Study Architecture in Germany – Top 10 Universities

Germany is a great place to study because tuition fees in the public higher education system are generally low or non-existent. Students who aspire to become successful architects one day can choose from a variety of universities that offer excellent degree programs.

For undergraduate studies, Zeit Online offers a list of universities to choose from depending on the student’s requirements and expectations.

In order to find the ten best universities to study architecture in Germany, a set of criteria must be established to analyze and compare the weaknesses and strengths of the universities. As the topic is architecture, the most important criteria in Zeit Online’s offer seemed to be IT infrastructure, international master courses, rent and accommodation, labor market, evaluation process and presence of e-learning.

With regard to the specific dates in the following section, some universities offer the best match.

1. IT infrastructure – Students evaluated hardware and software equipment, maintenance and care, as well as access times and availability of computer stations they can use for studying.
2. International orientation of the master’s program (the result of the best master’s program is displayed) – composition of various facts: mandatory stays abroad / joint program; percentage of international students; Internationality of scientific staff; Percentage of hours in a foreign language.
   • A certain number of points can be obtained from the four areas with a maximum of 14 points (10 for German language and literature).
   • The upper group is achieved with 6 points (4 for German language and literature), the middle group with at least 2 points.
   • With less than 2 points, the course is placed in a lower group.
   • At the faculty/department level, the result of the best performance of the faculty/department is displayed.
3. Average rent per square meter of living space paid by surveyed students for private housing (including surcharges).
4. Preparation for the labor market – Students evaluated the programs offered by their university to promote relevance to the professional field and the labor market. These are informational events about professional fields and the labor market, specific programs and lectures to ensure professionally relevant and comprehensive qualifications, support in finding internships and organization of diploma theses subjects in cooperation with the world of work when looking for a job after completing your studies.
5. Students evaluated the implementation of teaching evaluation, the participation of students in this process and the implementation of results. Course and lecture evaluation is a popular tool for checking and improving the quality of courses and teaching.

To narrow down the options for interested students, in the following section you will find the ten best universities to study architecture in Germany. These standards are determined by Zeit Online based on student judgments, professor judgments, alumni judgments, or general facts.

BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg

This university is more quality oriented and 1600 international students roam the campus to prove it. In terms of education, it includes a combination of the research orientation of a traditional technical university and more advanced application-oriented programs in engineering, social sciences, business and healthcare.

All in all, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg offers an excellent opportunity for students who are ready to achieve more in life. The Faculty of Architecture has been offering Bachelor (BA) and Master (MA) degrees accredited by ZEFA since 2002 and was subsequently recognized as a course provider by the Brandenburg Ministry of Science, Research and Culture (MFWK).

What is great about the way the university works is that the department works closely together to develop all outreach activities and structural planning. This allows students to practice what they preached in different areas.

ABK Stuttgart

Founded in 1761, the Stuttgart State Academy of Fine Arts has a distinguished tradition of academic excellence in the field of fine arts and design. However, the modest number of students, around 850 in total, is recognized not only as an academy, but also as a university.

In the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, it is an important institution and educational center for fine arts (e.g. painting, sculpture) and applied arts (e.g. architecture, design). This dualistic approach to art is the pride of this institution, which will continue to evolve and develop.

RWTH Aachen

Today, the former museum serves its purpose and as a facility for the education of future students of architecture. Founded in 1880, RWTH Aachen has a long tradition of excellent education and consists of nine faculties, including the Faculty of Architecture. It includes 22 chairs and institutes, including art history, architecture and structural engineering. The university strives for quality over quantity, so the number of around 1500 students enrolled in the faculty is quite small.

TUM Munich

In the Bavarian region, the architectural office of TUM Munich is the only educational institution at the university level. The faculty hosts more than 1,200 students divided into more than 26 departments offering a wide range of subjects taught by more than 170 experts. There is close cooperation between the research-oriented university and the widespread high-tech industrial partners in Munich.

With this in mind, this faculty not only offers its students an excellent path to education, but also potential opportunities for commendation for its students in the future. The university owns awards of merit in the field of architecture such as:

• German Prize for Architecture
• German Prize for Urban Development
• European Prize for Architecture and Technology
• EU Mies Award (Mies van der Rohe)
• RIBA prices

universityin Stuttgart

The Faculty of Architecture at the University of Stuttgart has a tradition dating back to the 19th century. The implementation of reforms and revolutionary standards began at the beginning of the 20th century. Under the patronage of professors Richard Döcker and Rolf Gutbrod, the facility was renewed in the spirit of modern architecture and subsequently a new topic, the field of urbanism, indispensable in the field of education and research.

With more than 16 institutions and German and international lecturers, the University of Stuttgart is one of the best universities in the state. In fact, it is widely known for the extraordinary combination of architecture and urban planning as a whole, which offers students the opportunity to look at this particular area in a wider and more modern way.

Hannover Universityin

Already in the 18th century, the Higher Trade School of Hannover, which started with 64 students, was a university with more than 22,000 students enrolled in business, law, humanities, natural sciences and engineering. To become an architect, you have to be a bit of everything, an engineer, a historian, an artist and a sociologist, as the motto of the faculty suggests.

The focus of this faculty’s program is urbanism, cultural landscape and design planning. Leibniz Universität Hannover is the only university in northern Germany that offers education and research in landscape architecture and environmental planning.

Technical University of Dortmund

Since its founding in 1968, TU Dortmund has been a correlate of nature and technology, an endless war against human progress. It created a unique combination of fields of natural and technical sciences, social sciences and humanities with a broad curriculum of experts from home and abroad.

The international character of the university is a top priority. In addition to German students who have benefited from it for decades, over 3,200 foreign students from more than 100 different countries are currently enrolled at the university.

Bauhaus – University of Weimarin

The Faculty of Architecture, together with the Faculty of Art and Design, the Faculty of Construction and Media, offers a platform for interdisciplinary discourse on design and construction issues. The main goal of this institution is to produce conceptual and open-minded architects, creative designers and skilled managers who can withstand today’s tough market.

The faculty maintains an active student exchange program with more than 30 international partner institutes within European higher education and beyond. “Výmar” and “Bauhaus” are important milestones in the course of modern architecture and the development of contemporary architectural theory. The faculty organizes numerous symposia and conferences, including an international colloquium on the Bauhaus, to address contemporary architectural issues.

universityin Wuppertal

The University of Wuppertal looks back on 100 years of tradition and history. The university campus is located in a metropolitan area in the middle of the city. In addition to excellent educational alternatives in all fields and in architecture, it also offers young people a lively and dynamic lifestyle. The university is at the forefront of research and innovation and promises not to break tradition. The university is also very well connected, which is another real advantage for its lovely students.

Dresden University of Technology

The symbiosis of architecture and landscape, which is often very rare in the federal state, is the hallmark of the University of Dresden and the Faculty of Architecture. The University of Dresden is internationally renowned for its practice-oriented teaching and real research. Taking theoretical, artistic, technical and ecological aspects of our environment into account is the basis for all work at the faculty.

The university’s policy is to not only focus on the theoretical course, but also to organize several field trips so that its students have the opportunity to practice their skills in small group projects, just like any other professional in the real world.