Road to CDTM

Watch our YouTube series to learn about the most common questions regarding CDTM and its application process. For additional information, check out the FAQ section below.

Apply until 30 May 23:59 CET (fall term) for an intake in August and by 30 November 23:59 CET (spring term) for an intake in the following February.

Yes. If you are currently applying at LMU or TUM for a Diploma-, Bachelor- or Master-level study program, you are eligible to apply at CDTM. However, you have to present your acceptance letter and/or certificate of enrollment to the CDTM administration by the start of the new semester. Otherwise, we cannot enroll you in the CDTM add-on study program.

CDTM has two application deadlines per year (30 May and 30 November). The online application tool is available some months before the next deadline. There is no competitive advantage to applying earlier. An application after the final deadline is not possible as the decision process is well underway.

There is no limit for the number of applications. Nevertheless, especially If you have been part of the interviews, we recommend you to outline how you developed since the last application.

General Criteria

We look for students whose personal characteristics suggest that they will make the most of the opportunities at CDTM, both in academic and non-academic areas. We also seek those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students. Therefore, we value characteristics such as motivation, involvement, interpersonal skills, entrepreneurial aptitude, leadership quality, creativity, analytical skills, and open mindedness.

Desired Qualifications

The admissions committee looks for excellence – applicants with high academic achievements, strong motivation, and leadership potential. High academic potential is normally reflected in excellent academic records. Motivation and leadership is usually shown in relevant experience, your essays, and recommendations.

Formal Criteria

Students have to be registered for a Diploma-, Bachelor- or Master-level studies program at LMU or TUM. Most of the CDTM students come from the fields of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Management. However, students of all fields are highly encouraged to apply.

You should have completed (or are this term completing) your undergraduate studies (e.g. Vordiplom) and your Abitur (Abitur, A-Level, International Baccalaureate or High School equivalent) with above-average results.

If you are in a Bachelor program (and do not get a Vordiplom) you need to have completed your third semester before starting at the CDTM. We consider a semester completed at the end of the lecture period and before the Trend Seminar course starts in the semester break.

Yes. You have to be enrolled at either LMU or TUM (Diploma-, Bachelor- or Master-level study program) to apply for CDTM.

The study program is mainly dedicated for Bachelor and Master students of LMU or TUM, and you need to be enrolled as such at the time of your application, therefore a PhD-Degree-Program is not eligible.

Yes. To ensure that every student can contribute skills from his/her main studies to the program, we require that the student has completed his/her third Bachelor’s semester before starting at the CDTM. We consider a semester completed at the end of the lecture period and before the Trend Seminar course starts in the semester break. If you are in your Master’s you automatically fulfill the requirement.

Yes. As long as you can find the time to do the core courses in parallel to your studies or future employment, there is no formal requirement that prevents you from applying. However, you should be aware that the courses MPD and eLab usually require 1.5-2 days of work a week.

As long as you are enrolled at LMU or TUM the semester in which you apply or the following, you are formally fulfilling the application requirements. However, our study program takes place primarily in person, hence it is important for you to be in Munich while your CDTM studies.

It is unlikely that an admission committee member would be able to assess your chances for admission without first seeing a completed application. Please instead try to assess the overlap of your personal and professional activities with the core values of the CDTM.

While a good academic performance certainly plays a role within the assessment, it is only one among other selection criteria. Thus, candidates can balance their grades with (1) being active in other areas, such as volunteering or working experience as well as (2) their well-defined motivation to join the CDTM and contribute to the community (find more details in “What are general selection criteria and desired qualifications for admission?“)

You should have at least 10 weeks of work or internship experience (in industry or at university). Students who already have some work experience, during which they applied the knowledge from their studies in practice generally get more out of the program and can better contribute to discussions and tasks.

Within the CDTM application process recommendations (from past employers or your university) are not required, but you may bring them to the interview as supporting documents.

No. There is no need for a language certificate for the application. However, the application is to be written in English and the whole program is in English. Therefore, good written and oral English skills are expected. We may also conduct part of the personal interviews in English to confirm these skills.

In general yes, however there will be a possibility to partake remotely in case you are abroad.

No. Since it is a core course and attendance is mandatory for the seven-week period, you need to keep this time-period free. Please apply in the following semester if you cannot be present for the full seven weeks. For more information about the course dates, see ‘Program Structure’ below.

We do not provide individual evaluations or insights. We recommend you to inform yourself on the program and our values via the website https://www.cdtm.de/study/ or visit our events https://www.linkedin.com/school/cdtm-munich/events/.

No. Please only apply for the semester in which you can start the program and attend the Trend Seminar. Admissions are only valid for the corresponding semester and will not get carried over to the next semester.

Of the over 300 applications per semester for the Technology Management program, 60 students are invited to a personal interview. Approximately 25 students of those invited to the personal interview are admitted to the program.

We understand that being denied admission can be a disappointment, and it is reasonable that you want to know the reasons behind the admission board’s decision. Therefore, as time allows, on request you can get the opportunity to get feedback from one of the interviewers. Please understand that the decision of the admission board is final. Due to time constraints, we cannot give feedback on written applications unfortunately.

Yes, you certainly may. If you feel like you have personally improved (e.g. after a semester abroad or after an interesting internship), you are always welcome to apply again. We recommend you to highlight what you have learned since your last application.

Yes, please include your personal improvements in your second application so we can see your progress since your first application.

The Trend Seminar is the first core course of the CDTM curriculum and takes place in the last 7 weeks of the semester break following your application. Attendance is mandatory during that time (small exceptions can be made if you e.g. need to leave for some hours to take an exam). If you already know that you are not available at that time, please kindly apply for the following semester. The first week of the Trend Seminar is the Kickoff Week, which will take place from Monday morning to Saturday morning at a location outside Munich.

Fall 2024:

  • Pre-Kickoff: TBD
  • Kickoff Week: 13.08.2024 – 17.08.2024
  • Trend Seminar: Starting 19.08.2024, 6 weeks long

The highway through the program given that you have been abroad in your previous studies for at least four month is one semester break and two semesters afterwards (1 year), however we encourage our students to take their time and don’t speed through it. You can take as long as you want to complete everything.

Yes. After you finish the Trend Seminar, you can take a break before MPD or eLab. After your break you can join the students of the subsequent class. However, you can only start eLab once you have finished MPD and you cannot take MPD and eLab in parallel.

The core courses have approximately 25 students. Often, smaller teams of 4-5 people are formed for some part of the lecture. Elective courses typically have 10-20 students.

The CDTM employs a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, case studies, team projects, writings, problem sets, presentations, company visits, guest speakers, and other theoretical and applied teaching methods.

A list of courses offered at the CDTM is available on our curriculum page. In addition to the three core courses, varying electives are offered each semester.

A Task Force consists of CDTM students and a member of the Management Team. They work together on certain topics, such as maintaining the IT infrastructure or organizing CDTM events. Every CDTM student is member of at least one Task Force.

There are a variety of Task Forces at the CDTM. They organize events or invite and host speakers, maintain the IT infrastructure, organize the recruiting process or take care of our big Alumni network. If there is an area that interests you, but is not represented through a Task Force, we encourage you to start one.

The abroad stay of at least four month is obligatory to receive the degree, however you can accredit an abroad stay you did in your previous studies. There is no special scholarships provided by CDTM for your abroad stays, however we support you in finding other scholarships.

There is an application process for the abroad stays that are managed by CDTM. You will receive the information once accepted to the program. However you are encouraged to also look for other options.

Upon completion of the degree requirements, candidates receive an Honours Degree in Technology Management issued by two of Germany’s leading universities, the Technical University Munich (TUM) and the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) and supported by the Elite Network of Bavaria.

The CDTM does not offer a stand-alone master’s program. Rather you will be enrolled in an Honours Degree in Technology Management program which is part of the Elite Network of Bavaria. The program is pursued in parallel to your main studies. Therefore, you have to be enrolled in a regular university program at LMU or TUM in order to apply for CDTM. The Honours Degree can be studied during both the primary Bachelor’s and Master’s program.

All degree candidates enrolled in the Technology Management Program complete a required core curriculum (27 credits) in addition to 6 credits of elective courses, 9 credits for a term abroad and 3 credits for their work in a Task Force. The program is tailored to be completed within 4 semesters, but can be extended if you would like to pause the program due to a semester abroad or internship.

Even though you might find yourself working on projects involving cutting-edge technology during your time at CDTM, learning to program a computer is neither a requirement nor a necessity. All projects are designed to be highly interdisciplinary.

As CDTM offers an additional Honours Degree complementary to (and not integrated in) your primary studies, credit transfer is restricted, yet possible in some cases.

You will have to invest about 1.5-2 days a week for the program during the semester. For the first phase (Trend Seminar), i.e. during the semester break, it is a full-time program.

Yes, as long as you can be present during the compulsory lectures, it is up to you to coordinate your main university studies and job. Please keep in mind that the Trend Seminar requires you to be present for almost the whole day during its seven-week duration. In the semesters of MPD and eLab, classes usually meet for 1-2 meetings during the week, where attendance is required.

The Trend Seminar is a seven week full time course. Since it is a core course and attendance is mandatory for the seven-week period, you need to keep this time-period free. Please apply in the following semester if you cannot be present for the full seven weeks. For MPD and eLab you should be aware that the courses usually require 1.5-2 days of work a week.

There is no special part-time option.

No, the CDTM is completely free of charge. However, as we know that taking part in the CDTM requires some time and effort from the students, we provide a need-based scholarship. Please find more information about it on our Scholarship page.