Program structure

There is one major project per semester and one impromptu project in each of the first three semesters. In addition, compulsory elective and elective modules need to be selected from the curriculum offered by the four institutes of the KIT-Department. Students also must attend seminars to acquire interdisciplinary qualifications. The program concludes with the master's project and an accompanying colloquium. Overall, there is a great deal of freedom in the selection of in-depth projects in the master's program. The individual modules are defined in the curriculum, which is announced before the start of the program.

Graduates of the master's degree program in Architecture primarily work as managers in the planning, design and layout of buildings and building concepts in architect's offices and engineering firms or as freelance architects. Membership of the "Architektenkammer" (Chamber of Architects) is required for freelance work, which is only possible with a master's degree. In addition, architects also can find work in construction planning, historic preservation, urban planning and development, landscape planning and design, traffic planning, spatial planning in public building construction and for planning authorities and private institutions. Other potential employers include design offices and other design service providers, real estate management companies and professional and higher education institutions (in the field of research and teaching). Architects are also consulted for planning, design and technical advice on various types of construction projects. A master's degree also offers the possibility of an academic career in science and research and also lays the foundations for a subsequent doctorate.

Characteristic features of the Architecture M.Sc. at KIT

• intensive personal supervision by teaching staff with national and international reputations
  
• involvement of students in research projects in all disciplines
  
• certification of special areas of study
  
• contingent of drawing workstations in spacious studios
  
• wide range of well-equipped and supervised study workshops
  
• comprehensive loan of equipment for model making
  
• extensive specialist library for architecture
  
• materials library with a focus on sustainable building materials
  
• printer room that can be used around the clock (plot pool)
  
• Southwest German Archive for Architecture and Civil Engineering (saai)
  
• networking with numerous cultural institutions in the region
  

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

The requirements for admission to the master's degree program in Architecture are based on the current admission regulations:

• bachelor's degree
  a Bachelor's degree (or at least an equivalent degree) in Architecture (or a program with essentially the same content) from a university, university of applied sciences, university of cooperative education or a foreign university. 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
  • Design (60 CP), including an urban planning project to the extent of at least 10 CP
  • Building Technology (30 CP)
  • Theoretical and Historical Foundations (20 CP)
  • Design and Presentation (20 CP)
  • Urban and Landscape Planning (15 CP)
  Important: applicants must assign the credits earned in the bachelor's degree program to the areas on a form provided for this purpose.
  If minimum achievements amounting to a maximum of 30 CP are missing, admission may be granted on condition that these achievements are completed within the first three semesters of the master's degree program.
• Internship
  A twelve-week full-time internship in an architectural office or in a building construction department of an office or a large company
  If the internship is missing, admission may be granted on condition that it is completed by the start of the third semester of the master's degree program.
• Subject-specific study aptitude test (design and project portfolio / interview)
  Successful participation in a subject-specific aptitude test in accordance with § 6 of the statutes for the university's own admission and selection procedure for the master's degree program in Architecture, consisting of a design and project portfolio with work samples and an additional obligatory interview, if 41 to 60 points were achieved in the portfolio
• Letter of motivation
  a letter of motivation of no more than 500 words for the master's degree program in Architecture at KIT

Language requirements and certificates

For the master's degree program in Architecture, 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).

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.

There are 94 places available each year. These are allocated on the basis of a ranking list of applicants who meet the admission requirements. The ranking list is based on a maximum of 100 achievable points.

You can achieve in detail

• max. 15 points for the overall grade of the final academic examination
• max. 5 points for your letter of motivation
• max. 80 points for the subject-specific study aptitude test (design and project portfolio / interview)

If you score 61 points or more, the study aptitude test is considered passed. If you score 40 points or less, you will fail and receive a rejection. If your result is between 41 and 60 points, you will be invited to an obligatory interview in accordance with § 6 of the statutes for the university's admission and selection procedure for the master's degree program in Architecture.

Detailed information on the time, registration and other modalities of the interview can be found on the department's website for the master's degree program in Architecture. If you have any further questions, please contact the department's academic advisor directly.

Additional contacts:

• KIT-Department of Architecture
• Academic advisor
• Examination board
• Information about exchange programs and studying abroad

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