Master of Science in International Material Flow Management (IMAT MSc) Trier University of Applied Sciences

IMAT is entirely taught in English.

The Master's programme in International Material Flow Management (IMAT MSc) was designed, developed and launched in 2004 by the Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS) of Trier University of Applied Sciences (TUAS) - based on the three key attributes of IMAT:

• innovativeness
• interdisciplinarity
• internationality

This practice-oriented postgraduate programme for Master's level qualification is in the domain of "science" and specifically focuses on the discipline of international material flow management with emphasis on engineering economics. It was designed recognising the lacuna in the field of environmental and sustainability sciences.

Teaching at the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld takes place in the form of face-to-face courses, which are supplemented by blended e-learning activities. IMAT thrives on the active, interdisciplinary and intercultural exchange between students and lecturers. The Environmental Campus Birkenfeld with its unique zero emission campus concept acts as a real-life laboratory for our students.

Having two-year comprehensive education and hands-on training in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste and integrated resource management, water and wastewater management, biofuels and sustainable mobility, carbon management and emission trading, the graduates of an IMAT Master's programme are in high demand with excellent career opportunities the world over.

Since 2004, over 220 students from nearly 51 countries have graduated with a Master's degree from IMAT. The enviable IMAT alumni cohort comprises top corporate executives, entrepreneurs, researchers/scientists, and public administrators.

The IMAT Master's programme offers two tracks for Master's level qualifications: IMAT Master of Science (MSc) and IMAT Master of Engineering (MEng). The IMAT Master of Engineering is a dual degree offered in partnership with one of our partner universities. Please note that the modalities like application deadlines, admission requirements, starting date, fees and costs, mode of study and the course organisation for the IMAT Master's dual degree programmes (MEng) depend on the study programme you choose. If you are interested in the IMAT Master of Engineering, you can find more information on the IMAT website.

Application deadlines for the IMAT Master of Science programme (MSc):

Non-EU applicants (currently based overseas): 31 May

EU applicants and EU residents: 1 September

If your application deadline has passed, kindly contact the IMAT Administration Office (imat@umwelt-campus.de).

Tuition fees per semester:

first semester 4,000 EUR
second semester 4,000 EUR
third semester 2,000 EUR
fourth semester 2,000 EUR

Total tuition fee for four semesters (standard period of study) = 12,000 EUR

Upon completing the course work in the first two semesters, the students are given two options; either to spend the third semester abroad or to undertake a research-oriented internship that leads to the Master's thesis, that must be defended in a formal colloquium — and the subsequent award of the Master's qualification.

The Module Handbook intends to serve as a comprehensive guide to the courses offered at IMAT MSc programme. Please also see the overview attached as a PDF document.

One may obtain further insights and the latest information pertinent to the programme by visiting the IMAT website.

Travelling University (TU) is an academic tool pioneered by the Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS). It is a signature seminar programme employed at the IMAT Master's degree programme to provide students the hands-on practice of applied material flow management, zero emission in praxis, and the business aspects of environmental project development.

TU is usually a team of international students tasked to scientifically analyse a system – a company/business entity, a university, a municipality, a region, etc.– for its resource flow characteristics through time and space for a given system boundary in order to identify the subject’s existing challenges and development potentials towards a sustainable system. Based on the findings, the TU team develops – as a research exercise and endeavour – new technological and managerial improvement strategies and develops financing strategies and business plans for the subsequent implementation of the project.

For IMAT students, it is a unique experience to put theoretical knowledge into practice, to jointly develop solutions and generate added value for the respective region. TU has proven its success on five continents in over 20 countries so far, such as Brazil, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Morocco, Cape Verde, Namibia, Turkey, China, Japan, Oman and Sri Lanka.

After having completed the course work in the first two semesters, the students are given two options; either to spend the third semester as a study semester abroad or to undertake a research-oriented internship at a company or institution within Germany or abroad – with a minimum duration of 16 weeks.

3,000 EUR

Tuition fees per semester:

first semester 4,000 EUR
second semester 4,000 EUR
third semester 2,000 EUR
fourth semester 2,000 EUR

Total tuition fee for four semesters (standard period of study) = 12,000 EUR

Approx. 344 EUR per semester

Approx. 850 EUR per semester

Admission requirements for the IMAT Master of Science programme (MSc):

Educational Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent (180 ECTS)

Work Experience

Minimum of one-year work experience (with at least 50% working time), preferably in an IMAT-related field

Applicants who do not meet these requirements should consult the IMAT Administration Office (imat@umwelt-campus.de).

English Language Proficiency

An English proficiency test score is required for non-native English speakers.

The minimum requirements are:

• TOEFL® iBT Test 79
• TOEFL® PBT Test 550
• IELTS 6.0
• TOEIC® L&R Test 750

Applicants who do not fulfil these requirements or cannot provide one of these certificates should consult the IMAT Administration Office (imat@umwelt-campus.de).

Application deadlines for the IMAT Master of Science programme (MSc):

Non-EU applicants (currently based overseas): 31 May

EU applicants and EU residents: 1 September

If your application deadline has passed, kindly contact the IMAT Administration Office (imat@umwelt-campus.de).

IMAT Tuition Reduction Scholarship

• The tuition reductions are strictly merit-based and range from 30%, 50%, 65%, 80% up to 100%.
• To apply for the scholarship, submit an independent IMAT scholarship application essay.
• Both admissions and scholarship awards are confirmed at the same time (before enrolment).

Besides the IMAT Tuition Reduction Scholarship, there are various scholarships available within Germany for the IMAT MSc programme. You will find detailed information here.

IfaS is implementing projects at regional, national and international level since 2001 and has a large network of project and educational partners within the region and worldwide. This often results in cooperation opportunities for our motivated students and talented young scientists in the form of student jobs or traineeships.

There are also various opportunities at the university itself to work as a research assistant and thus gain useful experience for further study or research activities.

A major advantage of the ECB are the student residences and various leisure facilities directly on campus, which promote student exchange even after the end of lectures, so that students from all over the world cannot only learn but also live together at the unique Zero Emission Campus.

Useful information regarding student residences on campus, can be found on the websites of the university and the Campus Company.

Since 2009, the Career Service at Trier University of Applied Sciences, in cooperation with the Federal Employment Agency Germany, has been offering a comprehensive, up-to-date and free range of events and counselling on the subject of jobs and careers with the aim to support students and graduates in all phases of the transition from studying to working life.

The Career Service organises the company contact fair "Onboarding" twice per year:

• at the beginning of May at Environmental Campus Birkenfeld and
• in November at the main campus in Trier.

At the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld, you will regularly find new job offers in the signboard of the building 9914 (UCB Contact).

Useful information for international students can be found on the webpages of the International Office at the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld.

Please also see additional information for incoming students from the International Students Network Office (ISO) – from students for students.

IMAT students also enjoy the personal support of the IMAT team, which offers advice and assistance!

Trier University of Applied Sciences (TUAS) stands for practice-oriented learning and forward-looking research and teaching. With around 7,000 students (spread over three campus sites), it is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Rhineland-Palatinate, located in the heart of Europe in close proximity to Luxembourg, France and Belgium. With almost 21% international students, more than 100 nations helping to shape the present and future of Trier University of Applied Sciences and over 120 international research and teaching collaborations worldwide, internationality and diversity can already be experienced at Trier University of Applied Sciences!

The Environmental Campus Birkenfeld (ECB), an external location of Trier University of Applied Sciences, offers its 2,400 students an interdisciplinary course of study at Germany's first “Zero Emission Campus”, which has, in addition to an ecological building concept, a CO2-neutral energy and heat supply and state-of-the-art building and plant technology. In the renowned UI GreenMetric ranking, in which 1,183 universities from 85 countries worldwide took part, ECB moved up from sixth to third place in December 2023, making it one of the world's most sustainable universities. The interdisciplinary education at ECB focuses in particular on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Material flow management is an interdisciplinary approach that combines economics, natural sciences, law, engineering and communication sciences to achieve these goals and to make our common future more sustainable.

The Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS) is the largest research institute at Trier University of Applied Sciences based at the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld (ECB). IfaS pursues the innovative, holistic approach to the systemic optimisation of material flows, which promotes a sustainable and resource-efficient economy and provides for the greatest possible closure of material cycles based on the model of natural ecosystem cycles through zero-emission strategies. In order to strengthen this inter- and transdisciplinary research approach, including in the area of teaching, IfaS seeks to make knowledge on the sustainable design of material systems more available internationally and to establish a global education and research network. With this in mind, in 2004 IfaS developed the technology- and business-heavy, practice-oriented English-language Master's degree course in Material Flow Management with an interdisciplinary module structure.

The Environmental Campus Birkenfeld is located in Rhineland-Palatinate, in the southwest of Germany and embedded in a picturesque landscape, close to the "Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park" and the "Bostalsee" - the biggest swimming lake in southwest Germany.

Due to the train station (Neubrücke/Nahe) in walking distance, ECB is easily accessible by public transportation. Frankfurt International Airport (FRA), for example, can be reached by train in only two hours.

The following cities offer a range of cultural activities:

• St. Wendel (15 min. by train)
• Saarbrücken (45 min. by train)
• Mainz (45 min. by train)
• Trier (two hours by train)
• Koblenz (two hours by train)
• Frankfurt am Main (two hours by train)
• Cologne (three hours by train)
• Paris (three and a half hours by train)