New students at TUM can join a broad variety of welcome and infomation events: International students are invited to TUMs First Steps, all students can visit the Student Club Fair and STS M.A. and RESET M.A. students can join us for the Welcome Day and Teambuilding Weekend.

To learn more about our onboarding events, you can hear in the following from our student assistant Elif who reported on the kick-off of winter semester 25/26!

📰 Master Programs STS & RESET: Orientation Events 2025 

In keeping with tradition, we started this winter semester with two events that have become part of what it means to arrive here: The Welcome Day and the Teambuilding Weekend.

They build upon the orientation events of TUM where new students get a first chance to meet their community and step into their journey with curiosity, support, and a few great memories already in the making. 

🎓 Welcome Day 

On October 10^th at Arcisstraße 21, the Welcome Day gathered our incoming STS and RESET cohorts for the first time. After greeting words and an introduction by the Study Management team, students had the chance to ask questions face-to-face: the practical ones, the nervous ones, and everything in between. 

One of the highlights of the afternoon where podcast presentations from Prof. Ruth Müller’s class, “Telling Responsible Stories – Telling Stories Responsibly,” where students shared and discussed their podcast productions. It offered a first glimpse into our learning environment: creative, critical, reflective, and full of conversations that stretch beyond the classroom. 

The day closed with a buffet and casual conversations: name tags on shirts, people figuring out who lives near whom, comparing backgrounds, and realizing; these are my peers! 

🏔️ Teambuilding Weekend 

Two weeks later, bags were packed, and the cohort headed to Berchtesgaden for the annual Teambuilding Weekend, a tradition many alums still talk about years later. The aim is simple: before the semester becomes full of deadlines and readings, the students have the opportunity to strengthen their network across diverse academic, professional, and cultural backgrounds. 

Over the weekend, students shared meals and rooms, walked through Alpine trails, explored the museum Haus der Berge, painted, laughed, struggled up snowy paths, held conversations by the bonfire. 

A highlight was the museum visit to Haus der Berge, an interactive Alpine education center combining environmental science, climate knowledge, and immersive exhibits. The museum not only deepened students' understanding of the Alpine region, but also opened conversations about technology, ecology, sustainability, and human–environment relations—core STS themes. 

🌱 More Than Orientation 

The Welcome Day and the Teambuilding Weekend are much more than events on a calendar. They make it possible to step into classes, already knowing who sits next to you and understands why you chose this path. 

We wish the STS and RESET cohort a semester full of curiosity and we look forward to all that will be written together from here.

There are several opportunities for stays abroad which students can pursue on their own initiative. The TUM Global Office and the Study Management STS offer support and advice. The ERASMUS+ program offers you the chance to study at universities within the European Union (EU) whereas with the TUMexchange Program you can also visit universities outside the EU.

For more information on which partner universities you can apply for, please visit this website and choose the subject area “SOT - Department of Science, Technology and Society”.

TUM offers a wide range of resources and guidance to help you navigate your options. On our website, you will find all the essential information to help you identify the scholarship that best suits your situation: Scholarships (TUM)

If you would like personalized advice regarding your scholarship options, you can reach out to the Scholarship Advisory Service of the Studentenwerk München: Scholarship Advisory Service (Studierenenwerk) 

In addition, numerous external foundations and organizations across Germany offer scholarships and financial aid to students. TUM maintains a list of those foundations that have contacted the university and requested to be featured on the TUM website: Foundations (TUM)