Machine Learning (MSc) University of Tübingen

The Master’s programme in Machine Learning offers a wide choice of courses in machine learning and general computer science. Apart from a few mandatory courses, allows students to choose their subjects according to their interests. Students will attend lectures, seminars, and project lab courses under the supervision of scientists who introduce them to basic and applied research and current topics in machine learning.

To pick up on scientific trends and make the best use of the current state of research, the curriculum relies heavily on the strong research presence on site in machine learning (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Excellence Cluster "Machine Learning: New Perspectives for Science'',  Tübingen AI Centre, ELLIS Institute, Cyber Valley, IMPRS for Intelligent Systems) as well as in the wider field of computer science. Top-level researchers in all major methodological branches of machine learning are present in Tübingen – personnel that will actively engage in teaching the Master’s programme in Machine Learning. (See CSRankings for the University of Tübingen and note that the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems is located in Tübingen as well.) Since the field is obviously very young and currently developing extremely rapidly, training will naturally be based on the most recent insights and the most pressing research questions of these teaching researchers. Project work and the Master’s thesis will offer students the opportunity to develop code for research purposes and their own scientific projects.

As interdisciplinarity is an important aspect, the Master’s thesis can be supervised by a professor of any subfield of computer science.

The programme consists of four major study areas: Foundations of Machine Learning, Diverse Topics in Machine Learning, General Computer Science, and Expanded Perspectives.
In the first semester, Mathematics for Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Data Literacy are recommended modules, followed by Statistical Machine Learning, and Probabilistic Machine Learning in the next semester. At least one practical course and one seminar are recommended for the second or third semester. The Master's thesis is recommended for the fourth semester.

Academic admission requirements include a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in either computer science, mathematics, physics, or related natural sciences with a grade of at least 2.0 (according to the German grading system in which a 1.0 is the best grade). 

In particular, competences from the following areas are required, equivalent in content and scope to those in the BSc course in Computer Science in Tübingen:

• Mathematics: one- and multidimensional analysis, linear algebra, and either numerics or stochastics
  The scope of lectures in the field of mathematics should correspond to at least 27 ECTS credits.

• Computer science: programming, algorithms, and data structures
  The scope of lectures in computer science should correspond to at least 18 ECTS, of which at least 6 ECTS must be in the field of algorithms and data structures.

Candidates are judged based on the level of interest and their personal fit with the programme, for which we require a letter of motivation and a CV. Applicants must also provide adequate proof of English proficiency (see below). The final admission is based on the applicant's overall compatibility with the programme.

Enrolment fees at the University of Tübingen are currently about 200 EUR per semester. This includes use of local public transport free of charge from Monday to Friday (in the evenings), on weekends and on public holidays. In addition, students may purchase a semester ticket for unlimited use of public transport in the city of Tübingen and the surrounding area (currently about 160 EUR).

Estimated basic student expenses are around 1,000 EUR per month according to the Tübingen Student Services organisation (“Studierendenwerk”), including rent for student accommodation. Rent for private accommodation will be more expensive.

Students may find jobs as graduate research assistants for projects of the Department of Computer Science as well as for many other research groups, e.g. at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems or at a company.

There are a limited number of stipends for excellent students in extent very similar to the ones of the DAAD, in particular also from underrepresented groups.

Accommodation is available through the Student Services organisation (“Studierendenwerk“) or on the private market. Rooms in student accommodation cost approx. 250–480 EUR per month. As Tübingen is a very attractive place to live, private accommodation is more expensive and can take some effort to find. To make sure you find a suitable place to live, you should start looking as early as possible.

We recommend you apply for student accommodation through the “Studierendenwerk” at the same time that you apply for admission to the Master's programme (please see: https://www.my-stuwe.de/en/housing/halls-of-residence-tuebingen/ and https://www.my-stuwe.de/en/housing/faqs/) and send in a copy of your notification of admission as soon as you have received it (your application won’t be finally processed before the “Studierendenwerk” has received proof of your admission). For further information check out the “Studierendenwerk” pages on housing in Tübingen (https://www.my-stuwe.de/en/housing/housing-infos/).