1. Academic framework

In 2022, the BME Senate approved a proposal from the Faculty of Architecture to introduce updated specialization units for the OTM and MSc programs in Architecture. This restructuring expands course offerings, allowing departments and lecturers to integrate current research and adapt to evolving industry demands with more interconnected coursework.

Following years of internal dialogue and analysis, the faculty expects these refreshed programs to meet both professional standards and student needs. Seven specializations have been launched in total, three of which are currently offered in English.

1.1 Sustainable Architecture Specialization

Sustainability is a defining pillar of contemporary architecture, spanning environmental performance, cultural continuity, and socio-economic impact. Reflecting this global priority, the inter-departmental Sustainable Architecture Specialization centers on sustainable design through a flexible, elective-based curriculum.

This structure ensures students master core principles of sustainabilty, including:

• resource efficiency (e.g. low-carbon building materials, circular material life cycles, waste reduction strategies, and net-zero energy systems to minimize environmental footprints),
• climate resilience (passive & active solutions to adapt to changing climates),
• adaptive reuse (priority in the preservation, retrofitting, and creative reuse of existing structures over demolition),
• environmental modeling (e.g. daylight optimization, thermal analysis, energy modeling, and computational design to validate sustainable decisions early in the design process)
• socio-cultural & urban sustainability (sustainable urbanism, community resilience, healthy indoor environments, equitable spatial practices, etc.),

while it also enables to tailoring their studies to their specific design and research interests.

Academic Specialization Coordinator: Dr. Gábor Nemes, associate professor (nemes.gabor@epk.bme.hu)

1.2 Real-Estate Development Specialization

The objective of real estate development is to shape the trajectory of the built environment by determining what to construct, for whom, and how to manage the resulting structures. It encompasses the identification and interconnected analysis of technical, economic, institutional, and legal challenges associated with construction developments, thereby providing a foundation for decision-making and support. Furthermore, real estate development entails facilitating communication and managing collaboration among key stakeholders, optimizing resource allocation, and mitigating risks within defined cost, schedule, quantitative, and qualitative constraints. Ultimately, successful real estate development yields buildings of high aesthetic, technical, and functional value that perform effectively from an economic perspective, serving as integral elements of daily life as civic, residential, or commercial spaces.

This specialization programme aims to train architects who can carry out real estate development and management operations involved in shaping the built environment. This includes developing real estate, construction investment, and architectural plans, as well as planning, organizing, managing, and supervising maintenance, operation, expansion, and construction projects from the initial concept through to facility operation, alongside managing overall real estate processes. Through this specialization, students acquire advanced knowledge and higher-level competencies in construction technology, investment organization, real estate development, construction law and economics, building maintenance and rehabilitation, and building automation and control. Special emphasis is placed on facility management as a core operational discipline, alongside emerging technological trends such as the integration of information technology and artificial intelligence within the sector.

Academic Specialization Coordinator: Dr. Adrienn Lepel (lepel.adrienn@epk.bme.hu)

1.3 Urban Design Specialization

The specialisation focuses on the architect’s role in shaping the environment and society in urban space. The curriculum aims to strengthen an architectural vision that can serve the community and translate the effects of changing needs into interventions. Beyond architectural shaping, the aim is to equip graduates with the tools – urban planning, urban housing, urban activism, cohousing, data analysis, green infrastructure, landscape architecture, climate thinking, and rehabilitation – that will enable them to create architecture that will contribute to the processes of environmental design.

Further details on the Specialization‘s website.

Academic Specialization Coordinator: Dr. Árpád Szabó (szabo.arpad@urb.bme.hu)

2. Curriculum of the specializations in the MSc Program:

See the corresponding documents on the websites:

• Curriculum Summary Chart
• Detailed Curriculum and Prerequisite system

3. Typology of subjects

3.1. Obligatory subjects in all specializations

• Construction Management 2 – Building Project Management (BMEEPEKM101)
• Colour Dynamics (BMEEPRAMs10001-00)
• Surveying – Geodesy (BMEEOAFM201)
• Industrialised Building Constructions – Building Constructions 6 (BMEEPESOs7Q701-00)
• History of Contemporary Architecture M (BMEEPETM101)
• Basics of Design Theory (BMEEPIPM101)
• Special Loadbearing Structures (BMEEPSTQ605)
• Building Service Engineering 2 (BMEEPEGA601)
• Conservation of Historical Buildings M (BMEEPETM2T1)

3.2. Obligatory elective subjects in all specializations

Inter-disciplinary obligatory elective subjects (One subject from the list is obligatory):

• Economics II. (BMEGT301924)
• Logic and Argumentation (BMEGT418959)
• Technology and Society (BMEGT41V101)

Technical obligatory elective subjects (Two subjects from the list are obligatory):

• Real-Estate Development (BMEEPEK0626)
• Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures (BMEEPST0655)
• Facility Management (BMEEPEK0633)
• Mathematics EP3 (BMETE95AX21)

3.3. Design Studio subjects of the four semesters

Semester 1:

• Specialized Project (BMEEP__Q711)

Students in the Sustainable Architecture and Real Estate Development Specializations can choose freely from the subject offering of the following departments:

– Explorative Architecture (BMEEPIPQ711)
– History of Architecture and Monument Preservation (BMEEPETQ711)
– Public Building Design (BMEEPKOQ711)
– Residential Building Design (BMEEPLAQ711)
– Urban Planning and Design (BMEEPUIQ711)

To apply for the specific course, students need to enter the chosen departments in the order of their preference in this application form. Departments will decide on admission depending on available capacity.

Students of the Urban Design Specialization are required to complete the subject BMEEPUIQ711.

• Specialization Complementary Course (BMEPE__Q712)

For students in the Sustainable Architecture Specialization, this subject and the Specialized Project must be taken from the same department. Students of Real Estate Developmentand Urban Design Specialization need to complete the subjects BMEEPEKQ712 and BMEEPUIQ712, respectively.

Semester 2 & 3:

• Comprehensive Design 1 (BMEEP__M1KX) & 2 (BMEEP__M2KX)

Students in the Sustainable Architecture Specialization can choose freely from the subject offering of all available departments. Students of Real Estate Developmentand Urban Design Specialization need to complete the subjects BMEEPEKM1KX & BMEEPEKM2KX and BMEEPUIM1KX & BMEEPUIM2KX, respectively. The two subjects must be taken from the same department for all students.

• Diploma Preparatory Specialization Course (BMEEP__Q901)

Students in the Sustainable Architecture Specialization shall choose the same department they are planning to complete their Diploma Project with. Students of Real Estate Developmentand Urban Design Specialization need to complete the subjects BMEEPEKQ901 or BMEEPUIQ901, respectively.

Semester 4:

• Diploma Design Studio (BMEEP__MD01)

Students in the Sustainable Architecture Specialization can choose freely from the subject offering of all available departments, and can switch department affiliation between Comprehensive Design and Diploma Design Studio. Students of Real Estate Developmentand Urban Design Specialization need to complete the subjects BMEEPEKMD01 and BMEEPUIMD01, respectively.

3.4. Global exams

In every Specialization Completing one global exam is obligatory.

• Architectural Global Exam (BMEEPLAQ999) on the Sustainable Architectur Specialization
• Real-Estate Development Global Exam (BMEEPEKQ999) on the Real-Estate Development Specialization
• Urban Design Global Exam (BMEEPUIQ999) in the Urban Design Specialization

3.5. Elective subjects

Students can select from all available subjects offered by the University as elective, except for the Faculty’s Design Studio subjects (Department’s Design, Specialized Project, Specialization Complementary Course, Comprehensive Design and Diploma Design Studio)

3.6. Specialization-specific Subjects

3.6.1. Obligatory elective subjects in the Sustainable Architecture Specialization

Students are required to complete a minimum of eight subjects from the following list:

• Special Construction Technologies (BMEEPEKQ903)                      
• History of Architecture in Hungary (BMEEPETQ703)
• Contemporary City: Urban Form and Space Usage (BMEEPUIQ701)
• Sustainable Conceptual Design of Structures (BMEEPSTQ702)
• Craft/Shop – Experimental Object-making (BMEEPKOQ701)
• Rehabilitation of Building Constructions – Building Constructions 9 (BMEEPESQ902)
• Constructive CAAD CE (BMEEPAG0249)     
• Praxis – Architectural Strategies (BMEEPIPQ703)
• Competitions and a Conscious Practice (BMEEPLAQ803)
• Visual Communication (BMEEPRAQ801)                           

Follow this link for detailed subject descriptions.

3.6.2. Obligatory and obligatory elective subjects in the Real Estate Development Specialization

Follow this link for a detailed subject offering in this Specialization.

3.6.3. Obligatory and obligatory elective subjects in the Urban Design Specialization

Follow this link for a detailed subject offering in this Specialization.