The curricula are skill-based and geared toward a defined graduate profile. The lecturers see themselves as student guides in their learning process and integrate project-based and research-based learning in their courses. Activating teaching methods and additional virtual teaching and learning environments foster the exchange between teachers and students and students among themselves. The (partly interdisciplinary) projects integrated in the curriculum as well as the final theses are often carried out in cooperation with companies.

The degrees prepare students for an increasingly international working environment. There are different ways in which to gain experience abroad (semester abroad, internships abroad, etc.). The Cologne University of Applied Sciences and the department are also involved in a variety of international cooperation arrangements. Students benefit in teaching and research from the personal international contacts of the professors and instructors.

Faculty-wide there are 55 laboratories available to conduct practicals as well as projects and research (including the necessary research by students for their degree theses). The Institute of Technical Building Equipment has a laboratory for fire detection technology, a laboratory for CFD simulation, a laboratory for chemistry and water analysis, a laboratory for electrical building equipment, a laboratory for burglar alarm and video technology, a laboratory for building automation and control technology, a laboratory for building systems technology.

Students are involved in research and innovation processes and in current issues from business and industry through project work. In addition, the Master’s in Green Building Engineering is based on an interdisciplinary research association, the research focus on Green Building. The topics of this research focus offer a variety of approaches for holistic joint research and processing of questions in the context of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary R&D - work and research-based teaching.

The Cologne University of Applied Sciences is a member of Hochschulgründernetz Cologne e.V. (hgnc e.V.), a network of university-level founders of start-ups, and offers a variety of (network) events, workshops and competitions also designed for students in the department. Various support associations help students in the form of company and graduate networking services. The TH Cologne also takes part in the nationwide "Gründerwoche Deutschland" campaign week.

The module structure and learning objectives of the degree courses were developed in the context of the graduate profile defined in curriculum workshops. The analysis of the professional fields by discipline-specific industries serves as a basis. The learning objectives and module contents are all aligned with one another and build on one another as the degree course advances. Ongoing assessment of integration of the courses across semesters ensures that skills are acquired.