Master of Science

Sustainable Development

Have you already completed a Bachelor's degree in Sustainable Development or something similar? Would you now like to delve even deeper into sustainable topics and the major eco-social issues of our time?
In our Master's degree programme in Sustainable Development, you will deepen your knowledge and intensify your skills to actively shape sustainable change and tackle challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and social inequality.

At a glance

Degree:: Master of Science
Standard period of study:: 3 semesters
Programme start:: Summer and winter semester
Campus:: Bochum

Instruction language:: German and english
Credit points:: 90 credit points
Type of programme:: Full-time studies
Type of admission (NC):: Open admission (no NC)

All information about the application

About the programme

What is the relationship between sustainability and technology? How can climate change and biodiversity loss be stopped? Which social developments promote the great transformation? What are the possibilities and limits of a bio-based circular economy? – These and many more exciting questions await you on our Master's degree programme in Sustainable Development.
As with our other sustainability degree programmes, the topic of sustainability is examined holistically from a natural, economic, engineering and social science perspective.
To this end, you will deepen your knowledge in key areas of sustainability, deal with approaches to sustainability science and acquire the ability to implement these using various methods – not only theoretically, but also applied in a project of your choice. For two semesters, you will actively participate in current sustainability-related research and transfer projects,

In the "eelo - electric velomobile" project, you will research the alternative Electric Mobility of the future and develop roadworthy vehicles.
The "Repair Culture" project supports the empowerment of people to repair and thus a social development away from the "throwaway mentality" towards a more sustainability-conscious way of life.
In the "Carbon Sequestration" project, you are researching the permanent storage of the atmospheric greenhouse gas CO2 using natural processes.

These are just a few of the many projects. More exciting ones are added every semester.

The prerequisite for admission to the Master's degree programme in Sustainable Development is a qualified completion of a 7-semester Bachelor's degree (210 credit points) or Diplom degree in Sustainable Development or a comparable degree programme at a state or state-recognised university with an overall grade of 2.5 (up to 2.59) or better.

The examination board determines the comparability of the subject.

The required overall grade is not an NC (numerus clausus), but the admission requirements that must be met in order to participate in the application process.

If you have completed a Bachelor's degree with 180 ECTS points, you can still easily enrol on the Master's degree programme in Sustainable Development. You can achieve the missing 30 ECTS credits by completing the so-called "learning agreements", which do not necessarily have to be completed before the Master's programme. The aim of the credits is to catch up on, broaden or deepen the competences of the undergraduate degree programme. The 30 credit points must be earned from the range of subjects offered in the Bachelor's degree programme in Sustainable Development at Bochum University of Applied Sciences, with the aim of catching up on the subject-specific skills that are still missing for admission to the Master's degree programme. The only condition is that the chosen courses have not already been part of the previous Bachelor's programme.

A further requirement is proof of sufficient knowledge of the English language at level B2 (CEFR). The B2 level of English is proven, for example, by:

Abitur certificate (see Foreign languages, subject English, CEFR B2)
TOEFL (Internet based) with at least 72 points
IELTS (Academic English, face to face with oral component) best test): 5
TOEIC: 400 (listening) and 385 (reading)
Sufficient knowledge of the English language with certificates (English B2 CEFR must be noted) is also deemed to have been provided.

Other language certificates / language certificates and letters of reference are not recognised. Completed semesters abroad do not replace the language certificate / language certificate.

When completing an English-language degree programme (the Diploma Supplement serves as proof of language proficiency if "language of instruction: English" is noted), language proficiency is deemed to have been achieved.

International prospective students

As an international applicant, please note the German language skills required for this degree programme.

This degree programme is part of the Ruhr Master School (RMS). Choose from additional compulsory elective modules from the partner universities Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Westphalian University of Applied Sciences, which will be recognised for your studies at Bochum University of Applied Sciences. Take advantage of the extended study options!

Take a look at the elective courses

Your career prospects

Like all our degree programmes with a focus on sustainability, the Sustainable Development degree programme opens up a wide range of fields of work for you. After graduating, you can work in start-ups, SMEs, large companies, non-governmental organisations, state and local authorities or research institutes, for example. Sustainability challenges arise everywhere - and you can contribute to overcoming them at regional, national or international level. Here are a few examples:

you optimise the company's internal processes and procedures in terms of Sustainable Development
develop and analyse products and services according to sustainability criteria
prepare sustainability reports and communicate with the company's external stakeholders

you optimise the company's internal processes and procedures in terms of sustainable development
develop and analyse products and services according to sustainability criteria
prepare sustainability reports and communicate with the company's external stakeholders

you develop draft legislation, guidelines and recommendations for action for political decision-makers
you create concepts for realising the transport and energy transition
you realise projects in international development cooperation

you lead the municipal climate protection activities
you improve the local infrastructure from a sustainability perspective
you increase the urban quality of life through sustainable urban development measures

you research the major social challenges of our time
advise politicians and business using the latest scientific findings in sustainability research
you transfer your research findings into practice

Interested?

How to apply

Contact us

Support with application, enrolment, financing issues or recognition of examin results

No suitable bachelor's degree?

Then check out our master's programme in Applied Sustainability!

Studying at the Bochum Campus

Modern, internationally orientated and surrounded by greenery - that's Bochum University of Applied Sciences. We have over 8,200 students studying at two different locations: the main campus in Bochum and the external campus in Heiligenhaus (CVH).
With our six faculties and more than 58 degree programmes, we attach great importance to encounters at eye level, supportive cooperation, personal support and strong practical relevance. There are numerous student working and research groups in which students from different degree programmes come together to learn. Topics such as Sustainable Bochum University, learning and working in projects (problem-based learning), Electric Mobility or climate change can be tackled here independently and closely supervised by lecturers. You can also obtain a doctoral degree here after completing a Master's degree.
The campus in Bochum is about 15 minutes by car or tram from the city centre, right next to the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB). All leisure activities for students there are also open to you: from university sports and the cultural café to the halls of residence. As a student city, Bochum offers everything a student's heart desires: from the art museum, theatre and concert hall to the planetarium and mining museum to the Bermuda Triangle party mile, city park and Lake Kemnader – take a look at Maps to see how green it is here!

What our students say

"During my Master's programme at Bochum University of Applied Sciences, I learned to look at the topic of sustainability from different perspectives and angles and how sustainability can be strategically anchored in different institutions. I was able to apply this practically in the project studies and thus actively contribute to the development of the university. In particular, this practical relevance, which is an essential part of the degree programme, has helped me a lot both professionally and personally."

Ronja Schmidt, graduate

"I chose the Master's programme in Sustainable Development because I want to deal professionally with the challenges and transformations of our time. Working together with committed students and lecturers gives you the feeling that you are pulling in the same direction. I particularly liked the variety of topics that you can choose from thanks to the free choice of modules."

Martin Fortkort, student