# SPRING – Spatial Planning for Regions in Growing Economies (M.Sc.) (MSc) at TU Dortmund

A two-year, fully English joint master (running since 1984) on spatial planning in developing and emerging regions, awarded as M.Sc. Regional Development Planning and Management jointly with the year-2 partner university. Year 1 is at TU Dortmund; year 2 is at a partner university in Ghana, Tanzania, the Philippines, Chile or Brazil. Combines development theory, planning methods and practice-oriented field studies. Application is by e-mail directly to the SPRING office, not via uni-assist. Note: SPRING is designed for planning professionals, typically with 2+ years of relevant work experience, and follows a split-location structure (first year at TU Dortmund, second year at a partner university in your home region). It is distinct from the platform's typical quantitative/tech-focused MSc profile.

University: Technische Universität Dortmund (TU Dortmund University) (https://studygermany.dev/universities/tu-dortmund.md)
City: Dortmund (https://studygermany.dev/cities/dortmund.md)
HTML page: https://studygermany.dev/programmes/tu-dortmund-msc-spring/

## At a glance

- Degree: MSc
- Language of instruction: English
- English requirement: TOEFL 550 (paper) / 213 (CBT) / 80 (iBT), or IELTS 6.0, or English-medium schooling/degree
- German requirement: not required
- ECTS: not confirmed
- Duration: 4 semesters
- Intake: Winter semester
- Tuition: €0 per semester (public university)
- Semester contribution: not confirmed
- Semester ticket included: yes (Deutschland-Semesterticket)

Fee notes: ⚠ SPRING charges tuition: the standard TU Dortmund €0 tuition does NOT apply (the 0 stored in this record is a schema-required placeholder, not a confirmed fee). Sources conflict: DAAD states €300/semester incl. Deutschlandticket at TU Dortmund; one aggregator states €550 first-year tuition. Year 2 is at a partner university with separate fees (varies by country: Ghana €3,355.50, Philippines ~€2,632, Tanzania ~€2,960, Chile €2,500, Brazil ~€2,819). Confirm exact fee structure with the SPRING office before relying on any figure: https://raumplanung.tu-dortmund.de/en/prospective-students/master-spring/

## Admission requirements

- Prior degree: Bachelor/Diploma with ≥240 ECTS in spatial/regional/urban planning or a planning-relevant discipline (geography, economics, architecture, agriculture, infrastructure planning). Civil engineering NOT accepted.
- Minimum grade: ≥3.0 ('satisfactory'); grades significantly above average preferred
- Prerequisite credits: Professional experience in a planning-related field desirable (approx. 2 years); Strong commitment to regional development planning
- Also required: Application by e-mail to the SPRING office with a fixed document set (application form, Europass CV, certificates, transcript, 2 recommendation letters, English test, high-school certificate)

## Application deadlines

- applicants from Philippines/Ghana/Tanzania/Brazil/Chile, winter semester: 2026-09-15. Apply directly to the respective partner university by September 15.
- all others, winter semester: no fixed date. Apply by e-mail to the SPRING office; confirm the exact annual cutoff with the office.

## How to apply

- uni-assist required: no
- Application portal: not confirmed
- Official programme page: https://raumplanung.tu-dortmund.de/en/prospective-students/master-spring/

## External resources

- [Official programme page](https://raumplanung.tu-dortmund.de/en/prospective-students/master-spring/)
- [DAAD listing](https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/international-programmes/en/detail/3718/)


## Focus areas

- Natural-resource planning
- Physical-infrastructure planning
- Socio-economic development planning
- Partner-specific tracks (e.g. urban planning, climate adaptation, governance)

## Provenance

Last checked: 2026-07-04

- DAAD International Programmes - SPRING (€300/sem incl. Deutschlandticket; structure; admission; Oct start): https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/international-programmes/en/detail/3718/
- TU Dortmund Faculty of Spatial Planning - Master SPRING (English; 1yr Dortmund + 1yr partner; joint degree). ECTS total not found on an official page - stored as unknown: https://raumplanung.tu-dortmund.de/en/prospective-students/master-spring/