Selection procedure

Bachelor degree course in architecture

Application is only possible for the winter semester .
Application deadline is July 15 (cut-off deadline!).
The bachelor's degree programme is subject to limited admission.

Prerequisites for admission to the bachelor's degree program in architecture at KIT are:

1.one of the following degrees:
- General university entrance qualification,
- subject-linked university entrance qualification with technical orientation,
- or another qualification in the sense of § 58 para. 2 LHG

2. sufficient knowledge of the English language corresponding at least to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)*.

Selection procedure

The Bachelor's programme is admission restricted. There are 156 study places available. After deduction of the preliminary quotas, the remaining study places are distributed via a selection procedure.

The selection procedure is based on the academic performance, the result of a practical task on the topic of "Thresholds and Boundaries" and any previous experience of the applicants. On the basis of these performances, a ranking is formed according to points.

1st result of the university entrance qualification (academic performance, weighting 60%):

The sum of the points achieved in the university entrance qualification is divided by 14 or 15 (max. 60 points).

2. practice-related task (weighting 30%):

To prove subject-specific aptitude, applicants* must work on a topic issued by the selection committee and submit the result of their work in the form of sketches, drawings, photos or other forms of representation and a short text on the topic (300 - 400 characters incl. spaces), no originals, max. DIN A4, max. 5-10 pages, with the application.

The submitted performances will be evaluated separately by the members of the selection committee on a scale of 0 to 30 points.

3. previous experience (weighting 10%):

If available and proven, the following previous experience may be evaluated, provided that it gives particular indication of suitability for the intended course of study:

  1. A completed vocational training in a relevant profession (e.g. draftsman, carpenter) and previous professional experience relevant to the course of study, even without completed vocational training (max. 10 points).
  2. Practical activities, e.g. voluntary service (max. 5 points)
  3. extracurricular achievements and qualifications, e.g. prizes and awards (max. 5 points)

The members of the selection committee evaluate the previous experience separately on a scale from 0 to 10.

The points from a) to c) are added together, but the total cannot exceed 10 points.

* English language skills can be proven by one of the following internationally recognized tests:

  1. Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) with at least 90 points in the internet-based test or.
  2. IELTS with an overall score of at least 6.5 and no section below 5.5 or
  3. University of Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or
  4. University of Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) or
  5. UNIcert at least level II.

Proof of English language skills by means of one of the above-mentioned tests is not required for applicants with

  • a university degree from a higher education institution with English as the sole language of instruction and examination; English as the sole and official language of the degree programme completed must be stated in the Diploma Supplement, the Transcript of Records or the degree certificate; other confirmations of the language of instruction and examination will not be accepted as proof of language proficiency;
  • a school leaving certificate, whereby the foreign language must have been taken for at least 5 learning years directly up to the degree entitling the holder to admission to higher education, and the final or average grade of the last two learning years of language instruction must correspond at least to the German grade 4 (sufficient) or at least 5 points.

If the language certificate is missing at the time of application, the applicant can still be admitted in individual cases under the proviso that he/she proves the language certificate by the end of the matriculation period.

Master's degree in architecture

Application is only possible for the winter and summer semester.Application deadline: July 15 for the winter semester, January 15 for the summer semester.

Please note:

Starting with the application phase for the summer semester 2022, all application documents can and must be submitted in digital form (PDF) only. Submission in paper form is not possible. This also applies to the draft or project portfolio.

For applications that are started after 10.01.2022, it is mandatory to upload proof of the internship in the "Professional internship" section.
If one does not yet have proof of an internship because it is planned to complete it only by the beginning of the third semester (see footnote ***), a document can be uploaded on which this is noted with a sentence.

Prerequisites for admission to the Master's program in Architecture at KIT are:

1. bachelor degree
a passed* Bachelor's degree (or at least an equivalent degree) in the study program Architecture (or a study program with essentially the same content) at a university, university of applied sciences or university of cooperative education or at a foreign university. The studies must have been completed within a standard period of study of at least three years and with a minimum number of 180 ECTS credits,

2. minimum knowledge and minimum performance in the areas**:

  • Design to the extent of 60 LP, of which one urban design project to the extent of at least 10 LP.
  • Building technology to the extent of 30 LP
  • Theoretical and historical foundations to the extent of 20 LP
  • Design and representation to the extent of 20 LP and
  • Urban and landscape planning to the extent of 20 LP.

Important!
The assignment of the achievements in the Bachelor's program to the areas must be made by the applicant on a form.

3. internship***
A twelve-week full-time internship in an architectural office or in a structural engineering department of an office or a large company.

4. German language skills
for applicants whose native language is not German, proof of sufficient knowledge of the German language in accordance with the requirements of the admission and matriculation regulations of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT),

5. passing of the examination
that there is no final failure of an examination required by the examination regulations in the course of studies in architecture or a related course of studies with essentially the same content and that the examination entitlement still exists for other reasons as well

6. subject-specific aptitude test (project portfolio/conversation)
Successful participation in a subject-specific study ability test consisting of a project portfolio and, if applicable, an interview.

The design or project portfolio with work samples should consist of the final thesis of the undergraduate Bachelor's program, other self-selected own work from the Bachelor's program as well as a tabular curriculum vitae and is to be submitted as a PDF (!)in DIN A4 format with a maximum of 30 pages.The design or project portfolio will be evaluated on a scale from 0 to 80 points.

With a score of at least 61 points, the portfolio meets the requirements and the subject-specific study skills test is passed.
If the score is below 41 points, the subject-specific aptitude test is not passed.
If you score between 41 and 60 points, you will be invited to an interview.

In the interview, you should be able to apply specialist content from your studies and professional experience to questions and objectives in architecture. This includes the topics of design, the understanding of architectural issues, the ability to work scientifically and the technical language competence. Your interview behavior will also be evaluated in terms of expressive language, approach to discussing problems, and coherence of argumentation.
The interview will take place on the premises of KIT in Karlsruhe and will last about 20 minutes.

The exact dates as well as the place of the interview will be announced by KIT at least one week before the date. The applicants admitted to the interview will be invited by KIT in due time. The time period for the interview will be determined and announced before the application deadline. The interview will be evaluated on a scale from 0 to 20 points.

If the total score in the interview is at least 10 points, the subject-specific study ability test is passed.

Letter of motivation
For the formation of the ranking list, a letter of motivation with a maximum length of 500 words for the choice of the master's program in architecture at KIT must be enclosed.
In the letter, please explain why you are applying for the master's program in architecture at KIT, why you consider yourself suitable for this program, and what goals and expectations you have for the study of architecture at KIT.

Ranking list
A ranking list will be drawn up among the applicants who meet the admission requirements:
Overall grade of the academic degree (15 points)
Letter of motivation (5 points)
Design/project portfolio (80 points)

Due to the high number of applicants, not all applicants who meet the admission requirements can usually be admitted. This means that even after successful completion of the interview, it is possible that no admission will be granted because the placement on the ranking list is in the lower range.


* Admission to the master's program in architecture can also be applied for if the bachelor's degree has not yet been obtained by the application deadline, and if it can be expected that the applicant will complete the bachelor's program in good time before starting the master's program in architecture, based on the course of studies to date, in particular the examination results to date. In this case, an average grade determined on the basis of previous examination results can be taken into account in the admission and selection decision. The applicant takes part in the admission and selection procedure exclusively with the average grade determined and the previous study and examination achievements. The subsequent result of the Bachelor's degree is disregarded. The application must be accompanied by a certificate of the study and examination achievements (e.g. extract of grades) up to the end of the application period.

** If up to 30 LP of the aforementioned achievements are missing, the applicant can still be admitted with the achievements actually made if he/she successfully completes and proves these achievements within the first three semesters of the Master's program in addition to the study and examination achievements required according to the relevant study and examination regulations of the Master's program in Architecture.

*** If the twelve-week professional internship pursuant to Paragraph 2 No. 4 is missing, the applicant may nevertheless be admitted in individual cases on condition that he/she successfully completes the internship by the beginning of the third semester of the Master's degree program. The fulfillment of the condition must be proven at the latest for re-registration in the fourth semester.

Bachelor's and Master's programme in Art History

Bachelor's degree programme

According to the decree of the Ministry of Science Baden-Württemberg of July 17, 2009, there are no admission restrictions for the Bachelor's programme in Art History.

Master's programme

Admission requirement is normally that someone has already completed the subject for which he/she wants to be admitted
subject for which he/she wishes to be admitted to the Master's programme, with at least a Bachelor's degree.
degree.

This means: If you want to be admitted to the Master's programme in subject A
must have studied subject A as a major subject beforehand.
The admission regulations are the same for some of the subjects, while other subjects have their own regulations.
other subjects have their own regulations.

Selection of applicants:

On the one hand, the previous study and its final report are evaluated
(maximum 64 points), on the other hand "other achievements" can also be taken into account
can also be taken into account with up to 15 points. Among these "other achievements" the
selection statutes list

a) completed vocational training in a relevant training occupation and previous,
relevant to the course of study (also without completed training) as well as practical
training) as well as practical activities,
b) special educational background and
c) extracurricular achievements and qualifications, e.g. prizes and awards."

If there are more applicants than study places, selection is made from among the applicants according to the criterion
of the aptitude points.

Old-building Renovation Master’s Program

Admission to the Postgraduate Old-building Renovation Master’s Program requires a bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree (“Diplom“) and proof of occupational aptitude.

Admission is restricted to the winter semesters.

In addition, proofs must be produced of a two-year training qualification that is relevant to the intended course of studies and of other, scientific, and occupational qualifications. A personal statement giving the reasons for choosing Karlsruhe as the place of study and for selecting the desired study course and future profession must be added to all other documents.


The available semestral admissions to the Postgraduate Old-building Renovation Master’s Program are distributed among all applicants fulfilling the above formal conditions. If there are qualified applicants in excess of the number of available admissions, candidates are chosen by selection and rankings of course achievements, other, scientific, and occupational qualifications, and selection interviews. Total credits then are calculated by considering the credits obtained for the course achievements (20 %), for other, scientific, and occupational qualifications (30 %), and for the selection interview (50 %).


A maximum of 80 points can be obtained for course achievements. Up to 15 points are achievable for other, scientific, and occupational qualifications such as:

  • Qualification in a recognized occupation requiring formal training

  • Practical experience and specific preparatory training

  • Extracurricular achievements and qualifications such as prizes and awards


Outstanding scientific achievements such as relevant publications, exceptional scientific papers, research activities, and research experience gained at scientific institutions or in industry can be considered in addition.


The selection interview serves to find out whether the expertise gained by the applicant in the course of studies provides a sufficient basis for the required preliminary scientific and practical knowledge. Moreover, it is assessed whether he or she is apt for and open-minded to the selected study course. Each applicant is interviewed by a selection commission for approximately 30 minutes and is accredited with up to 15 points.


KIT will announce the times and places of the selection interviews two weeks in advance. Applicants admitted to take part in the interview will be invited in due course.