International Programmes 2024/2025

Natural Resources Management and Development (Master of Science) Natural Resources Management and Development (MSc)

Technische Hochschule Köln (University of Applied Sciences) • Köln

Degree
Master of Science
Teaching language
  • English
Languages

Courses are held in English. Students can choose to write the Master's thesis in English or German.

Full-time / part-time
  • full-time
Programme duration
4 semesters
Beginning
Winter semester
Application deadline

For all applicants: Please check the "How to Apply" section of the individual TH Köln programme websites.

Foreign applicants not applying for a DAAD EPOS scholarship:
Application period for self-paying candidates: beginning of February until 31 March at the latest for the coming winter semester at uni-assist

German applicants:
Application period: beginning of May until 10 June at the latest for the coming winter semester at TH Köln online application portal (CaMS)

Application for a DAAD EPOS scholarship:
PLEASE CHECK DETAILS ON ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.
Application period: 1 August until 30 September at the latest for the winter semester of the following year

Tuition fees per semester in EUR
None
Combined Master's degree / PhD programme
No
Joint degree / double degree programme
No
Description/content

Within the MSc NRM programme students get acquainted with natural resources management related topics like agricultural economics, eco-balancing and decision-support systems, food security, land use systems, public services and housing provision, resource-efficient buildings and quarters, urban and community based management, and others.
It is possible to add elective modules from the MSc programmes in Integrated Water Resource Management and Renewable Energy Management.

Course organisation

The Master's programme starts in the winter semester of each academic year. It consists of modules, which are usually block-structured. During the first three semesters, students attend lectures and seminars; the fourth semester is devoted to writing the Master's thesis, normally in conjunction with a period abroad. The standard period of study includes the examination and research semester.

The programme is structured in the following parts:

  • First semester: basic modules (Geography, Economics, Project Management, International Cooperation and Information Sciences), project work
  • Second and third semesters: specification modules from the areas "Environmental and Land Use Management" and "Urban and Regional Management"; in addition, elective modules from the areas "Integrated Water Resources Management", "Renewable Energy Management" as well as "Methods and Tools" can be chosen
  • Fourth semester: field research abroad (up to three months) and Master's thesis
International elements
  • International guest lecturers
  • Training in intercultural skills
  • Courses are led with foreign partners
  • Projects with partners in Germany and abroad
  • Content-related regional focus
Special promotion / funding of the programme
  • DAAD development-related postgraduate course
  • ERASMUS+
Course-specific, integrated German language courses
No
Course-specific, integrated English language courses
No
Tuition fees per semester in EUR
None
Semester contribution

Approx. 305 EUR per semester

Included in the semester fee is the semester ticket for public transport for the whole of Germany.

Costs of living

The cost of living for your stay largely depends on your personal needs. When planning your stay, you should calculate monthly costs of approx. 1,000 EUR.

Funding opportunities within the university
Yes
Description of the above-mentioned funding opportunities within the university

International students are eligible to apply for the "Deutschlandstipendium". The scholarship holders receive approx. 300 EUR per month for the duration of one year.

Academic admission requirements

For admission to the Master's programme in Natural Resources Management and Development (MSc), applicants are required to have successfully completed studies in the scope of the programme (at least a Bachelor's or comparable degree). The following fields of study are eligible: engineering science, natural science, architecture, agriculture science, life science and earth science.

There is a set of minimum requirements that participants have to fulfil:

  • Bachelor's degree with minimum grade of 3.0 (according to the German System)
  • Proof of a relation to the management of natural resources through the previous studies of minimum 15 ECTS
  • Proof of English proficiency (see language requirements)

The following application documents are required:

  • Letter of motivation (one page in English)
  • Curriculum vitae (in tabular form)
  • Scientific project/research proposal for the Master's thesis (two pages in English)
  • Certified copies of academic certificates:
    • Certified copy of school leaving certificate
    • All university end-of-year exam certificates (with individual grades)
    • University diploma or degree certificate indicating the final grade(s)
Language requirements
  • Certified proficiency in English – TOEFL iBT 79 points, IELTS Band 6.0 (academic), Cambridge First (FCE)
  • The English proficiency test should not be older than five years.
  • Foreign applicants applying for a DAAD EPOS scholarship: Basic German language skills are recommended.
Application deadline

For all applicants: Please check the "How to Apply" section of the individual TH Köln programme websites.

Foreign applicants not applying for a DAAD EPOS scholarship:
Application period for self-paying candidates: beginning of February until 31 March at the latest for the coming winter semester at uni-assist

German applicants:
Application period: beginning of May until 10 June at the latest for the coming winter semester at TH Köln online application portal (CaMS)

Application for a DAAD EPOS scholarship:
PLEASE CHECK DETAILS ON ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.
Application period: 1 August until 30 September at the latest for the winter semester of the following year

Submit application to

If you are a prospective international student, the way to apply is determined by your citizenship, your desired degree programme, and your previous academic qualifications.

Further information on how to apply: www.th-koeln.de/howtoapply

 

Possibility of finding part-time employment

Taking on a part-time job while studying has lots of benefits. Students can earn some extra money and gain valuable professional experience, and they might even take a first step up on the career ladder. Gaining a first insight into the German corporate world is especially beneficial for international students.
Many students partially fund their studies at TH Köln by taking on a part-time job in or outside the university.

Accommodation

Being Germany's fourth largest city, Cologne is a highly attractive place to live. The increasing influx of people can make the search for adequate accommodation quite difficult. Dozens of apartment hunters often compete for one single apartment. This is why we strongly recommend that you start looking for a place to live as soon as possible.

Cologne's most convenient and economical housing option is often a student dormitory. A public student services association called "Kölner Studierendenwerk" (KSTW) operates 88 student dorms offering roughly 4,800 rooms. The seemingly large number of dorm rooms is misleading; as the dormitories are open to the roughly 90,000 students enrolled at all Cologne universities, they are in extremely high demand. Please be aware that TH Köln does not allocate the rooms in these dorms. Please apply directly to the KSTW: https://www.kstw.de/wohnen. You do not yet need a letter of admission in order to apply.

The fierce competition on the private housing market has resulted in above-market rents – particularly in proximity of the city centre. We therefore encourage you to be flexible. Try to look for apartments outside the centre or share an apartment – and the cost of rent – with other students.

www.th-koeln.de/accommodation

Support for international students and doctoral candidates
  • Welcome event
  • Accompanying programme

Technische Hochschule Köln (University of Applied Sciences)

Content Bild
Main building, Südstadt Campus, TH Köln © TH Köln

Technische Hochschule Köln – abbreviated as TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences – sees itself as a university of technology, arts, and sciences. With its disciplinary and cultural diversity and openness, TH Köln's activities are aimed at cultural and technological breakthroughs of high societal relevance. Thus, TH Köln contributes substantially to resolving social challenges. As a community of faculty and students, we see ourselves as a learning organisation forging new paths. For instance, TH Köln is one of the pioneers in the field of development and formation of concepts for higher education didactics.

Our subject range includes the fields of applied natural sciences, architecture and construction, information and communication, computer science, engineering, culture and society, and social sciences as well as business studies. More than 100 degree programmes are offered as full-time programmes or, in some cases, as career-integrated or part-time programmes. As a place where research-based learning and academic education take place, the university nurtures prospective scholars through cooperative dissertations. Annually, more than 5,000 students take up their studies at TH Köln. Overall, 23,500 students from about 120 different countries along with 430 professors and 2,000 staff members apply their potential.

Research mainly focuses on future-related issues, including climate change, energy supply, health, and food safety as well as demographic changes. While developing solution strategies for the most important questions of our time, researchers offer their professional expertise in interdisciplinary interaction. At the same time, they collaborate closely with local, national, and international cooperation partners, including 350 international institutions of higher education. The university offers its researchers an attractive sphere of activity. The quality seal "HR Excellence in Research" awarded by the European Commission certifies that TH Köln meets international standards in the field of human resources development.
TH Köln’s campuses are located in Cologne, Gummersbach, and Leverkusen.

23,500 Number of students
4,000 Number of international students

University location

Its metropolitan vibe, diverse student scene and a cityscape abounding with cultural and historical treasures make Cologne one of Europe's prime university cities. Cologne's origins date back to the Roman Empire more than 2,000 years ago. Today, Cologne is Germany's fourth largest city with a population of just over one million and has evolved as an economic and cultural metropolis at the heart of Europe. The city's characteristic landmark and source of pride for every inhabitant is without a doubt the magnificent Cologne Cathedral, locally known as the "Kölner Dom". Towering over the quaint Old Town of Cologne at 156 metres, this masterpiece of Gothic architecture is the world's third-highest cathedral and attracts around six million visitors a year, making it Germany's most popular tourist attraction. Visitors from all over the world are bound to feel at home immediately, as Cologne is a true melting pot of cultures. Close to one-fifth of its inhabitants have an international background. Cologne's economy is characterised by its amalgamation of different industries and trades. Home to the country's most influential television and radio stations, Cologne is unquestionably Germany's media capital and host to some of the continent's biggest trade fairs. Quite a few of the world's most renowned enterprises call the metropolitan region their home, in particular, corporations operating in the automobile industry, biotechnology and life sciences, chemicals and pharmaceuticals as well as commerce and banking.

Please note that TH Köln also has two remote campuses outside Cologne, which are located in the towns of Gummersbach and Leverkusen.

Gummersbach is a town with 50,000 inhabitants located 55 km east of Cologne, surrounded by a hilly landscape which is a recreational area for residents from Cologne and other cities nearby. The campus can be reached in a few minutes from Gummersbach train station. A train ride to Cologne, which is the largest city in the region, takes one hour and ten minutes and will be covered by the semester ticket, which is included in the semester fee. Students will be able to find affordable accommodation in Gummersbach and focus on their studies in the great environment of a modern campus.

The Leverkusen campus is located 15 km north of Cologne in the Neue Bahnstadt Opladen and was opened in 2022. It is close to the CHEMPARK in Leverkusen, which is one of the largest chemical parks in Europe. Global players from the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, such as Bayer and LANXESS, are located there. With 160,000 inhabitants, Leverkusen is a smaller industrial city that has plenty of opportunities for relaxation, thanks to its location in the foothills of the Bergisches Land region. In Leverkusen, you can find urban buzz and village-like tranquillity in close proximity. The campus can also be reached with TH Köln's semester ticket.

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