Computer Science
Summary
| Degree | Master of Science (M.Sc.) |
|---|---|
| Subject group | Natural Sciences and Computer Sciences |
| Standard program duration | 4 semesters |
| Admission requirements |
none
|
| Start of studies |
Winter semester
Summer semester |
| Language | German |
| Enrollment requirements | |
| Further information | Website of Department of Computer Science |
Overview
IT systems are important in almost all areas of life. The Master’s degree program in Computer Science equips students with comprehensive interdisciplinary knowledge that enables them to cope with the dynamic nature of high technology. While the program is methodologically oriented, it also emphasizes considerations regarding applications, independent of any particular short-lived, fashionable trends.
Through numerous options, students are able to set their own individual focus of study. In doing so, they can choose basic and specialization modules from the following research areas:
- software, security, and verification
- embedded and distributed systems
- intelligent systems
- algorithms and complexity.
The Master’s degree program in Computer Science is a full-time, classroom-based course of study with a standard duration of four semesters (two years).
In addition to the research areas that students can choose, topics including law, organizational psychology, and business management are covered to prepare them for leadership roles. There is also, as in the Bachelor's program, a minor subject. Choices include electrical engineering, logistics, mechanical engineering, mathematics, philosophy, physics, rehabilitation technology, statistics, theoretical medicine, and business and economics, or an individual minor subject. Those who wish to concentrate exclusively on computer science can choose, instead of a minor subject, another in-depth module and another seminar.
The Master's examination regulations for Computer Science allow you to set a focus subject, in particular one of the following:
- algorithmics
- bioinformatics
- cyber-physical systems
- data science
- logic, information, and knowledge
- optimization
- software and service engineering.
Skills and knowledge
If you have successfully completed a relevant Bachelor's degree (especially in Computer Science or Applied Computer Science), you have generally proven that you possess the necessary knowledge and skills.
As a prerequisite for enrollment, a relevant (Computer Science) Bachelor’s degree is usually required (with a grade of 2.5 or better). Graduates of the Bachelor’s degree programs at TU Dortmund University in Computer Science and Applied Computer Science with a grade of 2.5 or better meet the enrollment requirements in any case and may be able to switch to the Master’s degree program during a semester. The Master’s access committee for Computer Science and Applied Computer Science decides which degrees are recognized and whether access to the Master’s degree program is possible despite poor grades or under specified conditions.
Field of activity
The career prospects after studying Computer Science (Computer Science and Applied Computer Science alike) are among the best of all subjects – even right after completing the Bachelor’s degree program. The reason for this is the extraordinary penetration of IT systems into nearly all areas of life and business. As a result, the demand for computer scientists is extremely high. Also noteworthy is the fact that these jobs are relatively independent of the ups and downs of business cycles.
Against the background of highly dynamic technological change, a comprehensive, methodologically oriented education in computer science – which does not disregard applications yet is independent of any particular short-lived, fashionable trends – gains an essential importance.
Graduates in Dortmund will find it easy to start their professional lives, not least because of the variety of attractive employers in the neighboring technology park and more generally because of the international visibility of the IT scene in the region.
Additional information
During the Master’s degree program, you collaborate in project groups and in the process get a foretaste of your future career. As a participant, you work in different areas of responsibility; you learn to cooperatively develop, document, and present a project. Here you will also acquire important soft skills that employers demand. At the end of the group project, a larger software product will have been created that you not only can be proud of, but also can use as the basis for further topical specialization during your studies, for example for the Master’s thesis.