Master of Arts (M.A.)

Study Building Archaeology

Building archaeology regards the building itself as the most important source of its history. Surveying and drawing a building so precisely that both the original planning as well as any changes can be analysed is a key competence for renovation, heritage conservation and archaeology.

application infomation
Studierende der Fakultät Architektur

Content

What is the Building Archaeology degree programme about?

Building archaeology covers the entire spectrum of building from its beginnings to the architecture of the present, from simple anonymous buildings to famous sacred and profane architecture, and not only buildings or monuments, but also individual architectural elements as well as entire city complexes.

Within their studies, students can choose different specialisations, for example building archaeology in an international context or medieval to modern architecture. The architecture of the 20th century in particular is becoming increasingly important. Regional projects include the former Jahn Stadium in Regensburg, the Regensburg castle boundary stones and Regensburg's Old Town Hall. International projects in collaboration with various partners include the so-called Crystal Palace in Beijing, monument conservation in Nepal and research on bazaar architecture in the Near East. In addition, both staff and graduates are involved in projects in Italy, Turkey and Greece. 

Students and graduates are prepared for these academic projects and become directly involved through their final theses, and potentially through subsequent doctoral theses. The degree programme imparts the analytical perspective of the building archaeologist, recognising details relevant to building construction and dealing sensitively with historically significant buildings.

The basis of building archaeology is the method of deformation-accurate architectural surveying, using an independent surveying system. The building is drawn with all its constructional and technical details, including any deformations and alterations. The traditional manual survey is combined with various digital surveying methods such as laser scanning and digital photogrammetry. In addition, a photographic record and a detailed building description with room data sheets and an architectural inventory are compiled. Based on this detailed documentation, the different construction phases are then determined.

These results will be presented in construction phase plans and reconstruction drawings as well as in models and visualisations. One aim is to explore the historical and cultural context of buildings and urban structures within their temporal and stylistic classification, as well as their functional, aesthetic and cultural interpretation. The central aspects of architecture and construction are analysed: Design, building construction, building technology, construction process, prefabrication, load-bearing behaviour. Based on the survey results and the laws governing protected buildings, conservation measures and site management plans are prepared. A damage map is used to develop concepts for conservation, restoration and structural safety as well as for the use and presentation of the site. Conservation strategies deal with the issue of monument conservation in relation to social and political acceptance and the analysis of their economic, touristic and cultural-political significance. In the case of archaeological sites, additional concepts must be developed for possible reconstruction, protective roofs, tourist guidelines and the presentation of scientific results as part of educational policy and development assistance. You can expect a tailor-made degree programme that corresponds to the students' wishes, experiences and professional qualification goals.

Career opportunities

What career prospects do I have as a building archaeologist?

This practice-oriented degree is the ideal basis for a position in a heritage conservation authority or research insitution, as an architect specialising in the conservation and use of historic buildings, or as a freelance building researcher.

Possible job profiles

  • Do you have a Bachelor's degree in art history or archaeology? If so, the Master's programme in Building Archaeology opens the door to heritage conservation at the State Offices for Heritage Management or the local District or Municipal Conservation Authorities.


  • Architects supplement their qualification in the increasingly important field of building rehabilitation with evaluation skills for the renovation of historic buildings. Since the winter semester 2018/19, students with a previous BA degree in architecture can also qualify for admission to the Chamber of Architects by taking modules 1.4a and 4.1a, thus fulfilling the requirement of at least eight semesters of architectural studies (see MHB-SPO 2018, pp. 8 to 13 and BayBauKG, Art. 4 (2) 2.a). This also opens up the prospect of becoming a self-employed architect to this group of graduates.


  • Graduates of the Building Archaeology degree programme in Regensburg enjoy a wide range of career opportunites, for example as a self-employed building researcher. They receive their assignments from building owners or through the State Offices for Heritage Management. The task is usually the investigation and documentation of historic buildings for which no reliable plans are available, often in preparation for restoration measures in keeping with the laws governing protected buildings.


  • A still sought-after field that enjoys a rich tradition is archaeological research in the context of international excavation projects. In this area, there is also a growing demand for experts for site management projects on archaeological excavation sites and historic urban centres. The restoration and reconstruction of international architectural heritage damaged or destroyed by natural disasters or wars is also an important task for the future. For graduates particularly interested in research or teaching, there is the possibility of an academic career at a college, university or research institute. A very good Master's degree also qualifies students for a doctorate at a university, which can be co-supervised by professors at the OTH.


Structure and modules

How is the degree programme structured?

The Master's in Building Archaeology is a full-time course lasting foursemesters. Mandatory elective modules allow you to specialise and shape your studies according to your interests.

  • Modules:

    • Architectural Documentation in Theory and Practice
    • Heritage Conservation
    • Practice, Management, Communication
    • Heritage Protection Principles
    • Mandatory Elective Module Building Archaeology
    • Architectural Survey
    • Monument Studies
    • Building Archaeology of Ancient Sites

    For further information see: Study and examination regulations, curriculum and module handbook in the download area.


  • Modules:

    • Digital Survey and Visualisation
    • Historic Building Construction
    • Applied Building Archaeology
    • Master's Thesis (independent research on a real historic building)

    For further information see: Study and examination regulations, curriculum and module handbook in the download area.


Specialisation

Which specialisations can I choose?

You may choose to specialise in, for example, the study of ancient architecture in an archaeological context, or in medieval architecture in Europe, or in the very recent architectural heritage of the 20th century.

Fachschaft Café A

Studies and organisational matters

So that everything runs smoothly

When and where do lectures take place? Which legal regulations must be observed? Who can you ask? Answers to these and other questions about the Building Archaeology programme can be found here.

  • Lectures and seminars take place mainly on the main campus of the OTH Regensburg in the Faculty of Architecture buildings:

    Building L
    Galgenbergstraße 32
    93053 Regensburg

    As far as possible, the practical exercises take place at and in historic buildings in and around Regensburg. However, there will also be excursions to sites of interest further away.


  • AQAS, Accreditation Council, Quality Report


  • You decide when you want to go abroad: whether to study, for an internship or your final thesis. International experience opens the door to many opportunities in your future professional career.

    Comprehensive information on the subject of studying abroad can be found on the website of the OTH Regensburg's InternationalOffice, including:

    • List of all partner universities of the OTH Regensburg
    • Field reports on studying abroad

    Our colleagues in the InternationalOffice will be happy to answer any furtherquestions. For faculty-specific questions, please contact the Faculty of Architecture's International Officer, Prof. Christophe Barlieb.


  • The study and examination regulations (SPO) and curriculum are documents that contain the regulations governing studying and examinations. You can find them in the download area.


Faculty strengths

  • Labore und Werkstätten

    In addition to our digital laboratories, a great strength of the faculty lies in its well-equipped workshops, model workrooms and the faculty's own "Fab-Lab". In addition to an extensive woodworking workshop, the faculty has a metal workshop, a plaster and ceramics laboratory, a material science laboratory, a photo laboratory, a surveying laboratory, a design laboratory, a lighting laboratory, an assembling studio and a Fab-Lab with paper cutter and 3D printers working in plastic, synthetic resin and plaster. In the model workrooms, students can assemble moulded parts, most of which they produce themselves. A unique research facility at the Faculty of Architecture is the renowned Friedrich Mielke Institute for Scalalogy, an independent institution for staircase research, globally known and recognised in professional circles well before the 2014 Architecture Bienniale in Venice. The laboratories and workshops are actively used by students from all degree programmes and are being expanded in the new building to include a lighting laboratory and an assembling studio.


  • The Friedrich Mielke Institute, named after the pioneer of European staircase research, Professor Dr.-Ing. Friedrich Mielke, is a scientific institute at the OTH Regensburg. It serves research and teaching in all fields that are technically, artistically, literarily, philosophically, historically or spiritually concerned with the staircases of our world.

    Contact:
    Friedrich Mielke Institute

    Academic Director:
    Prof. Dr. Dietmar Kurapkat (acting)


  • The Competence Centre for Building Archaeology brings together the research and educational research projects in the area of building archaeology carried out at the Faculty of Architecture as well as research-oriented Master's theses in the Master's in Building Archaeology programme. The Competence Centre supports the execution of these projects through subject-related networks and assists in the external presentation of research results.

    In doing so, the Competence Centre works closely with the Sustainable Building and Building Archaeology Research Cluster (NBHB) as well as with the Friedrich Mielke Institute for Scalalogy.

    Contact and academic director:
    Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Kurapkat


  • A large proportion of our students, especially in the Bachelor's degree programmes, still come from our catchment area of Niederbayern und Oberpfalz (Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate). Graduates regularly begin their careers in the boom town of Regensburg or return to their home towns after graduation.

    However, a look at the surrounding region shows a considerable level of both economic structural change and demographic change - especially at its northern and eastern edges. Negative population growth and relocation are current issues. The value of resources is shifting. In this context, existing and potential future assets often fade into the background. At the same time, despite depopulation scenarios, peripheral rural areas are facing a noticeable burden of new responsibilities.

    In the face of these upcoming challenges, the Competence Centre for Rural Redevelopment was founded at the faculty with the support of the university management. In cooperation with government agencies and municipalities as well as both local and regional actors, it specifically addresses possible strategies and scenarios in research projects.

    The resulting projects demonstrate the different scales and complexities of the work involved, from individual buildings to urban planning to regional networking, and are always developed in interdisciplinary cooperation.

    Prof. Anne Beer
    Cooperation partners
    Projects


Application info

1. Please register in the OTH Regensburg application portal. It is not necessary to register with “Hochschulstart” for this degree programme.

2. The application process is entirely online. Please complete the online application and upload all required application documents.

3. Make sure you regularly check your status in the application portal. Here you can also see whether any documents are still missing. These documents must be submitted by the end of the deadline.

4. You will automatically receive email notifications via the application portal when your application status changes.

5. After your application has been processed, you will receive an e-mail with further information from the Admissions and Organisation Office of the OTH Regensburg as confirmation of receipt.

 

6.  If all application documents have been received within the application deadline and are valid, you will receive an e-mail with further information after the examination committee has checked the documents. Please note that it is no longer possible to apply after the application deadline.

7. So what comes next? You can find all the information you need in the section under "Admissions and enrolment".

 

For winter semesters:

Application period: 1 May – 15 June

For summer semesters:

Application period: 15 November – 15 January

1. Please register in the OTH Regensburg application portal.

2. The application process is entirely online. Please complete the online application and upload all required application documents. Important components of the application are your university entrance qualification, your current transcript of grades from your previous studies and the application for credit transfer. If further documents are required, they will be requested in the application portal.

3. Make sure you regularly check your status in the application portal. Here you can also see whether any documents are still missing. These documents must be submitted by the end of the deadline. Please note that it only makes sense to apply for a higher semester if you have already obtained credits in the same or a closely related degree programme. If this is not the case or if you are in doubt about receiving credit, please apply (additionally) for a first semester. If you are currently enrolled in your first semester, you will not receive your exam results before the application deadline. We do not accept incomplete records or provisional results, so you will not be able to apply for admission to another programme in a higher semester.

4. After your application has been processed, you will receive an e-mail with further information from the Admissions and Organisation Department of the OTH Regensburg as confirmation of receipt.

 

5. If all application documents have been received within the application deadline and are valid, you will receive an e-mail with further information after the examination committee has checked the documents. Please note that it is no longer possible to apply after the application deadline. 

6. The examination committee decides on the crediting of academic achievements and whether a placement in a higher semester is possible. This placement is based on the creditable achievements and not on the semesters completed. Please note that there may also be admission restrictions in the admission procedure for higher semesters. 

7. So what comes next? You can find all the information you need in the section under "Admissions and enrolment".

 

 

BACHELOR'S CERTIFICATE

For the application for this Master's degree programme please submit your certificates and diplomas of your home country translated into German or English. The complete Bachelor's certificate with all subjects, the final grade and the grading scale is required. You can find detailed information in the admission requirements.

 

GERMAN LANGUAGE SKILLS

German language skills on level DSH 1 are required. You have to upload your German language certificate either when applying or when enrolling via the online portal.

These certificates are recognized as an alternative to the DSH 1 certificate:

  • TestDaF: TDN 3 in all sections of the exam
  • Studienkolleg: Feststellungsprüfung „Deutsch“
  • DSD: Level II with B2 in all sections of the exam
  • Goethe: C1
  • telc: telc Deutsch C1, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule
  • ÖSD: C1
  • UNIcert® Deutsch III

If you need a visa to study in Germany, you should look into the visa procedure and (if necessary) register on the waitlist as soon as possible. Depending on your country, receiving a visa appointment can take a long time. On the other hand, our admission letters are only valid for one semester and admission cannot be deferred.

You can find more information for prospective international students (on visas or other issues) on the web pages of the International Office.

Admission and enrolment

After the Master Commission has checked your documents, you will receive an admission or rejection notice by e-mail.
If you receive admission, you can immediately accept the place of study online in the application portal and upload the enrolment documents.
Enrolment generally takes place in August for a winter semester or in February for a summer semester.
 

Important information for online enrolment

Semester fee

The application for enrolment ("Antrag auf Immatrikulation") will include information about the current semester fee and the transfer details.

Documents

The following documents must normally be uploaded for online enrolment at the university:

  • Signed application for enrolment ("Antrag auf Immatrikulation") along with other documents required, depending on the individual case. You will receive this by e-mail.
  • Signed(declaration of consent regarding data protection (“Einwilligungserklärung zum Datenschutz”). You will receive this together with the application for enrolment.
  • Copy of valid identity card/passport
  • Digital notification of health insurance (M10), see the following notes "I would like to enrol. What do I have to do?"

I want to enrol as a student and have to provide proof of health insurance. What do I need to do?

  • If you have chosen public / statutory insurance, please contact your health insurance company and inform them that you are planning to enrol at Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule (OTH) Regensburg. Your health insurance company will then send us a digital notification known as M10. Please note that we cannot accept any insurance membership certificates in PDF or paper form. Our institution number is H0000048 (please provide this to your insurance company if necessary).

    If you have questions about public vs. private insurance, please check the website of the DAAD.


  • If the insurance from your home country is not accepted in Germany and you are over 30 years old, you may have chosen a private health insurance for Germany. In this case, please contact any public health insurance company in Germany with your insurance documents. Please inform them that you would like to enrol at Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule (OTH) Regensburg and remain privately insured. The health insurance company will then send us a digital notification of your exemption from public insurance. Please note that we cannot accept an insurance membership certificate from your private health insurance instead of the exemption. Our institution number is H0000048.

    If you have questions about public vs. private insurance, please check the website of the DAAD.


  • If you are already insured in another EU country, your insurance may be accepted in Germany. If that is the case, you need to apply from exemption from compulsory public insurance. To do that, please contact any public health insurance company in Germany, send them your insurance documents and inform them that you would like to enrol at Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule (OTH) Regensburg. The health insurance company will then send us a digital notification of exemption. Please note that we cannot accept any insurance membership certificates in paper form. Our institution number is H0000048.

    If you are coming from a non-EU country and/or are over 30 years old, you need to take on public or private health insurance which is valid in Germany. The website of the DAAD should help you better understand your options and choose the type of insurance which is best for you. After you have chosen your insurance, please ask your insurance company to send us a digital confirmation message of your insurance, or (if you have chosen private insurance) apply for exemption as instructed above.