What is it about?

This is a consecutive degree program that requires a bachelor's degree in the same or a related subject.

The four-semester master's program in Applied Geosciences at KIT aims to provide students with a practical and research-oriented qualification.

There are three thematic profiles:

1. Sustainable Energy, Raw Materials and Storage
2. Hydrogeology and Engineering
   
3. Mineralogy and Geochemistry

The degree program provides students with in-depth analytical, methodological and technical skills and enables them to conduct scientific research and to plan and carry out projects independently.

Graduates are excellently qualified for jobs in industry, the service sector, public administration and for an academic career (doctorate)

During your studies, you will focus on the sustainable use of groundwater, geoenergy and georesources in harmony with ecosystems. You will receive a sound scientific education. This will enable you to describe and interpret the special features, terminology, doctrines and limitations of the thematic core areas and elective subjects, to reflect the current state of research and to develop it further in specific areas.

By choosing your profile, you give your studies a content orientation that can also point the way for your future career.

The broad geoscientific knowledge you acquire enables you to address geological topics from different perspectives. Your interdisciplinary thinking will be trained. You will be able to work practically and use computer-based methods. You will be able to take a differentiated view of complex problems, information and current requirements and use suitable methods and concepts to analyze, compare, evaluate and implement them in a team.

Program structure

During your studies, you have various subjects, which consist of one or more modules. A module deals with a specific topic and consists of one or more courses. In the module handbook for your degree program, you will find a description of the modules and their subject assignment as well as a study plan. This gives you an orientation as to which courses you should attend in which semester in order to complete your studies within the standard period of study. It takes into account a balanced distribution of courses over the individual semesters. It also ensures that you are first taught the important basics before moving on to more advanced topics. Your individual course of study may differ from this.

The program consists of the subjects Geoscientific Specialization (70 CP), the subject-specific Supplement (20 CP) and a master's thesis with 30 CP.

You complete the modules in the Geoscientific Specialization and Subject-Specific Supplement in Master's semesters 1-3, so that you are well prepared for the Master's thesis, which is then due in the 4th Master's semester.

In the Geosciences Specialization (70 CP), you will choose one of the following profiles:

• Sustainable Energy-Resources-Storage - ERS: here you will focus on the sustainable use of geo-energy, geo-resources, raw materials and geothermal energy. The profile must be studied entirely in English
  
• Hydrogeology and Engineering - HYDRO-ING: in this profile, you will learn the basics, applications and methods of engineering and hydrogeology, e.g. sampling and data acquisition in the field, state-of-the-art laboratory analysis and experimental techniques as well as modeling of groundwater flow, heat and pollutant transport, mass movements or underground structures.
  
• Mineralogy and Geochemistry - MiG: You will deepen your knowledge of the building blocks of the earth (minerals, rocks, soils) as well as their structural composition and chemical composition. The focus is on the processes and mechanisms that lead to the formation and overprinting of minerals, rocks, soils and fluids/water.
  

Compulsory modules of 20 CP and compulsory elective modules of 50 CP must be completed in each profile.

In the Subject-Related Supplement, you choose modules on supplementary geoscientific topics (20 CP).

You can find more detailed information about the subject structure and the modules included in the subjects in the module handbook.

Stays abroad

KIT offers a wide range of options for stays abroad, from individual courses to a year abroad. Especially if you are interested in a longer stay abroad, it is advisable to contact the International Students Office or the KIT Department of Civil Engineering, Geo and Environmental Sciences directly to find out about outgoing options at an early stage.

Master's thesis

The degree program concludes with a master's thesis (30 CP). The master's thesis should demonstrate that you are able to work on a problem from your field of study independently and within a limited period of time using scientific methods. The maximum duration of the master's thesis is 6 months. In the master's degree program Applied Geosciences it consists of a written thesis and a presentation. The master's thesis can be written in German or English.

Graduates of Applied Geosciences are offered a multitude of possibilites in engineering offices, business consultancies or in other areas of the industry (construction industry, mining, oil industry, drilling industry, water supply works...) as well as in administration, administrative bodies and orginazations. The work area ranges from renewable energy, ground water exploitation and protection to exploitation and restoration of residual waste, survey and exploration of natural resources, prognosis and prevention of natural disasters to preservation of the environment. Aside of a direct start in a professional career, graduates with very good grades can also consider a doctorate which can offer a subsequent career in research and teaching.

Characteristic features of the Applied Geosciences M.Sc. at KIT

• involvement of students in current research projects
  
• close contact with lecturers and scientific staff
  
• numerous excursions lasting several days in Germany and abroad
  
• state-of-the-art laboratory equipment
  
• international programs such as EPICUR and Eucor as well as overseas programs
  

What KIT has to offer

• central campus close to the city forest and right next to the city center
  
• 24-hour library offering single and group working places
  
• wide range of inexpensive catering options (dining hall, cafeteria, Koeri and Pizzawerk)
  
• numerous interdisciplinary offers for personal and professional development, e.g. Lernlabor, Schreiblabor and Perspektivenlabor
  
• study abroad, e.g. via Erasmus
  
• excellent university sports facilities with a large selection of sports
  
• comprehensive cultural offerings with university orchestras, choirs and theater groups
  
• extensive support for career entry and self-employment
  
• internationally oriented degree programs and diverse exchange programs
  
• modern laboratories and practical teaching methods
  
• Lernraum app
  
• diverse student initiatives, clubs and opportunities to actively participate in campus life
  
• stay in touch after graduation via the alumni network
  

Admission requirements

Admission requirements for the master's degree program in Applied Geosciences are based on the current admission regulations:

• bachelor's degree
  an above-average bachelor's degree (or at least an equivalent degree) in Applied Geosciences (or a degree program with essentially the same content) at a university, university of applied sciences, university of cooperative education or dual university or at a foreign university. The above-average grade is measured by the average final grade of bachelor's students of Applied Geosciences at KIT in the last three years. The program must have been completed within a standard period of study of at least three years and with a minimum number of 180 ECTS credits.
  
• minimum knowledge and minimum achievements in the following areas
  • Geosciences 20 LP
  • Mathematics 10 CP
  • Chemistry and/or Physics 10 CP
  • at least a further 30 CP from Natural Sciences, Geosciences or Environmental Sciences
    

Language requirements and certificates

For the master's degree program in Applied Geosciences, you need sufficient knowledge of German or English. Your German language skills must be at least level C1 and your English language skills at least level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The

Proof of sufficient German language skills

Your school-leaving certificate is sufficient proof of your German language skills if

• you obtainted it at a German-speaking school in Germany or abroad
• you are a graduate of a bilingual secondary school in Germany or abroad and have passed a bilingual German examination, such as the AbiBac or the Gemischtsprachiges International Baccalaureat (GIB)
• you obtained your degree at a foreign school, but there is another official agreement with the respective country on the recoginition of your school-leaving certificate or language certificate as proof of language proficiency for university studies in Germany

A complete list of foreign school-leaving and language certificates that are recognizes as proof of sufficient German language skills can be found on the webste of the Kultusministerkonferenz (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany).

If you have not obtained your higher education entrance qualification (HZB) at one of the above-mentioned institutions, you must provide a separate language certificate - regardless of your nationality. Only the following are accepted

• the passed „Prüfungsteil Deutsch“ of the Feststellungsprüfung,
• the passed DSH with an overall result DSH-2,
• the passed TestDaF level 4 in all four parts of the examination (reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression, oral expression)
• a comparable, recognized certificate of sufficient German language skills

To find our which other recognized certificates can be accepted by KIT as comparable, please contact

• as a German or German-equivalent applicant: Studierendenservice
• as an applicant with non- EU citizenship: International Students Office

Proof of sufficient English language skills

The following is sufficient proof of your English language skills

• your Abitur certificate, if you have taken English for at least five years up to graduation and your final or average grade of the last two years of English lessons corresponds to at least the German grade 4 (sufficient) or at least 5 points or
• a degree from a university with English as the sole language of instruction and examination, whereby English must be the only and official language of the completed degree program noted in the diploma supplement, the transcript of records or the degree certificate
  

Otherwise, only the internationally recognized English tests listed in the KIT admission and enrollment regulations are accepted as proof. These are

• Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) with at least 90 points in the internet-based test or

• IELTS with an overall score of at least 6.5 and no section below 5.5 or

• University of Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or

• University of Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) or

• UNIcert at least level II

Please note:
Language certificates are extremely important application documents that can prevent your enrollment if you do not submit them on time. Therefore, check early on in the application process whether you have the necessary language certificates for your degree program and, if necessary, plan to take one of the language tests mentioned above. The deadline by which you must submit language certificates corresponds to the enrollment deadline stated in your admission offer. In justified cases, you can apply for an extension of this deadline. The extension can be granted until the start of the lecture period at the latest.

• KIT-Department of Civil Engineering, Geo and Environmental Sciences
• Institute of Applied Geosciences
• Academic advisor
• Head of examination board
• Information about exchange programs and studying abroad
• Study Association Geosciences

• Course catalog current term
• Course catalog current term PDF (English)
• Archive of previous catalogs