Sustainable Management and Technology

Increasing social interest in sustainability-oriented business, changes in consumer behavior toward renewable and regenerative products, and political agreements and regulations with stricter environmental and climate targets have created a market where companies are now, more than ever, in demand to master the technological change toward climate-neutral and sustainable resource and technology management.

This structural change requires specialists with a business education based on sustainable concepts as well as knowledge in energy and process technology, biotechnology and material sciences in order to be able to redesign internal company production processes towards resource-saving and sustainable supply chains. This also includes approaches to circular economy. The aim is to develop holistic approaches for the comprehensive use of renewable raw materials and waste, and to be able to evaluate and optimize these in terms of their benefits. In addition, a global perspective is necessary, since companies are in international competition and should be enabled to contribute to the achievement of global sustainability goals.

The interdisciplinary master's program in Sustainable Management and Technology bridges the gap between business and technical areas of enterprise. Additionally, it trains the leaders of tomorrow's sustainable economy to understand and shape entrepreneurial developments and their impact on society and the economy in the necessary depth and complexity.

For the rapidly growing fields of sustainability, managers are needed who know the special features and challenges of sustainability-oriented companies and value chains and can implement these in corporate strategies and management concepts. They should be able to think in economic and material cycles, as well as have basic knowledge of chemical-material and energetic utilization paths of biogenic and regenerative raw materials and be able to develop these further.

The Master’s program in Sustainable Management and Technology trains innovative managers who have an understanding of the necessary entrepreneurial structural change and are able to shape the increasingly complex tasks of technological change at this interface between entrepreneurial activities and technical, natural and life science functions.

The students acquire competences for the construction, organization, planning, coordination, execution and control of sustainable systems in areas such as raw material procurement, technology development, production and logistics, marketing and sales or controlling and accounting, taking into account business, macroeconomic, ecological and social effects. They can use their acquired technical and scientific fundamentals of the individual stages in the value chains – from cultivation to recycling – including key technologies of sustainable chemistry and energy management, biotechnology, material sciences and digitalization to analyze the basis for management decisions and their effects from a technical and scientific perspective.

They will also gain insight into other disciplines in order to be able to acquire knowledge independently in the future so that they can use this independently in the subject- and discipline-specific as well as interdisciplinary forms of problem-solving and decision-making. As business is not only regionally or nationally limited, but embedded in a globally networked and digital society, students are empowered to be able to work in international teams on solutions to sustainability issues.

With the skills acquired in the Master’s program, graduates are able to analyze, develop, implement and disseminate the sustainable idea in companies in all economic sectors of industry, trade, finance and consulting and in all operational functions (such as research and development, purchasing, production, sales and controlling) in a methodologically sound and innovative manner as analysts, innovators and mediators across functions and disciplines.

The master's program is offered with two options for specialization:

• Major in Biotechnology and Material Sciences (BMS)
• Major in Sustainable Management (SM)

Each major is divided into four areas: Fundamentals in Sustainable Management, Electives in Management and Technology, Specialization in Engineering and Natural Sciences, and the Master's Thesis.

1. In Fundamentals in Sustainable Management (30 ECTS) students gain depth knowledge in the areas of economics, sustainability and research methodology.
2. Electives in Management and Technology include modules from the fields of social sciences, economics, engineering and natural sciences (BMS: 30 ECTS, SM: 45 ECTS).
3. In the elective area Specialization in Engineering and Natural Sciences, the technical and scientific fundamentals along the value chains up to the utilization of residual materials are taught (BMS: 30 ECTS, SM: 15 ECTS).
4. The Master's Thesis (30 ECTS).

• Overview degree program structure

Required language skills for admission:

You need sufficient English language skills if you wish to apply for this program. Evidence of your language proficiency has to be submitted before the end of the application deadline. Learn more about recognized certificates and other ways to prove your English language skills.

This evidence of your language proficiency confirms that you comply with the minimum language requirements for admission to the program. Depending on the program and your individual background, it may be necessary for you to keep working on your language skills during your studies. Be sure to take a look at the services of our Language Center.   

Language of instruction:

The language of instruction for this program is English.

• Information on exams
• Information on studying abroad

The tuition fees for international students from third countries for this degree program are 4,000 euros per semester.

Many international students can have their fees waived or receive scholarships to finance them. You can find all information on waivers and scholarships here.

Please note: The semester fee as a contribution to the student union must be paid additionally. It varies depending on where you are studying. You can find all information on the semester fee here.

Minimum requirements to apply for a Master’s program at TUM are a recognized undergraduate degree (e.g. a Bachelor’s) and the successful completion of the aptitude assessment procedure. The aptitude assessment allows the TUM school to which you are applying to evaluate your individual talents and motivation for study.

During the application period, you must apply through the TUMonline application portal and upload your application documents.

If you receive an offer of admission, you will additionally have to submit individual documents as notarized hardcopies by post to be enrolled.

Generally, applicants with a qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. a Bachelor’s) obtained outside of the EU / EEA must have their documents reviewed in advance through uni-assist.

In detail:

• Applying for a master’s program: Application, admission requirements and more  
• Important information about your application from the TUM school

• Degree Certificate and Diploma or Subject and Grade Transcript of Studies to Date
• Transcript of Records
• Proof of English Language Proficiency
• Curricular Analysis
• Essay
• List of Best Credits
• Complete and Current Résumé
• Passport
• GMAT (optional)
• Preliminary Documentation (VPD) if the qualification for graduate studies (e.g. a bachelor’s) was obtained outside the EU/EEA (from winter semester 2025/26: outside Germany)

We may require additional documents depending on your educational background and your country of origin. Complete the online application to receive a comprehensive list of the required documents.

• Application for Enrollment (signed)
• Degree Certificate and Diploma (certified copy)
• Transcript of Records (certified copy)
• Most Current Photo (as for ID)
• Digital notification of your health insurance status from a German public health insurance provider (requested by applicant)

We may require additional documents depending on the type of educational background you earned and your country of origin. After accepting an offer of admission in TUMonline, you will receive a list of documents you must submit to TUM in hardcopy for enrollment.

Application period for the winter semester: 01.04. – 31.05.
Application period for summer semester: 01.11. – 30.11.

For information on applying for a higher semester, please contact the Departmental Student Advising.

Our online application portal TUMonline will create an application form and a checklist with the documents you have to hand in. The checklist shows which documents you need for admission and which for enrollment.

You must submit the signed application form and all documents you need for admission before the application deadline.

Please also submit the documents we need for your enrollmentas soon as possible. If individual documents for enrollment are not available to you yet, you can hand them in up to five weeks after the start of the lecture period. However, we recommend that you submit all required documents well before the semester begins, as you will not be enrolled until all documents have been received.

Please check your TUMonline account regularly, to see if we have any queries to your documents or if you have to amend one or more documents.

Selection takes place through an aptitude assessment procedure. The aptitude assessment is a two-part procedure after the submission of an official application to a program. In this procedure, the TUM school determines whether you meet the specific requirements for its Master’s degree program.

In the initial stages, the grades you obtained during your Bachelor’s program, as well as your written documents, will be evaluated using a point system. Depending on the amount of points accumulated, applicants are either immediately admitted, rejected or invited to an admissions interview.

• Aptitude Assessment for Master
• Information on the Aptitude Assessment (German) (PDF 36 KB)