Computer Science MSc Ruhr-Universität Bochum

The main goal of the Master's degree programme in Computer Science is to offer students an in-depth and specialised education in the field of computer science in order to meet the growing demand for academic specialists and innovative IT experts. Currently, students can deepen their knowledge in five highly topical specialisation areas:

• Design, Implementation, and Analysis of Computer Systems
• Algorithms, Complexity, Data
• Computer Security
• Software Engineering and Programming Languages
• Artificial Intelligence

In addition to the subject-specific training, the Master's degree programme emphasises training students in scientific work (through seminars, practical courses, project work and Master's thesis) in order to optimally prepare them for research and academic careers.

The study programme consists of modules with a total of 120 CP and is divided into the following areas:

• Basic/Foundation: Students select two to three modules with a minimum of 15 CP from an elective catalogue of lectures designed to provide in-depth theoretical foundations (e.g. Advanced Algorithms, Cryptography, Theory of Machine Learning).
• Specialisation Area: The specialisation modules (five to seven modules, min. 35 CP), together with the seminar (3 CP) and a practical course (3 to 5 CP), form the specialisation area. This area consists of a variety of cutting-edge courses (e.g. Quantum Information and Computation; Energy Aware Computing Systems, Blockchain Security and Privacy) that allow students to focus on one of our five current specialisations or to receive a broad education.
• Project: The aims of the project (10 CP) are the practical application of the acquired knowledge and the acquisition of additional expertise in accordance with the respective project-specific task. The focus of the Master's project is research-orientated. Many Master's projects are closely linked to research projects in the individual research groups. This means that students also work together with academic staff and gain an insight into current research areas.
• Free Elective Area: In the free elective area (20 CP), two to four modules can be chosen from the entire offer of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, the University Alliance Ruhr and the European University Alliance UNIC. In particular, modules to deepen the so-called soft skills (foreign languages, teamwork, presentation techniques, writing workshop, intercultural competences, ethics, sustainability, etc.) are recommended.
• Master's thesis: The Master's thesis (30 CP) is problem-orientated and therefore contains innovative approaches and solutions. Students should demonstrate that they are able to work independently on a challenging computer science problem using scientific methods within a limited period of six months. In addition to the technical results, interdisciplinary skills must also be applied as part of the Master's thesis. Students carry out the project organisation independently and the results must be documented in written form, including a classification of the results in the literature. The most important results must be presented to a specialist audience in a colloquium lecture. This way, students demonstrate their presentation and argumentation skills.

Admission to the Master's degree programme in Computer Science is open to students who have completed* a Bachelor's degree programme in Computer Science lasting at least six semesters and comprising 180 credit points or a comparable degree programme and who have a special qualification for this degree programme.

The completed Bachelor's degree programme must include at least 50 CP from the following areas of the fundamentals of computer science, whereby the contents must be equivalent to the respective modules of the BSc in Computer Science at Ruhr-Universität Bochum:

• Computer Science 1, 12 ECTS
• Computer Science 2, 8 ECTS
• Computer Science 3, 8 ECTS
• Software Engineering, 5 ECTS
• Computer Engineering 1, 5 ECTS
• Computer Networks, 5 ECTS
• Operating Systems, 5 ECTS
• Database Systems, 7 ECTS
• Computer Engineering 2, 5 ECTS

Moreover, the completed Bachelor’s degree must have at least 18 CP from the field of fundamentals of mathematics.

After the application deadline, a committee will determine the eligibility on the basis of the documents submitted (in addition to the academic certificates, a CV, a letter of motivation, an academic work sample, and a letter of recommendation are required).

*Note: If a degree has not yet been obtained at the time of application, an application can be submitted if at least 120 credit points have been earned in the Bachelor’s programme according to the study plan for the application in a six-semester Bachelor’s programme and at least 150 credit points in a seven-semester Bachelor’s programme. In that case, instead of the transcript, a certificate issued by the university showing all examination achievements up to that point and showing an average grade must be submitted.

Students have to pay a social contribution fee of approx. 380 EUR per semester, including a semester ticket covering public transport in Germany (https://studium.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en/re-registration-and-social-contribution).

Minimum of 950 EUR per month to cover personal and living expenses in Germany

Students with good academic achievements and a high degree of social responsibility can apply for the “Deutschlandstipendium” grant. They will receive a one-year scholarship of 300 EUR per month from the Ruhr-Universität Scholarship Fund: http://www.rub.de/bildungsfonds/info-studierende/en/index_en.html.

International students can also apply at the International Office, e.g. for financial support during their final phase of study, such as graduation grants: https://international.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en/scholarships?_wrapper_format=html.

The Faculty of Computer Science offers two in-house job fairs, IT-Connect and ITS-Connect, which students can use to make contact with industry. In addition to this, the RUB Career Service checks students’ application documents, organises career-related events, workshops and counselling sessions, and provides information materials in German and English. Both the Career Service and the Start-Up Centre of the university offer special support for international students.

In the city of Bochum, you can find different types of accommodation. On average, students in Bochum pay approximately 400 to 800 EUR per month for a single apartment, which is below the average rent in Germany. A room in a shared apartment is usually less expensive.

About 5,000 students in Bochum live in multiple student halls close to the campus, which are run by the Akademisches Förderungswerk (AKAFÖ). In the halls, each student has a single room and shares a kitchen and bathroom with other students, rents an apartment with a private bathroom and kitchen, or shares an apartment with one or several flatmates. 

More information on the student halls can be found at https://studium.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/de/wohnen.

In addition, private and church-affiliated student halls accommodate up to 1,000 students: http://www.stuwo.de/wohnheim-region/bochum/.