Application deadline

Application is only possible for the winter and summer semester.
Application deadline: July 15 for the winter semester, January 15 for the summer semester.

Please note

All application documents must be be uploaded in digital form (PDF) in the application portal. Submission in paper form is not possible. This also applies to the design or project portfolio.

Admission restriction

The Master's program is admission-restricted.

Prerequisites for admission to the master's program in architecture at KIT:

1. bachelor degree

a passed* bachelor's degree (or at least an equivalent degree) in the study program Architecture (or a study program with essentially the same content) at a university, university of applied sciences or university of cooperative education or at a foreign university. The studies must have been completed within a standard period of study of at least three years and with a minimum number of 180 ECTS credits,

2. minimum knowledge and minimum achievements in the areas**:

• Design to the extent of 60 LP, of which one urban design project to the extent of at least 10 LP.
• Building technology to the extent of 30 LP
• Theoretical and historical foundations to the extent of 20 LP
• Design and representation to the extent of 20 LP and
• Urban and landscape planning to the extent of 15 LP.

Important!

The assignment of the achievements in the Bachelor's program to the areas must be made by the applicant on a form.

3. internship***

A twelve-week full-time internship in an architectural office or in a structural engineering department of an office or a large company.

4. German language skills

for applicants whose native language is not German, proof of sufficient knowledge of the German language according to the requirements of the admission and matriculation regulations of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT),

5. passing of the examination

that there is no final failure of an examination required by the examination regulations in the course of studies in architecture or a related course of studies with essentially the same content and that the examination entitlement still exists for other reasons as well

6. subject-specific aptitude test (project portfolio/conversation)

Successful participation in a subject-specific study ability test consisting of a project portfolio and, if applicable, an interview.

The design or project portfolio with work samples should consist of self-selected original works from the bachelor's degree, predominantly created through individual effort during the bachelor's studies. It should also include a tabular curriculum vitae and is to be submitted as a PDF document with a maximum of 30 pages in DIN A4 format.

The design or project portfolio is evaluated on a scale from 0 to 80 points.

If a score of at least 61 points is achieved, the portfolio meets the requirements and the subject-specific study skills test is passed.

If the score is below 41 points, the subject-specific aptitude test is not passed.

If you score between 41 and 60 points, you will be invited to an interview.

In the interview, you should be able to apply specialist content from your studies and professional experience to questions and objectives in architecture. This includes the topics of design, the understanding of architectural issues, the ability to work scientifically and the technical language competence. Your interview behavior will also be evaluated in terms of expressive language, approach to discussing problems, and coherence of argumentation.

The interview will take place on the premises of KIT in Karlsruhe and will last about 20 minutes.

The interviews for the application for the winter semester 2024/25 will take place from Monday, July 29, 2024, to Friday, August 2, 2024, either in the Architecture Building, Building 20.40, at KIT Campus South, or as an online meeting.

The interview will be evaluated on a scale from 0 to 20 points.

If the total score in the interview is at least 10 points, the subject-specific study ability test is passed.

Letter of motivation

For the formation of the ranking list, a letter of motivation of a maximum of 500 words for the choice of the Master's program in Architecture at KIT must be attached.

In the letter, please explain why you are applying for the master's program in architecture at KIT, why you consider yourself suitable for this program, and what goals and expectations you have for the study of architecture at KIT.

Ranking list

A ranking list will be drawn up among the applicants who meet the admission requirements:

• Overall grade of the academic degree (15 points)
• Letter of motivation (5 points)
• Design/project portfolio (80 points)

Due to the high number of applicants, not all applicants who meet the admission requirements can usually be admitted. This means that even after successfully completing the interview, admission may not be granted because the placement on the ranking list is in the lower range.

Footnotes:

* Admission to the Master's program in Architecture can also be applied for if the Bachelor's degree has not yet been obtained by the application deadline, and if it can be expected, based on the applicant's previous course of study, in particular his/her previous examination results, that the applicant will complete the Bachelor's program in good time before starting the Master's program in Architecture.

In this case, an average grade can be taken into account in the admission and selection decision, which is determined on the basis of the previous examination results. The applicant takes part in the admission and selection procedure exclusively with the average grade determined and the previous study and examination achievements. The subsequent result of the Bachelor's degree is disregarded. The application must be accompanied by a certificate of the study and examination achievements (e.g. extract of grades) up to the end of the application period.

** If up to 30 LP of the aforementioned achievements are missing, the applicant can still be admitted with the achievements actually made if he/she successfully completes and proves these achievements within the first three semesters of the Master's program in addition to the study and examination achievements required according to the relevant study and examination regulations of the Master's program in Architecture.

*** If the twelve-week professional internship pursuant to Paragraph 2 No. 4 is missing, the applicant may nevertheless be admitted in individual cases on condition that he/she successfully completes the internship by the beginning of the third semester of the Master's degree program. The fulfillment of the condition must be proven at the latest for re-registration in the fourth semester.

• Download Master's application processhandout​​​​​​​
• Form for the verification of professional knowledge from the first degree for the application to the master's program in architecture

To the KIT application portal

The application portal usually opens 6 to 8 weeks before the application deadline.

All dates of info sessions, draft presentations, seminar choices on one page.

The current semester dates can be found on the KIT website.

Bachelor's and Master's degree program in Architecture
and Bachelor's and Master's degree program in Art History
Winter semester 2024/25 (as of: 31.07.2024)

Der Ablauf des Studiums ist in den jeweiligen Studien- und Prüfungsordnungen geregelt. 

• Neue Studienordnung ab SoSe 2021: SPO 2021 (AB 011)
• Studienordnung ab WS 2016/17: SPO 2016 (AB 070)
• § 18/19 Anerkennung von Studien- und Prüfungsleistungen

The module handbook describes the modules belonging to the respective degree program, the dependencies between them, the learning objectives and the type of assessment.

Winter semester 2024/25:

Past semesters:

Summer 2021
Pdf: Master Architecture (SPO2016): german
Online version: Master Architecture (SPO2016): German

Module handbook Master Architecture - summer semester 2019 (SPO 2016) as PDF
Online module handbook for the Master's degree program in Architecture (SPO 2016)
Module handbook Master Architecture - winter semester 2016/17 (SPO 2012)
Module handbook Master Architecture - winter semester 2018/19 (SPO 2016) as PDF
Online module handbook for the Master's degree program in Architecture (SPO 2016)
Module handbook Master Architecture - summer semester 2018 (SPO 2016) as PDF
Online module handbook for the Master's degree program in Architecture (SPO 2016)
Module handbook Master Architecture - winter semester 2017/18 (SPO 2016) as PDF
Module handbook Master Architecture - summer semester 2017 (SPO 2016)
Module handbook Master Architecture - winter semester 2016/17 (SPO 2016)
Module handbook Master Architecture - summer semester 2016
Module handbook Master Architecture - winter semester 2015/16
Module handbook Master Architecture - summer semester 2015
Module handbook Master Architecture - winter semester 2014/15
Module Handbook Master Architecture - Summer Semester 2014
Module Handbook Master Architecture - Winter semester 2013/14
Module Handbook Master Architecture - Summer Semester 2013

• Study Plan Master Architecture (SPO 2016), 21.09.2018
• Exemplary Study Plan Master (SPO 2021) german | english, 01.10.2022

Das Studiendekanat ist Anlaufstelle für alle Fragen zur Organisation des Studiums (Zulassung, Studienablauf, Anerkennungen, Prüfungen, Praktikum etc.), die nicht direkt mit den Lehrenden bzw. an den Professuren geklärt werden können.

Studiendekanat
Geb. 20.40, 1.OG, Raum 139
Ute Hofmann
Tel: 608-43879
Öffungszeiten:
Mo bis Do, 09:00-12:00 Uhr
und Di 14:00-16:00 Uhr

Studienkoordination / Studienberatung
Dipl.-Ing. Doris Kern
Tel: 608-42673
Geb. 20.40, 1. OG, Raum 140
Sprechzeiten: dienstags 14–17 Uhr
nach Vereinbarung: doris kern ∂does-not-exist.kit edu

Studiendekanin Architektur
Prof. Dr. Barbara Engel (Architektur)
Tel: 608-42170
Geb. 11.40, 1. OG, Raum 109

An overview of the courses can be found

• in the online course catalog
• in the semester program booklet
• and as a poster exhibition in the dean's office corridor (between room 136 to 143) on the 1st floor of building 20.40

Welcome to the Master's program in Architecture at the KIT Department of Architecture! We want you to get off to a good start with us and have compiled information and offers to help you get started.

The orientation phase for the winter semester 2024/25 will take place in the week from 7 to 11.10.2024.

The faculty's semester brochure
The semester brochure provides an overview of the faculty, the courses on offer and the semester schedule. It is published shortly before the start of the semester.

All the information you need to plan and complete your studies:
Under "Study programmes" on the faculty website, you will find the important dates, links and information to keep an eye on the organizational aspects of your studies.

All rooms listed are located in the architecture building
(Building 20.40, Englerstraße 7, 76131 Karlsruhe)

Technical information of the SCC

The Steinbuch Center for Computing (SCC) is responsible for KIT's information technology. To help you get started, the SCC has compiled some relevant information such as how to activate your KIT user account, how to set up your e-mail account, how to prepare your KIT Card and much more.
http://www.scc.kit.edu/dienste/erstsemester.php

KIT and the Faculty of Architecture use information and administration systems that directly affect your study organization, be it in teaching, when documents are made available, when dates for the semester schedule are published, or when you have to register for exams. The various portals and websites fulfill different functions. The most important ones for you are briefly presented here.

Website of the KIT Department of Architecture

www.arch.kit.edu

The website of the KIT Department of Architecture functions as a pure information website. It provides an overview of the various institutions, persons, and committees of the department as well as of the courses offered. It also announces current events, dates, and publications. In the section "Organisation of studies" you can find important dates, timetables, forms etc.. There are also video tutorials on how to register for and deregister from exams to help you with this process.

The various professorships of the department also have websites. The links to these can be found under the menu item "Institutes". The websites are maintained by the professorships themselves and differ in scope and offer.

Campus Management Portal

https://campus.studium.kit.edu

The Campus Management Portal is a central platform of KIT, which manages courses, exam registration and deregistration, re-registration for the next study semester and all possible certificates. Compared to the department website, it is not only about information, but about your personal study organization. If you have difficulties with the Campus Management Portal, the Dean of Studies Office of the Department (Building 20.40, Room 139) can often help.

WiWi Portal

https://portal.wiwi.kit.edu/ys?id=6

The WiWi-Portal is used to allocate places for courses. It is only relevant in the weeks before the lecture period. Registration usually takes place via the KIT account, but if this is not yet available, registration with a private email address is also possible.

ILIAS

https://ilias.studium.kit.edu

KIT uses the learning platform ILIAS. Here, teachers can set up courses for individual learning events and modules and then make learning materials available or set up submissions. ILIAS can also be used to send e-mails or set up calendars for courses. In most cases, the professorships set up a course and then inform the students concerned about the respective joining procedure. This can be done by the professors themselves or with a link and/or password. You should definitely join the corresponding ILIAS courses in order to receive the emails and materials for the courses and to be able to hand in required performances on time!

Semester program booklet
Information on the start of studies of the architecture student council
Start of studies page of the KIT