Transportation Systems M. Sc.
Ready to shape the future of mobility? The Transportation Systems Master's programme offers a unique opportunity to gain expertise in the field of modern transportation. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of mobility and develop innovative solutions for tomorrow's challenges. Mobility is an essential component of participation and economic exchange. The increasing demand for movement and the shift in transport towards sustainable mobility require new planning and management strategies for transport systems.
Graduates are familiar with integrated land use and intermodal traffic management, freight logistics concepts and transportation demand management. They design roads and traffic lights, create public transport networks and optimise traffic conditions for people. The quality of life in urban areas can only be successfully improved in the long term if the transportation system is considered as part of a complex system. Transport planning must therefore take into account the interactions between transport, the economy, land use and the natural environment.
What you'll learn for your future?
As a transport systems expert, you will plan railways and roads, simulate traffic, design intelligent transport systems and analyse traffic data. You will be able to evaluate the relevant economic, social and environmental aspects. As students on the Master's programme come from all over the world, you will also be experienced in working in multicultural teams.
Graduates with a degree in Transportation Systems have exciting career paths open to them. You will advise transport companies, communities and authorities on current transport planning and anticipate future demand. You could help shape the mobility strategies of major cities or work for technology companies working on autonomous vehicles and intelligent traffic management solutions. The demand for experts in this field is growing all the time - become one of the thought leaders of future mobility.
More information on the M.Sc. Transportation Systems can be found on our TUM Transportation Systems Wiki.
Type of Study: Full Time
Standard Duration of Studies: 4 Semester
Credits: 120 ECTS
Main Locations: Munich
Admission Category: Aptitude Assessment for Master
Start of Degree Program: Winter Semester (October)
Application Period: Winter semester: 01.01. – 31.05.
Required Language Proficiency: English
Tuition Fees: for Students from Non-EU Countries
The first three semesters are composed of seminars and lectures – combined with field trips and exercise courses that are based on real life studies. In addition, the master’s program includes a project seminar that enables students to explore scientific questions and practical solutions in an experimental environment.
The students can specialize in one of the following fields of study:
- Transportation Infrastructure
- Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
- Transportation Demand Management
The fourth semester is dedicated to the master’s thesis.
TUM stands for a cosmopolitan attitude and international scientific exchange. Through exchange programs such as Erasmus+, TUMexchange and Departmental Programs, TUM Global & Alumni Office and and the TUM School of Engineering and Design offer a wide variety of opportunities for students in gaining international experience.
Please apply through the TUMonline application portal and upload your application documents.
The master's program in Transportation Systems starts in October each year (winter semester).
If you have acquired your qualification for postgraduate studies (usually a Bachelor's degree) in a country outside the EU/EEA, you must additionally apply for a so-called preliminary documentation (VPD) via uni-assist.
The suitability assessment procedure takes approximately four months, i.e. the admission letters will be available around mid-June if you apply before mid-March, and around mid-August if you apply before May 31. For a variety of reasons (e.g., visa, housing), we strongly encourage international prospective students to apply well in advance of the May 31 legal deadline. Interviews are usually held in June and July (early applications) and August and early September (applications before May 31).
For more information on the application process, please visit our website and watch this video.
Admission requirements
Application for the Master’s Program in Transportation Systems at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is open to candidates with:
- A Bachelor’s Degree in the area(s) of Transportation Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Sciences, Communications Engineering, Economics, Architecture or other scientific area related to transportation systems
- An academic background in transportation science (e.g. transportation planning, traffic engineering and control, transportation infrastructure, urban development & urban planning) as well as sound basics in engineering related to transportation systems (e.g. algorithmic, informatics, programming, computer-aided simulation; drive engineering, automation engineering, energy technology, automotive engineering; communication technology, communications engineering, control technology/cybernetics, circuit technology, sensor technology; bridge construction, geographic information systems, surveying; descriptive geometry, hydromechanics, mathematics, statistics, engineering mechanics)
- Adequate knowledge of the English language; for students whose native language or language of instruction is not English, this must be demonstrated by a recognized language test (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS)
- Basic knowledge of the German language is beneficial
Single parameters of the aptitude assessment are as follows:
- Ability to work scientifically, principle-based and in a method-oriented manner
- Knowledge and skills in the field of mobility and transportation as well as in the field of engineering science, gained in the previous academic education
- Oral and written subject related language skills
- Science-oriented interest in engineering problems from the field of transportation systems
Further conditions for some applicants:
- If you achieved your qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. Bachelor's degree) in a country outside the EU / EEA, you will also have to apply to uni-assist.
- China, Mongolia or Vietnam: Applicants who studied there must submit a valid APS certificate from the German Embassy.
- Iran: All certificates have to be authenticated by the German Embassy. Please refer to the information provided on the website of the German Embassy in Tehran www.teheran.diplo.de/.
- Georgia: Applicants who studied there have to submit their application and accompanying documents directly to TUM. Verification of the undergraduate (bachelor's) degree must be submitted as a (notorized) certified copy bearing an apostille (additional authentification of notarized documents for international purposes). The apostille must appear on both the Georgian-language original and the translation.
Required Application Documents
The first step is to register in the campus management system TUMonline and submit the following application documents. If you are admitted, the second step is to send various documents by post to the TUM Centre for Student Affairs. A list of required documents will be displayed in your TUMonline account.
Valid English language certificate
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); minimum 605 points TOEFL paper based (PbT); minimum 234 points TOEFL computer based (CbT); minimum 88 points TOEFL (IbT); The test centre can send the test report directly to TUM admission office (TOEFL code: 7806, department: 99);
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic), minimum 6,5 points; Please note: If you cannot receive your Test Report Form (TRF), please upload a PDF document with your TRF Number on it instead. Every passed IELTS test has a TRF Number (Test Report Form Number).
- Cambridge Main Suite of English Examinations (CAE/ CPE, level A,B, C).
- Pearson Englisch Language Test: PTE Academic with an Overall Score of at least 65 points, PTE Academic Online with an Overall Score of at least 65 points.
- For students whose language of instruction was English, this must be officially confirmed (e.g. on the certified graduation documents).
- Alternatively, adequate knowledge of the English language is also demonstrated with an amount of 60 credits achieved in undergraduate courses with English as the medium of instruction and examination.
Bachelor’s degree certificate
The copy must include the aggregate mark or graduate average, including explanation of the grading system (maximum grade, minimum passing grade, etc.). Here you will find information about certified copies . If the certificate is not issued in English or German, we need an officially authenticated translation as well.
Transcript of records
The semester mark sheets listing your subjects and grades; If the transcript is not issued in English or German, we need an officially authenticated translation as well. Please note: If the final degree certificate and/or the final year transcripts are not yet available on the date of application, complete certification of the first-degree coursework and examination results (transcript of records) issued by the responsible examination authority or the responsible university office must be submitted.
Curriculum vitae
Formatted as a table and written in the English language.
Motivation letter
Written in the English language (2 pages at maximum). Applicants should demonstrate what specifically qualifies them for the Master’s Program in Transportation Systems. Please justify your exceptional motivation and commitment by, e.g. statements about vocational trainings in the transportation sector, internships, extra-curricular courses in transportation science or periods abroad (please enclose confirmations or certificates). Please do not forget to add a document where you justify that the motivation letter for the Master’s program represents your own work and that no other sources than those listed were used. This statement is to be signed by you.
Presentation portfolio
Please hand in an English copy of your Bachelor’s thesis or an English abstract of it (to be uploaded in the applicant account). If you cannot provide neither copy nor abstract of the Bachelor's thesis, please submit a sample of your previous academic works (e.g. scientific papers, homework assignments), preferably in the field of transportation.
Aptitude assessment process
The TUM Center for Study and Teaching first checks the formal criteria of your application. If relevant documents are missing or not submitted in the required way, they will be marked as “not OK” in your applicant account on TUMonline. The application will be forwarded to the TUM Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for evaluation, as soon as all formal criteria are considered as “OK”.
In level 1, applications are evaluated on the basis of the documents:
- Subject-related qualifications of the undergraduate studies (max. 60 points)
- Average grade of the undergraduate studies (max. 10 points)
- Motivation letter (max. 30 points)
Applicants with 70 points or more will receive an admission letter. Applicants with 59 points or less will receive a rejection letter. Applicants with scores between 60 and 69 points will be invited to an aptitude test (second level).
In level 2, applicants will have a personal interview about their motivation for the degree program and their academic and personal background. For applicants living abroad, the interview can be conducted via video conference. Usually, the interviews take place in June and July (applications received before March 15th) or in August and September (applications received after March 15th). Applicants will be informed about the interview date one week in advance.
For more information on the aptitude assessment, please refer to the statutes of the degree program (appendix 2). If you have further questions, please contact the TUM Center for Study and Teaching (TUM CST) via e-mail at studium(at)tum.de.