at a glance The Interdisciplinary Master Course 'International Cooperation and Urban Development' addresses the rapid urbanization process in countries of the South and looks at possibilities to prevent or alleviate the problems invariably associated with it. Conventional wisdom of town planning has proven of little use to deal with the situation: the highly complex phenomenon calls for innovative and complex responses that incorporate physical, managerial, economic and social elements simultaneously. Adequate professional methodologies develop in the field and cannot be copied from the text books. Therefore this Master course will provide up-to date knowledge about current theories and practices of urban development planning especially in countries of the South and in the East. As a large proportion of investments in this field involve foreign aid and finance, a second focus is placed on international cooperation where there exists an unsatisfied need for well prepared experts. The 2-year course is innovative in its transdisciplinary set-up, arranging knowledge around an emerging global phenomenon rather than starting from the conventional academic faculty framework. Most Lecturers are internationally distinguished scholars and practitioners in the topic of their respective training module, which guarantees a quality level that could not be attained by a course relying on the home faculty of any university world wide. The multi-national composition of both students and academic staff fosters the building of a world-wide professional network - an indispensable asset in this particular professional setting.

Tuition is in English and up to 20 students are admitted every year. Applicants must have a first university degree and should have a minimum of 1 year work experience in the field of urban development or international cooperation. Graduates will be awarded a Master of Science degree after successful completion of the course and be eligible for a subsequent PhD study in the European Union.
 
main topics of tuition The first year of the Master consists of a keystone course dedicated to an integral understanding of space, society and technology in urban development in the context of proceeding globalization. It is is geared towards the capability to conceive, oversee and evaluate comprehensive urban projects in the sense of sustainable development. The following list of topics refers to module packages, which on their own include a large number of specialized topics. For details please refer to the course outlines

• Urban Development Strategies (strategic & micro planning, responding to globalization pressures, urban governance, regional planning)

• Urban management (decentralization, participatory budgeting, land management, programme and project funding) Physical planning (urban design, participatory practice, cultural heritage development)

• Urban technologies (sanitation, mobility, healthy cities, disaster mitigation)

• Social development planning (millennium goals and poverty reduction, conflict management & violence prevention, gender issues,

• migration and urban social segregation)

• Urban ecology (urban footprints, energy conservation, micro climatic regulation, urban farming, environmental impact assessment) Housing policies (tenure and finance, micro credits, neighbourhood upgrading, large housing estates)

• International co-operation skills (project planning, budgeting and evaluation methods, aid and funding agencies, fund raising,

• presentation skills & training)

• Academic skills (research methods, surveying, tuition & marketing didactics)

• Free elective choices from within all university faculties.

The second study year provides the opportunity for further specializations in a field of knowledge other than the student's first university degree to be acquired during an exchange term at another university. The resulting double qualification allows a graduate from this course to subsequently fill a professional niche unattended by the conventional university system. Alternatively students may opt for an internship at an urban planning office or in an international organization which will be particularly rewarding for students whose work experience is limited to the academic world. The remainder part of Year Two foresees an off-campus experience (urban development project or field research) in a country other than the student’s place of origin and the preparation of the master thesis.

   
time and diplomas

 

 The standard course leads to an internationally recognized Master of Science degree (MSc) and runs over four semesters (120 ECTS credit points). During the first year, two periods of 15 weeks presence each is required in Darmstadt. The second year is divided between augmentation of international experience (university exchange term or internship plus two months field work) – a typical requirement for applications for employment in international co-operation – and the preparation of the master's thesis (no permanent presence required).
Students achieving very good results may carry on with a PhD study which can be concluded in a relatively short period, since the formal, scientific and methodological foundations have already been laid in the master's course.
Students who - for professional or personal reasons - can only afford to be absent from their home country for a shorter period, may receive a postgraduate diploma (dip.grad.) after 10 month's attendance in Darmstadt.
 
   
cost

 

 The tuition fee for the basic course (first year) is 5000 EUR; the fee for the subsequent international term varies according to the chosen partner university (between 0 and 2000 EUR), and the supervision fee for the Master's thesis is 900 EUR.

In addition inscription costs about 200 Euros have to be paid to the Studentenwerk Darmstadt. It includes the `semester ticketī for local public transport. Further information can be found at:
http://www.tu-darmstadt.de/stud_sekretariat/rueckmeldung.tud