City ​​and state administration

Trained students of spatial and infrastructure planning take on responsibility for municipal, regional or state-wide infrastructure systems as employees in the city and state administration. In addition to the technical expertise that is also required in engineering offices, social skills and the ability to moderate planning processes and find compromise solutions are essential in this environment.

Building on the engineering background, a wide variety of career paths are open, depending on personal interests and the specializations chosen during the course. Whether in local public transport management, in waste disposal management or in the control of infrastructure systems in education and health care, many areas of infrastructure must be controlled and coordinated under competent leadership.

Different processes can be part of the range of tasks. Depending on the sectors, these include:

  • finance, human resources, plant, purchasing and sales management
  • operational accounting
  • the provision of facilities, goods and services
  • the management of operations, assets, public sector income
  • the preparation of decisions, planning and control assistance for the political leadership of the federal government and the federal states

Prof. Dr. habil. Jan Hilligardt (Managing Director of the Hessian District Council)

Spatial planning as well as urban and regional development is a professional field in which one can be very sure of finding an interesting job in the future, with good opportunities for advancement to the highest management positions.

Meetings within your own office as well as with external professional groups are part of everyday work. Concrete projects, but also overarching concepts, are to be developed, coordinated with other specialist agencies and implemented, taking into account all the interests of those affected.

Strong communication skills are particularly important in administration. In addition, the following skills are very important:

  • planning thinking
  • acting responsibly
  • Recognizing developments and problems at an early stage, assessing them logically and conceivable

Finding solutions based on the common good

  • Build relationships with people appropriate to the situation and target group and maintain them in a goal-oriented manner
  • Appreciate differences – as long as they are in line with the applicable values ​​and basic ethical orientations – promote diversity and counteract structural discrimination.

Furthermore, a certain personal robustness is required for a factual handling in everyday work. During their studies, students are already prepared for everyday work in administration. Distinctive skills in defined areas can be an advantage, especially in expert teams.

The modules of the Civil Engineering and Geodesy (B.Sc.) course are tailor-made to broaden the required knowledge and the necessary basics for professional competence in administration in the field of spatial and infrastructure planning, which can already be acquired in the bachelor's degree. For example, the Basics of Spatial Planning module is a good option, in which students gain an understanding of what spatial planning entails. You will learn about current fields of action and the interaction between overall planning and specialist planning. Insights into land use planning, the admissibility of projects and how environmental concerns are taken into account in spatial planning are provided here.

At Master's level, important skills for later everyday work are taught. The area of ​​spatial and infrastructure planning is very diverse, but the following modules, seminars and projects can provide an overview:

  • environmental planning
  • Infrastructure planning
  • Spatial development in a national and international context
  • Spatial development and planning practice
  • Interdisciplinary development project for infrastructure solutions in developing and emerging countries
  • Project infrastructure with practical business game

Students who want to apply the knowledge they have acquired in the field of urban and rural administration to a single topic have the opportunity to do so as part of a final thesis. Suggestions for topics and work that has already been completed can be found on the website of the Department of Spatial and Infrastructure Planning. You are also welcome to send your own ideas for a task to Prof. Dr.Ing. Contact Linke or Prof. Dr. habil. Hilligardt.