in TUMonline in the user account. A different time level is selected online under Applications. Please note that the signed application must be sent by post to the Matriculation Office in Munich within the transfer period. The deadlines for the change are one week before the re-registration deadline (09 to 15 August for applications for the winter semester and 09 to 15 February for applications for the summer semester).

Application/Admission: Admission procedure - identical for all types of degree programmes
Costs per semester: identical for all types of study