All courses are taught in English (100%). Participants have to write all assignments, reports and their Master's theses in English.
(At UACh [Chile], the language of instruction is Spanish.)
SPRING combines intensive training in development theories and strategies, planning concepts and methods, and implementation and monitoring tools with practice-oriented field studies aimed at elaborating regional development plans and programmes in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The programme focuses on the specific cultural and socio-economic contexts in the developing world.
SPRING places its emphasis on development management at the level between macro-regional and community-based planning.
Development planning is seen as a problem-oriented management tool with the following objectives:
The SPRING programme is composed of 10 modules (see below) that comprise lectures, seminars, exercises, workshops, and field trips. The course structure of the first year, which is offered at TU Dortmund University, follows three phases (analysis, planning, implementation), simulating an ideal planning cycle. Each phase converges into a one-week workshop which integrates the various subjects. The second year, which takes place at the partnering universities, offers applied field research, project and thesis work. The submission of a Master's thesis is a compulsory component of the final examination.
First year
Module 1 Planning Approaches and Key Skills for Planning (8 CP)
Module 2 Workshop - Planning Practice (12 CP)
Module 3 Planning in Developing Countries and Physical Infrastructure (20 CP)
Module 4 Planning Tools (6 CP)
Module 5 Concepts and Theories for Planning (7 CP)
Module 6 Socio-Economic Development Planning (7 CP)
Second year
Module 7 Planning and Research Methods (8 CP)
Module 8a) Policy Planning and Implementation in Ghana (9 CP)
Module 8b) Policy Planning and Implementation in the Philippines (9 CP)
Module 8c) Urban Planning and Management in Tanzania (9 CP)
Module 8d) Planning, governance and public policies for sustainability in Brazil (9 CP)
Module 8e) Policy Planning and Implementation in Chile (9 CP)
Module 9 Development Planning Workshop (18 CP)
Module 10 Master’s thesis (24 CP)
SPRING is a two-year programme. The first year is offered at the TU Dortmund University. Students have the option to study at one of the five partnering universities either in Ghana, Tanzania, the Philippines, Chile or Brazil during the second year of their studies.
Germany: approx. 950 EUR per month
Brazil: approx. 1,135 EUR per month
Ghana: approx. 650 EUR per month
Tanzania: approx. 790 EUR per month
Philippines: approx. 935 EUR per month
Chile: approx. 730 EUR per month
High proficiency in English:
TU Dortmund University
Department of Spatial Planning - SPRING
August-Schmidt-Straße 6
44227 Dortmund
Germany
Further information about the application can be found here.
Part-time employment is not possible because the SPRING programme is a full-time study programme.
At all SPRING universities (except for Brazil and Chile), accommodation in student hostels on campus is organised by SPRING for all participants who have formally expressed their desire to stay in these facilities. This is organised well in advance in order to provide students with an affordable place to stay the very moment they arrive in Dortmund, Kumasi, Dar es Salaam, and Manila. Rent for a single room in a student residence is approx. 50–340 EUR per month, depending on the country. The universities in São Paulo and Valdivia provide special support to find accommodation via the private housing market.
Additional extra-curricular trainings, seminars, online seminars, and events are organised on a regular basis.
A university with a unique profile: Since its founding in 1968, TU Dortmund University has developed a special profile encompassing 17 departments ranging from science and engineering to social sciences and cultural studies. The university has more than 32,000 students and 6,800 employees, including 300 professors.
TU Dortmund University has a strong focus on research. The university’s departments, e.g. mechanical engineering (with its emphasis on production and logistics), physics, biochemical and chemical engineering, statistics and computer science, and education research, are well known for their outstanding research achievements both nationally and internationally.
Students at TU Dortmund University can choose from classical subjects and innovative courses of study such as medical physics or degree programmes in spatial planning, statistics, and journalism. A particular focus is on teacher training. TU Dortmund University is one of only a few universities in Germany that offers professional teaching qualifications for all types of schools.
With around 6,800 employees, TU Dortmund University is one of Dortmund’s largest employers and has helped drive the transformation of the city and the Ruhr region from Europe’s largest coal mining and steel production area into a high-tech and service location as well as a cultural metropolis.
Dortmund is located in the heart of Europe. It is the largest city in the Ruhr region and is home to the Borussia Dortmund (BVB) soccer club. All of this contributes to the many advantages that will make studying in Dortmund an unforgettable experience. Apart from destinations for football fans, there are many other places of interest to discover in Dortmund and the Ruhr region.
Of particular importance for the development of the region is the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr), in which TU Dortmund University, the University of Duisburg-Essen, and Ruhr University Bochum joined forces more than a decade ago. Since the founding of the UA Ruhr, the Ruhr area has developed into one of the strongest science regions in Germany.
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