Program
The master’s program combines the long tradition of integrative consideration of open space and landscape planning with innovative design and development approaches for urban and rural areas. The program focuses on the challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, water-sensitive urban development, biodiversity, gender equal cities, energy landscapes, healthy cities, food security, urban shrinkage processes and increasing urbanization and migration. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and their principles provide the framework for the content of this master’s program.
The program of the first two semesters consists of a series of compulsory (1st semester) and elective (2nd semester) courses taught separately, as well as one urban landscape and one landscape planning and development project that address realistic project assignments. In the 3rd semester students will undertake an internship and the 4th semester is dedicated to the master’s thesis.
The first two semesters (“residency”) usually take place at the “Sustainable Campus” of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Ostwestfalen-Lippe in Höxter. Although the study plan is originally designed for students to study on campus at the Sustainable Campus in Höxter / Germany, due to SARS-Covid-19, the faculty transformed the program into hybrid teaching courses which can take place on campus and online. This allows students to begin the 1st semester of the master’s program without having to leave their countries of residency and therefor may help to avoid potential difficulties in visa processes that may arise.
The third semester is dedicated to completing an internship. During the fourth semester students work on their Master’s thesis.
1st semester
The curriculum of the first semester consists of four compulsory courses, 5 CP each:
- Human-centered Open Space Planning and Design (Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Ute Aufmkolk, Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Rohler)
- Sustainable Planting Design (Prof. Cassian Schmidt, M.SC. Jessica Gabler)
- Landscape and Regional Planning in Germany (Prof. Dr. Boris Stemmer, Lucas Kaußen M.Sc., )
- Quality in Detailed Design (Prof. Dr. Hendrik Laue)
Along with these four compulsory courses students work together on a compulsory
- Urban Landscape Project (Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Elizabeth Sikiaridi, Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Rohler) (6 CP)
With Extra Muros 1st Semester (4 CP) and “Extra Muros 2nd Semester” (4 Credits) both first and second semester study incude a series of study trips in Germany and international excursions to landscape architecture and landscape planning projects, and meetings and discussions with the experts involved, as well as intensive field-trip workshop sessions. The relatively low living costs in Höxter more than compensate for the expense of the field trips.
Further information:
- Studyplan Overview
- Modul Manual/Course Descriptions (German & English)
- Studyplan Overview Table
- Degree Program Examination Regulations
Master’s Thesis
Learn more about the backgrounds, ideas, and experiences of our students
- Student: César Morán Cahusac
- Date: December 2025
- Place: USA, San Francisco
- Topic: Pollination as a Landscape Design Tool to Enhance Ecosystem Services in the City of San Francisco
Supervisors: Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Elizabeth Sikiaridi / RPP, MCIP, MPlan., Ph.D. (U. of Calgary) Ana Karinna Hidalgo
- Student: Mohammad Rifat Hossain
- Date: August 2025
- Place: Germany, Duisburg
- Topic: Revitalizing Public Green Spaces in Dellviertel and Hochfeld
Supervisors: Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Elizabeth Sikiaridi / MLA Mohammad Nakib Sadat Chowdhury
- Student: Shakiba Bozorgbashar
- Date: July 2025
- Place: Netherlands, Rotterdam
- Topic: Enhancing Mental Health Through Green Spaces in Densifying Rotterdam,
- Case study: Tarwewijk neighborhood, In collaboration with TU Delft
Supervisors: Professor Elizabeth Sikiaridi / Dr. Maryam Naghibi
- Student: Mitra Ebadi
- Date: May 2025
- Place: Detmold Germany
- Topic: The Future of the Hermannsdenkmal as a Peace Memorial
Supervisors: Professor Elizabeth Sikiaridi / Dipl. Ing. Thorsten Försterling
- Student: Ozge Cankaya
- Date: May 2025
- Place: Turkey, Bebek / Istanbul
- Topic: Sustainable Transformation of the Urban Coast
Supervisors: Professor Elizabeth Sikiaridi / M.A. Ayse Aslı Suner Basal
- Student: Sara Abosekina
- Date: February 2025
- Place: Germany, Passau
- Topic: Alleviating Flood Pressure on Historic Passau, Landscape Architecture Solutions for Sustainable Waterway Management
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dipl.-Ing. Hendrick Laue / Prof. Dr. Peter Rohler
- Student: Rahnuma Azad
- Date: February 2025
- Place: Bangladesh, Dhaka City
- Topic: Integrating Sustainable Solutions and Enhancing Pedestrian Walkability on
- Mirpur-Kafrul Road
Supervisors: Professor Elizabeth Sikiaridi / M.Sc. Tanmoy Dey
- Student: Johanna Guggemos
- Date: January 2025
- Place: Germany
- Topic: Opportunities to transform a food producing company into an ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable project
Supervisors: Professor Dr. Boris Stemmer / Professor Dr. Winfried Türk
- Student: Suzy Lati
- Date: February 2024
- Place: Germany, Cologne
- Topic: Quantifying the environmental benefits of Green Roofs in Cologne
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dipl.-Ing. Hendrick Laue / Prof. Dr. Ing. Yvonne-Christin Knepper Bartel
- Student: Ziba Hejabi
- Date: August 2023
- Place: Germany, Cologne
- Topic: What kind of indicators with a focus on climate change can we use to assess the sustainability of new development in east-west axis in Cologne?
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dipl.-Ing. Hendrick Laue / Dipl.-Ing. Johannes Böttger
- Student: Nour Kais
- Date: August 2023
- Place: Egypt, Nile City
- Topic: Nile City: From a Sustainable Urban Landscape Point of View
- Supervisors: Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Elizabeth Sikiaridi / M.Sc. Andreas Adler
