Going Abroad
The TUM School of Engineering and Design (ED) offers a broad range of opportunities to enrich your studies with an international dimension.
Beyond traditional long-term study periods abroad, a growing variety of innovative internationalization formats enables you to gain valuable global experience through short-term programs or even via virtual study options. In addition, several formats also offer the chance to complete internships or conduct study projects and final theses abroad. Moreover, selected degree programs include joint tracks with partner universities, allowing you to pursue international double degrees.
Please first carefully study the pages ‘Study abroad with TUM’. Information events for TUMexchange take place usually in mid-October, for
Erasmus+ usually in mid-November.
Below, you will find additional information for TUM ED degree programs.
TUM ED degree programs are categorized into subject areas, which in turn are linked to ISCED codes (International Standard
Classification of Education).
ArchitectureISCED Codes: 0731 Architecture and town planning, 0739 Architecture and construction, not elsewhere classified
B.A. Architektur, M.A. Architektur, M.A. Landschaftsarchitektur, M.Sc. Urbanistik - Landschaft und Stadt
Contact: out.ad.international@ed.tum.de
Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geo EngineeringISCED Code: 0732 Building and civil engineering
B.Sc. Bauingenieurwesen, B.Sc. Geowissenschaften, B.Sc. Umweltingenieurwesen, M.Sc. Bauingenieurwesen, M.Sc. Computational Mechanics, M.Sc. Environmental Engineering, M.Sc. Information Technologies for the Built Environment, M.Sc. Ingenieur- und Hydrogeologie, M.Sc. Ressourceneffizientes und Nachhaltiges Bauen, M.Sc. Risk and Safety, M.Sc. Transportation Systems
Contact: cege.international@ed.tum.de
GeodesyISCED Code: 0532 Earth science
B.Sc. Bodenordnung und Landentwicklung, B.Sc. Geodesy and Earth Observation, M.Sc. Geodäsie und Geoinformation, M.Sc. Land Management and Geospatial Science
Contact: gd.international@ed.tum.de
Interdisciplinary Engineering (Engineering Science)ISCED Codes: 0719 Engineering and engineering trades, not elsewhere classified, 0713 Electricity and Energy, 1022 Occupational health and safety
B.Sc. Engineering Science, M.Sc. Industrielle Biotechnologie, M.Sc. Materials Science and Engineering, M.Sc. Power Engineering
Contact: ie.international@ed.tum.de
Mechanical EngineeringISCED Codes: 0715 Mechanics and metal trades, 0914 Medical diagnostic and treatment technology
B.Sc. Ingenieur- und Werkstoffwissenschaften, B.Sc. Maschinenwesen, M.Sc. Automotive Engineering, M.Sc. Energie- und Prozesstechnik, M.Sc. Entwicklung, Produktion und Management im Maschinenwesen, M.Sc. Human Factors Engineering, M.Sc. Maschinenwesen, M.Sc. Mechatronics, Robotics and Biomedical Engineering, M.Sc. Medizintechnik, M.Sc. Science and Technology of Materials
Contact: me.international@ed.tum.de (for signatures, documents, OLAs)
erasmusbewerbung.me@ed.tum.de (for ERASMUS applications)
saskia.ammon@tum.de (all other requests)
Whereas internationalization activities that do not involve a long-term stay abroad can generally be smoothly integrated into the regular course of a degree program, long-term study stays abroad require careful planning.
You can choose the timing of your stay abroad yourself, within certain limits, taking into account your individual course of study. In general, a stay abroad is only recommended after successfully completing any mandatory courses. In addition, many partner universities require a minimum of 120 ECTS credits before the start of the stay.
As a rule, a stay abroad is therefore possible from the 4th semester at the earliest and reasonable from the 5th semester onwards. The duration of the stay abroad is usually one semester.
An overview of all TUM partner universities an be found in the Global Experiences database. The database is organized according to international academic programs and the subject areas of the TUM Schools. Only the partner institutions of the TUM School of Engineering and Design (ED) in the subject area relevant to your degree program are available to you.
In addition to the Global Experience database, please study the information of the partner university in depth. Furthermore, the TUM ED provides an overview of the partner universities within the frame of the exchange programs Erasmus+ and SEMP of the subject area Civil, Environmental and Geo Engineering (ISCED Code 0732) and of the subject area Mechanical Engineering (ISCED Code 0715).
Before submitting your application, please check the following questions in particular:
- Are the semester, lecture, and examination times at the partner university compatible with your TUM degree program (pay special attention to the much earlier start of the winter semester especially in Scandinavia)?
- Does the available range of courses meet your needs?
- Are your language skills (local language and language of instruction) sufficient, and do they meet the requirements of the partner university?
- Does your study progress meet the requirements of the partner university (minimum number of credits, bachelor's/master's degree requirements)?
A study plan is required for numerous international programmes, which is a in principle non-binding indication of the subjects you would like to take abroad.
When choosing modules, please pay particular attention to the information provided by the partner university on its information channels. This also applies to the question of whether you, as a Bachelor's student, can also take Master's modules and vice versa (this is generally not relevant for the creditability for your TUM degree program), or whether you can also take courses from other faculties/departments at the partner university.
Furthermore, please note the languages in which the modules are taught and ensure that these correspond to your language skills.
In addition, experience reports can also be helpful. If your study program belongs to the subject area Civil, Environmental and Geo Engineering (ISCED
0732), you can also find relevant information in this brochure.
It is your responsibility to check whether the semester and examination periods at the partner university, which often differ from those at TUM, are compatible with your individual study and examination schedule at TUM. Please understand that ED International Office is unable to coordinate this with the partner university or TUM departments. Please discuss with the ED International Office, your departmental academic advisor and/or the examination administration office for your degree program whether a leave of absence is advisable or even necessary.
Term papers and final theses can also be written during a stay abroad. However, they must be co-supervised and assessed by a TUM examiner who is approved to provide topics for your degree program. Please make sure you arrange this supervision in good time. In this case, you will also have to organize your stay largely independently.