DEGREE PROGRAMS​​

the
university ​is a
traditional institution, which
in its early days sought to explain
the world and the meaning  of life.  

over time, knowledge production has 
exploded, which universities  tried to tackle through
fragmentalization into endless separate sciences at the cost of 'universal' understanding. but specialization is not helpful to provide fundamental answers  to the questions which society is requesting everyday.  Today we can find all the facts which one might be looking for through the media and the internet  - but unfortunately the mania of accumulating facts hinders ripening of wisdom. therefore, at least for future decision makers, a new type of university education is needed - very close to the original concept of university:  where young people can choose to learn what they believe important for them - and not where the choice has previously been taken by some bureaucrats.

​The following list describes the subjects and context of university degree programs which have been shaped by GLOBUS director kosta mathéy.

FORTHCOMING
​URBAN CHALLENGES
4 semesters, 4 continents, 1-4 degrees

in the urban setting, everything is connected to everything else. therefore, a truly transdisciplinary learning program will provide the best preparation. furthermore, in the globalized world, intercultural experience is essential. But most important maybe are the personalities of the mentors - the essential messages that these persons can communicate in between the lines, since purely factual information is accessible through the internet anyway.  What seems most important seem the codes, by which this information is being combined - and how it is communicated in an understandable and modest manner. 

HCU / HAFENCITY UNIVERSITY HAMBURG
reap / resource efficiency
in architecture and planning

since 2012, prof. dr. kosta mathéy is contributing one yearly module to the REAP program, introducing systematic international project development and  management principles. Within a workshop style class, participants will learn to develop a project from the first project idea into a bankable project proposal.     

The Master of Science Degree Programme REAP – “Resource Efficiency in Architecture and Planning” is an international and interdisciplinary programme  that is concerned with sustainable planning on different scales.
It aims to enable participants to promote sustainable architecture and urban development in different geographical and cultural settings.

     
While the emphasis of the programme lies on technology for the provision of sustainable urban and building services, it also conquers new areas by investigating the socio-economic context in which these services are provided and managed. This includes understanding and addressing barriers to implementation, e.g. through the development of ideas for different forms of legal and economic organisation of planning, construction and urban services.
     REAP is not an architectural design course. The master course is not focused on a single discipline - it is interdisciplinary and follows an integrative and multidimensional planning approach

PAU / PANAFRICAN UNIVERSITY IN TLENCEM, ALGERIA
institute of water and energy sciences

since 2016, prof. dr. kosta mathéy is teaching project development to the science and policy branches of water energy studies at the pan-africn university PAUWES. He s also supervising individual master thesis work
while being located in algeria, he is also used to give lectures to students of architecture at the university of tlemcen.

the pan african university institute of water and energy sciences (PAUWES), is a centre of excellence at the university of tlemcen in algeria. Called into existence by the african union commission in 2008, the pan african university (PAU) is guided by the vision of an africa managed by its own citizens and acting as a dynamic force in the international arena.

PAUWES offers two world class graduate programmes in which students address today’s most pressing development challenges. As secure water supply and innovative energy sources are of vital importance for the future of sustainable growth on the African continent, the institute is seeking a new generation of highly educated, well-trained students, who are committed to this goal.


The master in water and the master in energy programmes both offer a policy and an engineering track, awarding a joint degree from the pan african university and the university of tlemcen. students are taught by renowned educators from african universities and the international academic community.

VGU
VIETNAMESE GERMAN UNIVERSITY IN HO CHI MINH CITY VIETNAM
​​sud / sustainable urban development

while being professor at university of technology in darmstadt, kosta mathey became a founding professor of VGU, the vietnamese-german university in saigon (ho-chi-minh city). together with prof. michael schmidt from cottbus university, he adapted the model of his darmstadt-based masters program 'international cooperation and urban development' to the specific needs of vietnam. mathéy remained director of the program until his retirement in autumn 2011.

graduates from this course will be able to critically analyze and assess growing problems in urban areas and to develop appropriate solutions from different aspects (architectural, social, economical, ecological and institutional, etc.). They will be able to work with different teams, build up a world-wide network of professional contacts, coordinate and connect individual project elements to each other. Besides, outstanding problem and curiosity-driven research can be done by individuals and teams during or after the course with the help of the broad range of lecturers from the study program.
regarding the sustainable development of urban and rural areas, these four domains are considered as well. Sustainable urban development refers to attaining social equity and environmental protection while minimizing the costs and risks of spatial development.

TU DARMSTADT, GERMANY
PAR / planen und bauen in außereuropäischen regionen
[planning & building in non-european regions]

questioning the logic why mostly german students should specialize in spatial planning and design in the global south, he convinced his colleagues to start a new postgraduate program 'international cooperation and urban development' in 2007.
after winning the competitive EU erasmus mundus program, he could partner with three other european universities in rome, barcelona and grenoble, EU funding allowed to offer scholarships for students and guest lecturers from all over the world and turn the curriculum truly interdisciplinary. already the first batch of graduates proofed, by their careers,  the quality of the concept: 10 years later, 50% of them had occupied university positions, 30% worked in the UN-system, 25% joined or founded an NGO related to urban development.

in 2002, prof. dr. kosta mathéy was nominated chairholder of the department for planning and building in non-european regions at the university of technology darmstadt, faculty of architecture - where he remained until his retirement in 2011.
initially, he was to teach architectural and urban design to students of architecture, but considering the needs especially in regions of the global south added urban planning and housing issues into the curriculum. 

since the late 1990's kosta mathéy reduced his teaching activities in cuba in period when the country opened to the west, and the university was overrun by visiting student groups and professors from all over the world - more than the faculty could cope with while maintaining their regular duties.

1993, after having taught intermittently at ISPJAE [also known as CUJAE] with a DAAD grant, kosta mathéy passed the exam to become a university professor in cuba, and was granted the position of a profesor adjunto auxiliar - which is second top in scale of 20 possible denominations.  Since the disappearance of the COMECON block caused a serious economic crisis in cuba, the ambitious public housing program couls not be continued and - for the first time - the country considered upgrading policies of substandard and informal settlements instead of replacing them with new constructions. However, as local planner did not have any experience in this practice, kosta mathéy was asked to step in assist the nearby municipality marianao in upgrading the informal settlement ISLA DE POLVO, and in testing alternative construction methodologies with earth.

KIT, KARLSRUHE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, GERMANY
faculty of architecture, regional planning



kosta mathéy became professor for urban and regional planning the karlsruhe university of technology [today: KIT] within the faculty of architecture. he was to replace prof. klaus richrath, who had accepted a professorschip at weimar university, and partnered with prof. martin einsele in the same institute. he taught regular courses and design workshops in urban planning, but also introduced the outer-european study regions together with the assistant lecturer michael peterek of the same institute.  together they started an important publications' series with a global perspective, such as the first german book on ecological urbanism, or an up-to-date review on cuban housing and urbanism. 

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITÄT DARMSTADT
Architekturfakultät
planen und bauen in entwicklungsländern

this department, led by prof arnold körte, was founded 1980 and replaced the arbeitsgruppe tropenbau - which was mostly interested in technical and design issues of building in hot climates. kosta mathey was chosen to become the first teaching assistant in this department - supervising student design work, guiding field trips abroad, funding TRIALOG journal and organizing an international conference on the topic. He also acquired some DFG funding for a research project on self-help housing in venezuela, in cooperation with DPU london [ronaldo ramírez and jorge fiory] and the technical university of hamburg-harburg [prof. hans harms].