Automation and Robotics TU Dortmund University

The programme offers three main areas of specialisation:

• Robotics: the design, modelling, control, and operation of robotic systems, including, for example, industrial, mobile, medical, collaborative, and autonomous applications
• Process Automation: the modelling, monitoring, optimisation, and control of complex technical, chemical, and biochemical processes
• Machine Learning: data-driven methods for analysing data and developing intelligent systems, including for example regression, neural networks, deep learning, transformers, reinforcement learning, computer vision, and natural language processing

Students acquire a solid foundation in mathematics, control theory, robotics, data science, and scientific programming. As they progress through the programme, they can increasingly tailor their studies to their individual interests through elective courses, project work, and the Master’s thesis.

Students are free to select electives from the current course catalogue. Their chosen electives determine their major field of study: Robotics, Process Automation, or Machine Learning. There is no need to select a specialisation at the beginning of the programme; students develop their individual profile as they progress through their studies.

The broad range of electives enables students to explore topics such as advanced control, autonomous and mobile systems, computer vision, intelligent and data-driven methods, communication technologies, and energy-related applications. The elective catalogue is regularly updated to reflect scientific and technological developments.

Teaching is organised through lectures, tutorials, and laboratory courses. The programme is complemented by project work, which may be completed individually or in small groups, and by an individual Master’s thesis. Both allow you to explore a current scientific or technological topic in depth.

As you progress through the programme, the individual and practical components of your studies become increasingly important.

The compulsory modules in the first semesters provide students from diverse academic backgrounds with a common and solid foundation. From the beginning of the programme, you can complement these modules with elective courses that reflect your individual interests and career goals.

Your choice of electives determines your area of specialisation.

There is no need to choose an area of specialisation at the start of the programme. Instead, you develop your individual profile as you progress through your studies. Through your electives, you can also establish contact with the relevant institutes and research groups, which may later offer topics for your project work and Master’s thesis.

The programme covers a broad range of topics, including electrical and electronic engineering, advanced applications in robotics, process automation, and machine learning as well as programming, theoretical computer science, and mechanical engineering. This breadth allows you to shape your studies according to your academic interests.

As this programme is on the MSc level, there are no internships allocated to the curriculum. A candidate may do an internship, but there's no encouragement to do so from the faculty.

It is compulsory to show mathematical proficiency and substantial knowledge in computer systems to gain admission in the course. With reference to our examination order (§3), these items are checked only by the amount of classes in the relevant directions in your BSc curriculum.

Additional experience (whether from non-academic courses or from work experience) will be disregarded for formal reasons.

Students pay a semester fee of approx. 320 EUR (as of summer 2026), including a public transport ticket.

Please refer to the semester contribution website and the study costs website for further information.

The university provides many events, counselling, and support services for students to help them prepare for their careers. Further information is provided on the university career service website.

Accommodation costs vary depending on several factors but are currently approx. 400 EUR per month. For an estimate of overall living expenses, please refer to the study costs information page.

For information about accommodation, please refer to the Studierendenwerk Dortmund website.

A university with a unique profile:
Since its founding in 1968, TU Dort­mund Uni­ver­sity has developed a special profile encompassing 17 departments ranging from science and engineering to social sciences and cultural studies. The uni­ver­si­ty has around 29,500 students and more than 6,500 employees, in­clu­ding 340 professors. 6,400 of all students have an international background, which constitutes 19.5% of the total student body.

TU Dort­mund Uni­ver­sity has a strong focus on re­search. The uni­ver­si­ty’s departments – e.g. mechanical engineering (with its emphasis on production and logistics), physics, biochemical and chemical engineering, statistics and computer science, and education re­search – are well known for their outstanding re­search achievements both nationally and internationally.

Students at TU Dort­mund Uni­ver­sity can choose from classical subjects and in­no­va­ti­ve courses of study such as medical physics or degree programmes in spatial planning, statistics, and journalism. A particular focus is on teacher train­ing. TU Dort­mund Uni­ver­sity is one of only a few universities in Germany that offers professional teaching qualifications for all types of schools.

TU Dortmund University is part of the Uni­ver­sity Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr). Together with its partner universities, Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Duisburg-Essen, the UA Ruhr is one of the largest and most powerful university alliances in Germany. The alliance is strong in international research and offers students the opportunity to participate in courses offered by all three universities and earn credits with minimal bureaucratic effort.

With more than 6,500 employees, TU Dort­mund Uni­ver­sity is one of Dort­mund’s largest employers and has helped drive the transformation of the city and the Ruhr region from Europe’s largest coal mining and steel production area into a high-tech and service location as well as a cultural metropolis.

Dortmund is located in the heart of Europe. It is the largest city in the Ruhr region and is home to the Borussia Dortmund (BVB) soccer club. All of this contributes to the many advantages that will make studying in Dort­mund an unforgettable experience. Apart from destinations for football fans, there are many other places of interest to discover in Dort­mund and the Ruhr region.