Digital Sciences (Master of Science) Technische Hochschule Köln - University of Applied Sciences

The Digital Sciences Master's programme at the TH Köln offers a diverse range of courses in the disciplines of Computer Science, Information Science, and Data Science. The programme is designed for students who wish to build upon a completed Bachelor’s degree from one of the above-mentioned disciplines (e.g. Computer Science, Business Information Systems, Media Information Systems, IT Management, Code and Context, Data and Information Science, etc.). It is designed to address individual student goals, support tailored personalised learning paths, and create space for interdisciplinary and agile learning projects as well as appropriate didactic-methodological approaches across disciplinary and faculty boundaries.

A flexible and highly customisable course of study in three or four semesters is possible, depending on how uni-assist assesses the equivalence of the applicant's Bachelor's degree compared to German degrees. In this programme, the standard case for international applicants comprises a four-semester programme to earn the Master's degree. Large parts of the study programme can be completed in English due to a broad range of English-language modules. An overview of the teaching language of the modules can be found here: https://digital-sciences.de/en/overview/modules/.
Three of the four specialisations of the study programme are available to international students. These are:

• Business Information Systems
• Data and Information Science
• Software Architecture

Only the IT Management specialisation is restricted to German-speaking students.

The courses are held at two locations:

• 51643 Gummersbach
• 50678 Cologne

Although the course of study can be individually constructed by choosing from a large set of electives, the profiling according to the specialisation is steered by the fulfilment of minimum amounts of passed ECTS in six focus areas (see diagram). These threshold amounts of credits and a detailed explanation as well as a tool supporting the study planning can be found here: https://digital-sciences.de/en/planning_tool/overview/index.html.

Our instruction philosophy emphasises real-life experiences through extensive, hands-on, laboratory-based training, cooperation projects, and internships. Project work forms part of the course in research projects as well as in projects with industry.

Visit the website for application details.

For admission to the Digital Sciences Master's programme, applicants are required to have successfully completed studies in the field of Computer Science (Bachelor's or comparable degree) or a similar programme. The following criteria are expected with regard to the completed programme:

• A student workload of at least 80 ECTS has been passed in the area of Computer Science or Information and Data Science
• A final grade of "good" or "better" has been achieved
• A further specialisation-specific condition of earned ECTS regarding the focus areas is described here: https://digital-sciences.de/en

All three conditions have to be fulfilled for admission. Professional experience does not count towards eligibility.

Please find deadlines and further details here: Digital Sciences (Master’s programme) – How to Apply.

Please note that application requirements may change. You will find the current application requirements on the above-mentioned website as soon as the application deadlines for the semester for which you wish to apply have been published.

Approx. 353 EUR per semester

Included in the semester fee is the semester ticket for public transport for the whole of Germany.

The cost of living for your stay largely depends on your personal needs. When planning your stay, you should calculate monthly costs of approx. 1,000 – 1,200 EUR.

Taking on a part-time job while studying has lots of benefits. Students can earn some extra money and gain valuable professional experience, and they might even take a first step up on the career ladder. Gaining a first insight into the German corporate world is especially beneficial for international students.

Many students partially fund their studies at TH Köln by taking on a part-time job in or outside the university.

Please note that student jobs may require German language skills depending on the field and type of job.

Students who wish to pursue a career in Germany can take part in TH Köln's "Ready, Study, Go" programme. The programme offers students useful workshops and activities to prepare them for the German labour market.

International students are eligible to apply for the "Deutschlandstipendium". The scholarship holders receive approx. 300 EUR per month for the duration of one year.

Being Germany's fourth largest city, Cologne is a highly attractive place to live. The increasing influx of people can make the search for adequate accommodation quite difficult. Dozens of apartment hunters often compete for one single apartment. This is why we strongly recommend that you start looking for a place to live as soon as possible.

Cologne's most convenient and economical housing option is often a student dormitory. A public student services association called "Kölner Studierendenwerk" (KSTW) operates 88 student dorms offering roughly 4,800 rooms. The seemingly large number of dorm rooms is misleading; as the dormitories are open to the roughly 90,000 students enrolled at all Cologne universities, they are in extremely high demand. Please be aware that TH Köln does not allocate the rooms in these dorms. Please apply directly to the KSTW: https://www.kstw.de/wohnen. You do not yet need a letter of admission in order to apply.

The fierce competition on the private housing market has resulted in above-market rents – particularly in proximity of the city centre. We therefore encourage you to be flexible. Try to look for apartments outside the centre or share an apartment – and the cost of rent – with other students: www.th-koeln.de/accommodation.

Technische Hochschule Köln – abbreviated as TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences – sees itself as a university of technology, arts, and sciences. With its disciplinary and cultural diversity and openness, TH Köln's activities are aimed at cultural and technological breakthroughs of high societal relevance. Thus, TH Köln contributes substantially to resolving social challenges. As a community of faculty and students, we see ourselves as a learning organisation forging new paths. For instance, TH Köln is one of the pioneers in the field of development and formation of concepts for higher education didactics.

Our subject range includes the fields of applied natural sciences, architecture and construction, information and communication, computer science, engineering, culture and society, and social sciences as well as business studies. More than 90 degree programmes are offered as full-time programmes or, in some cases, as career-integrated or part-time programmes. As a place where research-based learning and academic education take place, the university nurtures prospective scholars through cooperative dissertations. Annually, more than 4,700 students take up their studies at TH Köln. Overall, 21,000 students from about 120 different countries along with 440 professors and 2,000 staff members apply their potential.

Research mainly focuses on future-related issues, including climate change, energy supply, health, and food safety as well as demographic changes. While developing solution strategies for the most important questions of our time, researchers offer their professional expertise in interdisciplinary interaction. At the same time, they collaborate closely with local, national, and international cooperation partners, including 343 international institutions of higher education. The university offers its researchers an attractive sphere of activity. The quality seal "HR Excellence in Research" awarded by the European Commission certifies that TH Köln meets international standards in the field of human resources development.
TH Köln’s campuses are located in Cologne, Gummersbach, and Leverkusen.

Its metropolitan vibe, diverse student scene and a cityscape abounding with cultural and historical treasures make Cologne one of Europe's prime university cities. Cologne's origins date back to the Roman Empire more than 2,000 years ago. Today, Cologne is Germany's fourth largest city with a population of just over one million and has evolved as an economic and cultural metropolis at the heart of Europe. The city's characteristic landmark and source of pride for every inhabitant is without a doubt the magnificent Cologne Cathedral, locally known as the "Kölner Dom". Towering over the quaint Old Town of Cologne at 156 metres, this masterpiece of Gothic architecture is the world's third-highest cathedral and attracts around six million visitors a year, making it Germany's most popular tourist attraction. Visitors from all over the world are bound to feel at home immediately, as Cologne is a true melting pot of cultures. Close to one-fifth of its inhabitants have an international background. Cologne's economy is characterised by its amalgamation of different industries and trades. Home to the country's most influential television and radio stations, Cologne is unquestionably Germany's media capital and host to some of the continent's biggest trade fairs. Quite a few of the world's most renowned enterprises call the metropolitan region their home, in particular, corporations operating in the automobile industry, biotechnology and life sciences, chemicals and pharmaceuticals as well as commerce and banking.

Please note that TH Köln also has two remote campuses outside Cologne, which are located in the towns of Gummersbach and Leverkusen.

Gummersbach is a town with approx. 51,000 inhabitants located 55 km east of Cologne, surrounded by a hilly landscape which is a recreational area for residents from Cologne and other cities nearby. The campus can be reached in a few minutes from Gummersbach train station. A train ride to Cologne, which is the largest city in the region, takes one hour and ten minutes and will be covered by the semester ticket, which is included in the semester fee. Students will be able to find affordable accommodation in Gummersbach and focus on their studies in the great environment of a modern campus.

The Leverkusen campus is located 15 km north of Cologne in the Neue Bahnstadt Opladen and was opened in 2022. It is close to the CHEMPARK in Leverkusen, which is one of the largest chemical parks in Europe. Global players from the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, such as Bayer and LANXESS, are located there. With approx. 170,000 inhabitants, Leverkusen is a smaller industrial city that has plenty of opportunities for relaxation, thanks to its location in the foothills of the Bergisches Land region. In Leverkusen, you can find urban buzz and village-like tranquillity in close proximity. The campus can also be reached with TH Köln's semester ticket.