TU Hamburg has a long tradition of linking Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering, which is reflected in the provision of two specialist Master's courses. The various in-depth study areas and specialisations in the Master's courses represent the focal areas of research at the School of Civil Engineering's institutes and enable in-depth academic study in both areas. It is therefore possible to face the global and regional challenges of shaping our environment and society.

The School of Civil Engineering cooperates with more than 50 international partner universities worldwide in research and teaching so as to enable all interested students to spend a qualified period of time studying abroad. Specialist supervision for exchange students is provided by a dedicated advisory office within the department. The broad range of courses in English, internationally oriented course content as well as the international Master's courses also attract a large number of international students, especially from China, followed by Mexico and India.

The labs in the individual institutes are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment which is used for teaching and research. In teaching, this equipment is firstly used to conduct experiments in line with lectures and, secondly, the lab facilities are available for use when writing Bachelor's and Master's theses. The laboratories are open all day and can also be used at the weekend or late in the evening on request. Students have access to PC workstations for producing documentation or performing simulated calculations, etc.

The research activities are characterised by a broad scope. They range from Sewage Management, Bridge and Underground Construction and Environmental Engineering through to the key research areas of "Buildings in and on Water" and "Climate-Friendly Energy and Environmental Engineering". In addition to the basic research, a large proportion of the projects have a direct link to practice.

The Startup Dock start-up centre initiated by the TUHH has been supporting innovative startups from the university sector since 2013. Startup Dock advises and supports students, scientists and alumni of Hamburg's universities and research institutions in the realisation of their technological and knowledge-based business ideas. With individual coaching and one-on-one support as well as teaching and training sessions, it provides the teams involved with the support they need during the early stage of their company start-up.

Since 2003, TUHH has been the first technical university in Germany to offer a dual course of study under the title of dual@TUHH in cooperation with NORDMETALL. The programme combines theory at university level with practice in renowned industrial companies in northern Germany and is supplemented by exclusive social competence seminars. dual@TUHH students gain a full engineering degree at the TUHH and can complete their studies with a bachelor’s of science degree (6 semesters) or an optional master's of science degree (4 semesters).