All about the programme

Admission to the Master’s degree programme requires:

1. Completion of a first, professionally qualifying, liberal arts higher education, corresponding to competencies at a scope of 180 ECTS performance points (Diploma/Master’s or Bachelor’s completion or an equivalent domestic or foreign degree).
2. The verification of a first, professionally qualifying course of higher education studies must include a personally authored letter of a maximum of two pages that provides information on motivation and the expert interests of the applicant for the studies.
3. Verification of knowledge in the English language; TOFEL iBT (90 points) / IELTS (6.5 points) according to European reference framework B2 verification of the programme-specific suitability within a aptitude verification procedure in the context of a aptitude meeting.

Further information on the application process can be found here.

Master programmes

To enter the degree programme, you must complete the requirements of the Master’s programme curriculum and submit your application documentation in the English language prior to the application deadline.
You need the following documents for the advance application:

• Letter of motivation (max 2 DIN A4 pages)
• Curriculum vitae (tabular form)
• Certified proof of the requested educational qualifications (copies of certificates)*
• Proof of payment of the €150 administration fee

* Foreign educational certificates must be presented in the original or as an officially certified copy. If certificates are not written in German or English, an officially certified translation in the original or as an officially certified copy must be enclosed.

For the first year (2020/21) there are a total of approx. 120 places available for all four Master’s degree programmes.

Good to know:
It is possible to participate in the admission process once per application period. The application can be submitted twice. For more information, see here .

PhD programmes

To apply for the Doctoral Studies, you must complete our online application form, which is accessible via the EVŠ portal only. Applying for our programmes is free and it is the best way to find out whether you are accepted for the programme of your choice. Please view our instruction guidelines for further support.

The application deadline is 15 September of each year . For more information, see here .

According to the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG), you have a fundamental right to financial support if you or your family members are unable to raise the costs for your studies and your livelihood.

The advantage of the BAföG is that subsidies are usually paid in half as a grant and half as a non-interest-bearing loan. More information can be found here.

Good to know.
Besides Germans, many foreigners are also entitled to BAföG. Foreigners who have the prospect of staying in Germany and who are already socially integrated are in principle eligible. This includes, for example, persons with a right of permanent residence under the Free Movement Act/EU, with a permit for permanent EC residency or a settlement permit. Since the legal regulation is very complex, it is advisable to contact the responsible office for educational support at an early stage.

Studying with children. We are happy to support you.

If you are allowed public welfare and you live in the same household as your child, you are entitled
to complete individual examinations and university examinations after the deadlines provided by the examination regulations. The same applies to the deadlines for completing academic requirements and for the repetition of examinations. Deadlines can be extended up to two trimesters only. The entitlement lapses at the end of the trimester in which the requirements named in clause 1 are cancelled. The use of this regulation occurs upon written and formless application only. The examination board decides on regulations in the individual case.

It is important to have a good overview of your programme.
We provide you with an overview of the important deadlines and dates during your studies here so you can stay organised.

Academic year overview

Here, you will find an overview of the degree programmes that we currently offer.

Master’s degree

The completion of a Master’s degree programme takes place after completion of the Master’s degree examination or after completion of all examinations (subject, module, course examinations) and a successful Master’s thesis. The terms for each curriculum apply for each degree.

Doctoral degree

The doctoral candidate will receive the doctoral certificate only when all doctoral studies have been completed and the dissertation has been published. When the doctoral degree certificate is handed to the candidate, the candidate is entitled to carry the PhD title.

How are studies at the BSSF structured?

Breakdown of our Master’s degree programmes in the standard period of study:

• The standard period of study for the Master’s degree programmes is six trimesters (18 months).
• The studies are organised in modules. Modules include study units coordinated in terms of content and time and are self-contained; these study units lead to skills acquisition as established in the module descriptions.
• Modules can be comprised of various forms of teaching and learning, such as:
  • lectures
  • exercises
  • seminars
  • classes
  • workshops
  • academic projects, individual tutoring, colloquia, excursions
• You are provided a mentor as advisory support and they are allocated to you for the duration of your studies per § 28 para. 2 BerlHG. You have the opportunity to express your wishes regarding your mentor.
  Mentors are university instructors or academic workers who belong to the Berlin School of Sustainable Futures, University of Applied Sciences.
• Fulfilment of the admission requirements per the regulations for the particular examination provision for the respective degree programme allows you to complete the Master’s degree examination before the expiration of the standard period of study.

Breakdown of our Doctorate programmes in the standard period of study:

• The standard period of study for the Doctorate programme is six semesters (3 years).
• The studies are organised in modules. Modules include study units coordinated in terms of content and time and are self-contained; these study units lead to skills acquisition as established in the module descriptions.
• Modules can be comprised of various forms of teaching and learning, such as:
  • lectures
  • exercises
  • seminars
  • classes
  • workshops
  • academic projects, individual tutoring, colloquia, excursions

You will have an examination soon and would like to know what to expect?

You will find helpful information here:

• Verbal module examinations and partial module examinations last from 20 to at most 60 minutes; for written examinations the maximum duration is 120 minutes.
• The colloquium to the Master’s thesis is accepted by an examination commission and lasts at least 30 and at most 60 minutes.

Our students in the Master’s degree programme have the opportunity to expand their professional education through an internship. This gives them insights into working methods and decision-making processes in companies, organisations, authorities and in politics.

Internships are possible in companies, organisations, authorities and in the German Bundestag. Internships abroad can also be included in the programme after consultation. We have cooperation agreements with well-known companies and organisations, which our students can benefit from.

Work placement will take place in the fifth trimester and corresponds to six ECTS performance points.

Everything does not always go according to plan.
So we offer you the opportunity to interrupt your studies.

Your studies may be interrupted with a leave of absence for the duration of an academic year for health reasons, pregnancy or other unforeseeable or unavoidable events.

How it works and what you should know:

• You must apply for the leave of absence in writing to your programme director.
• The reasons for the application must be proven or credible.
• The leave of absence requires the approval of the programme director.
• You should be aware that during your leave of absence profound changes may occur (for example, conversion of the study sections, content of the curricula, scheduling, name of the degree programme, etc.).
• The intended resumption of study in the following trimester must be communicated in writing 8 weeks before the beginning of the respective trimester to your programme director.
• The rights and obligations under this agreement are suspended during the leave of absence; no tuition fees are assessed during the leave of absence.

Up to 8,000 books, e-books, various magazines/journals and digital links to corresponding library databases are available to you in the BSSF library.

Your Master’s degree examination is the last, big step prior to concluding your Master’s degree programme at the BSSF.
Here you will find important information that will give you a good start to preparing for the examination.

PDF guideline will follow soon.

Are you in the sixth trimester already? Is your next step to start your Master’s thesis?

You will find more helpful information on Master’s theses here:

• The Master’s thesis comprises a theoretical part and a colloquium.
• The Master’s thesis (29 LP) should show that the student is in a position a present and reflect on given issue in academics independently, competently in terms of content, with awareness of methodology and according to the academic standards.
• The time for working on the Master’s thesis is 870 hours. The topic can be returned once within the first four weeks. The scope of the Master’s thesis should be about 100 pages and a maximum of 150 pages. In justified cases, a formless application by the student and verification by the supervisor may allow for an extension of at most four weeks.
  The formless application is to be submitted at the examination office
• The Master’s thesis is to be provided according to § 18 para.11 RPO/MA within the established deadline in four bound copies (no ring binding may be used for the library copy) and in electronic form (DVD or CD with pdf-, docx-, or doc file) to the examination office. Master’s theses are to be labelled on the cover sheet with the name, first name, matriculation number, university, degree programme, topic, supervisor and year of preparation or completion.
• The master thesis is graded per § 18 para. 5 RPO/MA by two experts.
• The Master’s thesis is defended in a colloquium (1 ECTS).

To begin studies in all study programmes, not only is essential prior knowledge for the respective studies and the range of courses spanning the study programme conveyed for all study programmes in the context of an obligatory preparatory course, there will also be an introduction to the work methods and work means of the university of applied sciences.

The assessment of fulfilled requirements and examinations occurs with differentiated grades per § 10 para. 1 RPO/MA of the Berlin School of Sustainable Futures, University of Applied Sciences.

Proof of fulfilled requirements and examinations for practical work can be assessed per §10 para. 3 RPO/M without grading as “Successful/ Unsuccessful.”

Have you already taken exams at another university or college? Then you can have them recognised if they are equivalent.

If you have any questions, please contact our Exam and Recognition Service.

Innovative research promotes the quality of teaching, and both mutually invigorate each other. High-performance research with as much involvement as possible from our students is of great strategic importance to us.

In order to gear the programmes to the state of the art in terms of practice and content, the BSSF works together with renowned academics from partner institutions.

The research projects at the BSSF should not only strengthen the expertise at the university of applied sciences in subject-specific areas, but at the same time ensure access to potential scientific network partners and joint future research projects, as well as to relevant companies and organisations. This also occurs to the benefit of our students and graduates in relation to internships and later employment.

We bill tuition fees as a private university of applied sciences.

Master Programmes

The tuition fees for a Master’s degree, depending on the degree programme, amount to between € 1,500 and € 2,000 per month. The programmes take 18 months and costs a total of 36,000 € or 48,000 €.

You can find an exact overview of costs here:

Further information related to tuition fees can be found here:

• You will obtain the request for payment in advance at the start of the study year. The tuition fees are due at the start of the academic year.
• Participation in a programme is possible only after completed, verified payment of the tuition fee amount.
• Tuition fees apply to all trimesters provided in the curricula, thus also for obligatory practical phases, regardless of whether these take place abroad or domestically.

PhD Programmes

The tuition fee can be paid in single amount or in two, five or eight instalments. You decide about the number of instalments during the online enrolment.