Current nore

The Master's programm M.Sc. Industrial Design will be redesigned.

A new programm M.Sc. Technology Design is planned to start in winterterm 2020.

An application for new students is not possible until the start of the new programm.

Further details will be publishe online in time.

More informations here

The qualification for the master program Industrial Design is proven by:

1. a qualified at least six-semester bachelor's degree obtained at a domestic or recognized foreign university, or at least an equivalent degree in design, architecture and mechanical engineering or comparable degree programs.

2. the passing of the aptitude test for the master's program Industrial Design.

The selection is made via a so-called "suitability procedure". This is a two-step process where, after an official application, the faculty checks to see if you meet the specific requirements for the Master's program.

In the first stage, the Bachelor's grade and the submitted documents are evaluated by means of a points system. Depending on the number of points scored, applicants will either be admitted, rejected or invited to a selection interview.

In detail:

Qualification procedure for Master's course

International applicants who have obtained their Master's degree in a country outside the EU / EEA must have uni-assist's pre-exam documentation provided.

Further information is available at: www.tum.de/studium/bewerbung/uni-assist/

Good knowledge of German is an indispensable prerequisite for the successful study of Industrial Design at TUM.

Proof of sufficient knowledge of German is compulsory.

Please inform yourself about the accepted proof on our website: www.tum.de/studium/bewerbung/deutschnachweis/

General information for foreign applicants can be found here:

In general, admission is possible with with any kind of bachelor's degree.

The portfolio and the motivation letter must prove that they are suitable for Industrial Design. Experience has shown that this is especially difficult for applicants who have not received either design or constructive training.

Nevertheless, nobody should be discouraged:

Frequently, such applicants manage to convince us.

You apply online via the application portal TUMonline. After completing the online application, you will receive a list of all required documents you have to send to TUM by the end of the application deadline.

In detail:

• Master's program: Application, Admission requirements and more

1. A curriculum vitae in table form

2. Letter of intent

A letter of intent written in German (maximum of one DIN-A4 sized page) explaining your reasons for choosing the Industrial Design degree program at the Technischen Universität München, including a list of specific talents and interests which you feel qualify you for the master's degree in Industrial Design at the Technischen Universität München.

3. Portfolio


A portfolio of undergraduate work including 10 to 15 DIN-A3 pages as a PDF file. The size of the file must not exceed 5 MB. When bringing your portfolio to a qualification interview, it must be presented in the form of a printed and bound booklet.

4. Proof of enrollment from the last semester

5. Certificate of student health insurance (may be submitted at a later date but MUST be submitted before students are permitted to enroll at the university)

6. Passport-sized photo

7. A scanned copy of your identity card or passport

Application process via mail

The following documents must be submitted in paper form by mail:

1. A signed printout of the online application form with all of the listed enclosures

2. Proof of a university degree in the form of a certified copy. If such proof is not yet available at the time of application, proof of undergraduate studies and examinations (Transcript of Records) must be enclosed.

For further information regarding the documents to be submitted, refer to the following link Sending your documents

Note for foreign applicants

Foreign applicants must also submit a language certificate in the form of a certified copy. For information on recognized language certificates, click here.https://www.tum.de/studium/bewerbung/zulassungsvoraussetzungen/sprachnachweise/

If a valid language certificate is not submitted by the deadline, enrollment is not possible. If educational qualifications are not available in German, English, or French, the certified true copy of the university degree must be accompanied by a certified translation.

Please send your paper documents to the following address:

Technische Universität München

Immatrikulation des SSZ

Arcisstr. 21 80333 München

The online application can be made via our application portal TUMonline.

Application deadline:

 From April 1st to Mai 31st

Decisive is the time of the inbox at the Technical University of Munich.

Cancellations / Invitation for Qualifying Examination:

until mid-July

Practical and oral Examination:

Mid to End of July 

Start of the semester:

Mid-October

After completing the online application you will receive on TUMonline the application and a list of the documents you need to submit for the application. There you will also see if we need documents for admission or enrollment.

The signed application must be received by the end of the application deadline. We also need the documents for admission until the end of the application deadline to process your application. If you do not receive individual documents for approval in time, you can submit them by 15.08. late filing.

Also submit all the documents we need for your enrollment as soon as possible. If you do not yet have individual documents for matriculation, you can submit them until 5 weeks after the beginning of the lecture. You can not be enrolled until we have all the documents;

We therefore strongly recommend that you submit everything with sufficient lead time. Check your TUMonline account regularly. There you can see if we have questions about your documents or if you need to complete or correct individual documents.

No. Admission to the program can only be successful for the winter semester

Procedure

The Dean of Studies, university teachers and academic staff assesses whether a candidate has the qualification to study, based on the portfolio, the motivation letter and the final grade of the first degree course.

The following criteria are used to evaluate the portfolio:

1. Relevance of the topics
2. presented presentation techniques
3. theoretical (design) understanding
4. Consistency of the presented concepts
5. Structure of the portfolio and
6. aesthetic intuition

The following criteria are used to evaluate the motivation letter:

1. special willingness to perform
2. problem-solving competence with regard to socially relevant tasks in design
3. coherence of motivation in relation to the curriculum of the study program
4. linguistic ability and expression
5. theoretical understanding of design

Applicants whose documents suggest aptitude to study will be invited to aptitude test for a practical and oral exam.

The remaining applicants will receive a cancellation.

Applicants with an above-average rating can be admitted directly to the university.

The practical exam takes place simultaneously for all invited applicants and lasts 3 to 5 hours.

On the basis of several practical and written tasks and a short design draft the suitability of the applicants is examined.

The following skills are decisive:

1. Transfer competence
2. ability to apply first-level expertise to typical industrial design tasks
3. design competence
4. methodological competence
5. conceptual competence
6. graphical representation skills

On one day, in conjunction with the practical exam, the interview will take place for each applicant individually.

The interview lasts at least 10 and not more than 20 minutes per candidate.

During this oral exam, the results of the practical exam will be discussed with the candidate.

The following criteria are used to evaluate the interview:

1. Problem-solving competence with regard to socially relevant tasks in design
2. Reflection competence
3. ability to critically view one's own actions
4. Theoretical understanding of design

Specialist knowledge, which should only be taught in the master's program Industrial Design, is not decisive.

If your application is successful, you will receive the letter of acceptance by e-mail, to which you can refer for further steps.

The number of applicants is between 100 and 120 applicants every year. Of these, about 20-25 students are admitted after successful testing.

In principle, you can also apply with a master's degree. However, the program is designed as a consecutive masters program, which means that most of our applicants apply with a bachelor's degree.

In individual cases, it must be checked whether a Master's degree in Industrial Design is an additional qualification for your professional development and your chances on the job market.

If you have worked on projects relating to a product during your studies, you can easily display them in your portfolio.

You are also welcome to apply with some group work if you can explain what your role in this work was

If you have not worked on product-related study projects, you may also like to show private projects that illustrate how you perceive products, what you mean by design, or what skills you have for studying industrial design.

As for presentation techniques, we do not want to restrict you:

You can show freehand drawings, technical drawings, CAD renderings or photographs.

We know that applicants with an egnineering or scientific background cannot be at the same level of imaging skills as applicants who have studied design for 3 to 4 years. This can also be included in the evaluation.