Technology Management Add-on Study Program - Centre for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM)

About CDTM

The Center of Digital Technology and Management (CDTM) is a joint institution of the LMU Munich and the TU Munich which educates the innovators of tomorrow. It offers the opportunity to take part in an add-on study program of entrepreneurship and innovation with a focus on digital technologies. The program is in parallel to a main bachelor or master program.

About the Program

The interdisciplinary and highly entrepreneurship-focused program consists of hands-on courses and workshops with great emphasis on teamwork and interactivity and will be held entirely in English. Among other things, the lectures and courses focus on technology management, trend research, prototyping, business modeling, and entrepreneurship. Additional lectures in presentations and negotiation training within the courses prepare the students for future leadership roles.

Each semester about 25 students from interdisciplinary study backgrounds join the CDTM. The honors degree ‘Technology Management’ is an add-on study program that offers credits in a variety of domains.

What You will Gain

Through seminars on trend research, product development, and entrepreneurship, students gain hands-on experience that they can readily apply beyond the CDTM. Studies abroad at renowned partner universities in Asia, Europe, and North America are an integral part of the curriculum, emphasizing the high degree of internationality of the program.

In addition to the academic opportunities, students gain access to an active network of alumni, academics, and professionals, and become part of a lifelong community of highly motivated and talented peers.

The different course formats at CDTM enable students to obtain hands-on skills while working together with project partners on real-world problems. After having completed the program, students will have gained experience in identifying key indicators of future trends, methods to conceptualize a first prototype, as well as frameworks to implement business processes in an entrepreneurial environment.

Technology Management is an add-on study program to be attended in parallel to the student’s regular studies. Applicants should note that CDTM does not offer a stand-alone master's program.

Admission Requirements

General Criteria

CDTM looks for students whose personal characteristics suggest that they will make the most of the opportunities at CDTM, both in academic and non-academic areas. The program also seeks those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students. Therefore, CDTM values 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 are 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. Students of other related fields are also 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's program (and do not get a Vordiplom) you need to have completed your third semester before starting at the CDTM. CDTM considers a semester completed at the end of the lecture period and before the Trend Seminar course starts in the semester break.

Course Structure

The study program at CDTM is completed within two to four semesters, depending on the student’s individual study situation, with courses amounting to 45 ECTS credits. 

Once they obtain the Master's degree in their main studies, students are awarded the Honours Degree in Technology Management. To obtain it, students are required to have spent one term abroad. The curriculum consists of three core courses and a large variety of electives.

All degree candidates enrolled in the Technology Management Program should complete the following credits:

• a required core curriculum (27 credits),
• 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.

Courses cover the following five interdisciplinary areas:

• technologies, product development, and engineering
• information systems management
• economics, management, and entrepreneurship
• soft skills
• ethics and humanities

Courses Overview

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

Trend Seminar

Students learn how the business environment may develop in the future through analyzing trends, describing future scenarios, and developing promising business ideas in cooperation with industry partners.

• 7 weeks full-time during the semester break
• Work with rotating teams of 5-6 students
• Publish a trend report together with your class

Example projects: Fighting Hunger in the Digital Era (UN World Food Programme), Creating and Sustaining Healthy Habits (Adidas Anticipation), Sensor-Based Authentication (Siemens)

Managing Product Development

The research, design, and development of new products and services are at the core of this course. Students go through the value-chain of product development: from ideation and prototyping to agile development and product deployment.

• 12 weeks part-time in parallel to the semester
• Small teams of 4-5 students work with an industry partner
• 1 demo day open to the public to showcase prototypes

Example projects: leveraging AR to improve the lives of dementia patients, digitizing farming processes through satellite imagery, virtual assistants in airline maintenance processes

Entrepreneurship Laboratory

Within eLab, student teams work on business challenges presented by project partners, ranging from pricing and marketing to company strategy. The course format enables students to act as consultive entrepreneurs.

• 12 weeks part-time in parallel to the semester
• Small teams of 3-4 students work with an industry partner
• Work 1 day per week at the project partner’s site

Example projects: Building a network of doctors for online consultation services, digital service models for smart production companies, B2B-multichannel sales strategy for the heating sector

Electives and Hackathons

Electives cover a variety of topics, from business and tech skills to personal development. They are designed to complement the core courses by offering students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in an area of their choice.

• Every semester 4-5 elective courses are offered
• The format ranges from 1-week hackathons to several sessions spread across the semester

Example projects: sketching with hardware, venture financing, self-leadership, and career planning

Tuition Fees

The CDTM is completely free of charge. However, taking part in the CDTM requires some time and effort from the students, that's why CDTM provides a need-based scholarship.

Scholarships

CDTM believes that students' personalities and skills should be the reason for their admission, not their financial background. First and foremost CDTM wants to prevent that the student's financial circumstances keep them from joining the CDTM program. To lift the financial burden, CDTM thus provides a need-based scholarship program, a commitment to economic diversity, that makes sure nothing stands in the way of the candidate’s Honors Degree in Technology Management.

Selected students receive a funding of up to $509 per month for the duration of the courses Trend Research and Product Development (SS: February – July or FS: August – January).