Application for the Master's Program in Transportation Systems

Application period: From 1st January to 31st May

The Master’s Program in Transportation Systems starts every October (winter semester). We advise international applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible, in order to get an earlier result. The application form is available on our campus management platform "TUMonline" (https://campus.tum.de/tumonline/), only during the application period. Please register in TUMonline and create your applicant account. All required application documents will also be listed there.

If you achieved your qualification for postgraduate studies (usually a Bachelor's degree) in a country outside the EU/EEA, you will also have to apply for a so-called preliminary documentation (VPD) via uni-assist. For more information, we recommend the following website: https://www.tum.de/en/studies/application/uni-assist/.

The aptitude assessment process will take approx. 4 months, i.e. the admission letters will be available approx. mid of June if you apply before mid of March and approx. mid of August if you apply before 31st May. For several reasons (e.g. visa, housing) we highly recommend that international students apply long before the legal deadline on 31st May (to TUM and uni-assist). Interviews usually take place in June and July (early applications) and in August and early September (applications before 31st May).

A video about how to apply at TUM is available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsYs4tnQkWk! For information about the general application procedure at TUM, please refer to the website of the TUM Center for Study and Teaching (TUM CST) .

Admission Requirements

Application for the Master’s Program in Transportation Systems at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is open to candidates with:

  • A Bachelor’s Degree in the area(s) of Transportation Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Sciences, Communications Engineering, Economics, Architecture or other scientific area related to transportation systems;
  • An academic background in transportation science (e.g. transportation planning, traffic engineering and control, transportation infrastructure, urban development & urban planning) as well as sound basics in engineering related to transportation systems (e.g. algorithmic, informatics, programming, computer-aided simulation; drive engineering, automation engineering, energy technology, automotive engineering; communication technology, communications engineering, control technology/cybernetics, circuit technology, sensor technology; bridge construction, geographic information systems, surveying; descriptive geometry, hydromechanics, mathematics, statistics, engineering mechanics);
  • Adequate knowledge of the English language; for students whose native language or language of instruction is not English, this must be demonstrated by a recognized language test (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS);
  • Basic knowledge of the German language is beneficial.

Single parameters of the aptitude assessment are as follows:

  • Ability to work scientifically, principle-based and in a method-oriented manner;
  • Knowledge and skills in the field of mobility and transportation as well as in the field of engineering science, gained in the previous academic education;
  • Oral and written subject related language skills;
  • Science-oriented interest in engineering problems from the field of transportation systems.

Further Conditions for Some Applicants

  • If you achieved your qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. Bachelor's degree) in a country outside the EU/EEA, you will also have to apply to uni-assist.
  • China, Mongolia or Vietnam: Applicants who studied there must submit a valid APS certificate from the German Embassy.
  • Iran: All certificates have to be authenticated by the German Embassy. Please refer to the information provided on the website of the German Embassy in Tehran www.teheran.diplo.de/
  • Georgia: Applicants who studied there have to submit their application and accompanying documents directly to TUM. Verification of the undergraduate (bachelor's) degree must be submitted as a (notorized) certified copy bearing an apostille (additional authentification of notarized documents for international purposes). The apostille must appear on both the Georgian-language original and the translation.

Required Application Documents

In a first step, all documents are handed in electronically. In case of an admission, applicants must then send several documents to the TUM Center for Study and Teaching by post. A list of the required documents will be also displayed in your TUMonline account. Therefore, please register in the campus management system TUMonline and complete the application form. Useful instructions for TUMonline are available on https://www.tum.de/en/studies/application/master/application-master.

Please upload the following application documents in your TUMonline applicant account:

A valid English language certificate

  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); minimum 605 points TOEFL paper based (PbT); minimum 234 points TOEFL computer based (CbT); minimum 88 points TOEFL (IbT); The test centre can send the test report directly to TUM admission office (TOEFL code: 7806, department: 99)
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic), minimum 6,5 points; Please note: If you cannot receive your Test Report Form (TRF), please upload a PDF document with your TRF Number on it instead. Every passed IELTS test has a TRF Number (Test Report Form Number).
  • Cambridge Main Suite of English Examinations (CAE/ CPE, level A,B, C).

  • Pearson Englisch Language Test

    • PTE Academic with an Overall Score of at least 65 points.

    • PTE Academic Online with an Overall Score of at least 65 points.


  • For students whose language of instruction was English, this must be officially confirmed (e.g. on the certified graduation documents).
  • Alternatively, adequate knowledge of the English language is also demonstrated with an amount of 60 credits achieved in undergraduate courses with English as the medium of instruction and examination.

A Bachelor’s degree certificate

The copy must include the aggregate mark or graduate average, including explanation of the grading system (maximum grade, minimum passing grade, etc.). Information about certified copies can be found on www.tum.de/en/studies/application/notarization/. If the certificate is not issued in English or German, we need an officially authenticated translation as well.

A transcript of records

The semester mark sheets listing your subjects and grades; If the transcript is not issued in English or German, we need an officially authenticated translation as well. Please note: If the final degree certificate and/or the final year transcripts are not yet available on the date of application, complete certification of the first degree coursework and examination results (transcript of records) issued by the responsible examination authority or the responsible university office must be submitted.

A curriculum vitae

Formatted as a table and written in the English language;

A motivation letter

Written in the English language (2 pages at maximum); Applicants should demonstrate what specifically qualifies them for the Master’s Program in Transportation Systems. Hereby, you should explicate why you are particularly eligible for the Master's Program in Transportation Systems. Please justify your exceptional motivation and commitment by, e.g. statements about vocational trainings in the transportation sector, internships, extra-curricular courses in transportation science or periods abroad (Please do not forget to prove this with confirmations or certificates in the enclosure!). Please do not forget to add a document where you justify that the motivation letter for the Master’s program represents your own work and that no other sources than those listed were used. This statement is to be signed by you.

A presentation portfolio

Please hand in an English copy of your Bachelor’s thesis or an English abstract of it (to be uploaded in the applicant account). If you cannot provide neither copy nor abstract of the Bachelor's thesis, please submit a sample of your previous academic works (e.g. scientific papers, homework assignments), preferably in the field of transportation.

A German language certificate

German language skills are essential for social and cultural integration. TUM does not require a German language certificate, but please note that for an internship or possibly later work in Germany it is extremely important to have German language skills. Many German employers see this as a requirement for employment!

A Preliminary Documentation (VPD) from uni-assist

Applicants who achieved their qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. Bachelor's degree) in a country outside the EU/EEA, have to submit a preliminary documentation (VPD) by uni-assist.

After submission of your application

Please refer to your TUMonline applicant account if you need information about:

  • The status of your application
  • Missing documents or
  • Incomplete documents.

If you have further questions, please directly contact the TUM Center for Study and Teaching (TUM CST) by sending an e-mail to studium@tum.de.

Aptitude Assessment Process

The central TUM Center for Study and Teaching will first check the formal criteria of your application. If relevant documents are missing or not submitted in the required way, they will be marked as “not OK” in your applicant account on TUMonline. The application will be forwarded to the TUM Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, as soon as all formal criteria are considered as “OK”.

At the department, the aptitude assessment will be conducted. There are two levels of the aptitude assessment:

In level 1, applications are evaluated on the basis of the documents. Applicants receive points for the following parts of their application:

  • Subject-related qualifications of the undergraduate studies (max. 60 points)
  • Average grade of the undergraduate studies (max. 10 points)
  • Motivation letter (max. 30 points)

Applicants with 70 points or more will receive an admission letter. Applicants with 59 points or less will receive a rejection letter. Applicants with scores between 60 and 69 points will be invited to an aptitude test (second level).

In level 2, applicants will have a personal interview about their motivation for the degree program and their academic and personal background. For applicants living abroad, the interview can be conducted via video conference. Usually, the interviews take place in June and July (applications received before March 15th) or in August and September (applications received after March 15th); applicants will be informed about the interview date one week in advance.

More detailed information about the aptitude assessment can be found in the statutes of the degree program (annex 2).

  • Keine Stichwörter