Programme overview
Study the urban future from more than one perspective.
The Sustainable Urban Development M.Sc. combines interdisciplinary urban knowledge, applied learning and an international Joint Degree experience across Vietnam and Germany.
The programme
A Joint Degree for complex urban challenges
SUD is a full-time, four-semester Master of Science jointly offered by Vietnamese-German University and TU Darmstadt.
The programme brings together urban planning, infrastructure, environmental systems, governance, design, mobility and analytical methods so that students can work across the interdependencies that shape sustainable urban development.
Official programme information at TU Darmstadt ↗What you will learn
Connect urban systems rather than study them in isolation
The curriculum builds a broad interdisciplinary foundation while developing the methods needed to analyse, plan and communicate sustainable urban development.
Urban Planning & Governance
Spatial planning, development processes, institutions, legal frameworks and governance.
Infrastructure & Mobility
Urban transport, infrastructure planning, water systems and construction processes.
Environment & Sustainability
Ecological management, resource use, life-cycle thinking and green building.
Urban Analysis
Empirical methods, GIS, spatial analysis and evidence-based approaches to urban questions.
Integrated Urban Development
Bring technical, spatial, environmental and social perspectives together in applied urban work.
How you learn
Academic depth with applied urban learning
The programme combines structured academic study with field observation, workshops, practical examples and project-based learning.
Interdisciplinary classrooms
Study alongside students from different academic and professional backgrounds.
Field-based learning
Use urban field trips, site visits and observation to connect theory with real places.
Workshops & projects
Work collaboratively on complex urban questions and communicate findings and proposals.
Independent research
Develop and complete a Master’s thesis in Germany or Vietnam.
Your study journey
Four semesters across Vietnam and Germany
The Joint Degree structure is designed so students experience both academic environments during the programme.
Students start in one of the two study locations, depending on the assigned group.
The full cohort comes together in Germany for a 30-CP semester.
The full cohort continues in Vietnam for the third academic semester.
Choose to complete the 24-CP thesis in Germany or Vietnam.
Two study contexts
Learn across two metropolitan regions
Ho Chi Minh City and FrankfurtRheinMain provide contrasting urban environments for thinking about sustainability, infrastructure, planning and transformation.
Vietnam
VGU · Ho Chi Minh City Region
Study in a rapidly transforming urban region shaped by growth, infrastructure expansion, environmental pressures and changing urban-rural relationships.
Explore VGU Campus Life →Germany
TU Darmstadt · FrankfurtRheinMain
Experience a different planning, infrastructure and institutional context while studying together with the full SUD cohort.
Explore Semester in Germany →What the programme develops
Build the capacity to work across complex urban development processes
The SUD programme is designed to help students combine analytical knowledge, interdisciplinary collaboration and practical urban understanding.
Analyse urban development across regional, city, neighbourhood and project scales.
Work in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups across technical, environmental, economic and social perspectives.
Apply a broad set of methods to identify urban problems and develop evidence-informed responses.
Understand relationships between urban development, infrastructure and environmental systems.
Communicate research, analysis and proposals to academic and professional audiences.
Plan your next step
Explore the programme in more detail
Sustainable Urban Development