Master's program Computer Science (starting from WiSe 2025/2026)
Table of contents
Goals
After you have learned the basics of computer science in your Bachelor's degree, the English-language Master's degree in Computer Science allows you to specialize. You can choose from a wide range of subject areas such as automation, artificial intelligence, software engineering, architecture of hardware and software systems, logical modeling, distributed system architectures or graphical data processing. The aim is to make you a specialist in your chosen subject areas who is also aware of the responsibility for the potential impact of computer science applications and systems.
After graduating, you can choose to pursue an academic career, teach about computer science and contribute to its further development. A research-oriented industrial career is also open to you, where you can contribute your knowledge to expert teams. As an M.Sc. student, you will be ready to acquire new areas of knowledge, structure them across domains, develop suitable models and thus further develop yourself.
Structure and content
The degree program has a modular structure and is research-oriented. The course provides you with both applied and academic expertise in the focus areas of your choice.
The courses are spread over four semesters, with the fourth semester reserved for writing your thesis and holding the colloquium. The third semester is designed in such a way that you can use it for a temporary stay at another university. You can also complete it as part-time study in accordance with the regulations for part-time study.
The degree program allows you to choose between two tracks - the Open Track and the Distributed Systems Engineering track.
Common to both tracks are the research project, which is completed in the 3rd semester, the modules of the compulsory elective area of general qualifications, in which you acquire skills in rhetoric, presentation, communication skills, social commitment or foreign language skills, as well as the Master's thesis, with which you complete your Master's degree.
Open Track
In the Open Track of the degree program, you can choose from 8 subject areas with a large number of compulsory elective modules, whereby modules from three subject areas worth 12 credit points each must be selected; the modules can only be selected if they have not already been selected in the compulsory elective area Supplement. The subject areas are as follows:
- Knowledge Models
- Model Checking
- Advanced Problem Solving and Search
- Complexity Theory
- Advanced Logics
- Advanced Algorithms Lab
- Building and Maintaining Ontologies in the Description Logic EL
- Introduction to Existential Rules
- Introduction to Formal Concept Analysis
- Algorithmic Game Theory
- Algorithmic Graph Theory
- Randomized Algorithms
- Modal Logic
- Foundations of Knowledge Representation
- Foundations of Logic Programming
- Proof Theory and Sequent Systems
- Advanced Data Structures
- Algorithmen und Datenstrukturen 2
- Seminar Theoretical Computer Science and Symbolic Artificial Intelligence
- Advanced Software Engineering
- Automotive Software Engineering
- Automotive Software Safety
- Compilerbau
- Component-Based Software Engineering
- Design Patterns and Frameworks
- Foundations of Certified Programming Language and Compiler Design
- Future-Proof Software Systems
- Model-Driven Software Development in Technical Spaces
- Requirements and Test Management
- Self-Adaptive Software and Cobotics
- Software as a Business
- Software Engineering for Highly Configurable Software Systems
- Software Management and Quality Assurance
- Concurrent and Distributed Systems Lab
- Confidential Computing
- Foundations of Concurrent and Distributed Systems
- IT-Sicherheit in Cloud Computing
- Network and Distributed Systems Security
- Privacy-Enhancing Technologies
- Sicherheit in Anwendungen
- Software Fault Tolerance
- Software Fault Tolerance Lab
- Systems Security Lab
- Advanced Computer Networks
- Advanced Operating Systems
- Decentralized Systems
- Distributed Systems
- Engineering Adaptive Mobile Applications
- Internet and Web Applications
- Internet Measurements
- IoT Communication
- Microkernel Construction
- Microkernel-Based Operating Systems
- Operating-System Construction
- Prediction and Estimation Techniques
- Real-Time Systems
- Resilient Systems
- Scalable Data Engineering
- Scalable Data Management
- Schedulingtheorie
- Service and Cloud Computing
- Systems Engineering
- Wireless Sensor Networks
- Cooperative Mobile Systems
- Cyber Physical Systems Modeling Lab
- Cyber Physical Systems Modeling Lab Advanced
- Engineering and Management of Industrial Networks
- Foundations of Cyber Physical Systems
- Industrial Communications
- Industrial Cyber Physical Systems Lab
- Industrial Internet of Things
- Model-Driven Automation
- Vehicular Networking
- Computer Vision
- Computer- and Robot-Assisted Surgery
- Computer- and Robot-Assisted Surgery Lab
- Creative Computing
- Deep Learning for Vision - Foundations and Applications
- Foundations of Computer Graphics
- Foundations of Data Visualisation
- Foundations of Virtual Reality
- Geometric Modelling and Animation
- Interactive Information Visualisation
- Large Language Models
- Machine Learning
- OUTPUT.DD Workshop
- Physics Based Graphics
- Robot Learning
- Scientific Visualisation
- Spatial Computing
- Touch Sensing and Processing
- Advanced User Interfaces
- Art and Code
- Digital Design
- Experiments in Immersive Media
- Interactive Multimedia Information Retrieval
- OUTPUT.DD Live
- Philosophy and Computing
- User Interface Engineering
- Adaptive Computing Systems for Robotics
- Adaptive Dynamic Systems Lab
- Design and Programming of Embedded Multicore Architectures
- Digitization and Data Analytics
- Efficient Parallel Algorithms
- Hardware Modeling and Simulation
- High Performance Computing
- Highly Parallel Programming of GPUs
- Introduction to Computer Engineering
- Linux Cluster in Therory and Practice
- Performance Analysis of Computing Systems
- Structure and Operation Principle of Processors
- Virtualisation Techniques
The supplementary elective area contains
- all compulsory elective modules in the above-mentioned subject areas,
- 11 non-computer science supplements (formerly called "minor subjects"), each with one basic and one specialization module as well as
- an analysis of a research topic module, which helps to prepare students for writing their final thesis.
Distributed Systems Engineering track
Structure MSc CS - DSE
The Distributed Systems Engineering track enables you to analyze challenges in the field of distributed (software) systems, to design and develop solutions and to operate distributed (software) systems. The program provides both in-depth knowledge of the domain and a wide range of domain-specific aspects, such as software engineering, system architecture and security.
With the Distributed Systems Engineering track, you opt for a degree program with a predefined study path. In addition to the compulsory modules, there is a selection of track-specific compulsory elective modules from which you can choose modules worth 36 credit points:
- IoT Communication,
- Advanced Computer Networks,
- Self-Adaptive Software and Cobotics,
- Operating-System Construction,
- Cooperative Mobile Systems,
- Vehicular Networking,
- Component-Based Software Engineering,
- Internet and Web Applications,
- Wireless Sensor Networks,
- Foundations of Concurrent and Distributed Systems,
- Concurrent and Distributed Systems Lab,
- Software Fault Tolerance,
- Confidential Computing,
- Design and Programming of Embedded Multicore Architectures,
- Resilient Systems,
- Microkernel Construction,
- Decentralized Systems,
- Microkernel-Based Operating Systems,
- Future-Proof Software Systems,
- Internet Measurements,
- Engineering Adaptive Mobile Applications,
- Prediction and Estimation Techniques,
- Software Fault Tolerance Lab,
- Hardware Modeling and Simulation,
- Model-Driven Software Development in Technical Spaces,
- Requirements and Test Management
Degree
If you pass the Master's examination, you will be awarded the degree "Master of Science" (abbreviated to M.Sc.).
Application
Detailed information on the requirements for admission to the Master's degree course in Computer Science can be found on the Admission requirements website.
Further information
- Study and examination regulations,
Regulations on the assessment of suitability - Student advisory service
- Student council
- Slides from the welcome event for first-year students in the summer semester of 2026