MSc. Web and Data Science

Requirements

You must fulfill the following requirements to qualify for our Web and Data Science programme. Please read this information carefully before applying or sending questions via e-mail.

Higher Education Entrance Qualification

It is a legal requirement in Germany that students prove their Higher education entrance qualification („Hochschulzugangsberechtigung“), and respectively, a Master entrance qualification („Masterzugangsberechtigung“), via submitting copies of graduation certificates of their high school and university.

Entrance qualifications and documents are not received and evaluated by us, the university department, but by the centralized procedures of Uni-Assist (see application process). Therefore, do not ask us whether your diploma will be accepted. Instead, Uni-Assist provides all information on higher education entrance qualification.

Academic Background in Computer Science

You need some academic background in computer science, such as a

bachelor's degree in computer science, business informatics, Computervisualistik (as offered by the University of Koblenz), Information management or similar.
minor in computer science (at least 60 European Credit Points), which is also permitted. In these cases, we come to a decision on a by-case-basis. To ask for an educated guess, please contact the course organizers.

Only diplomas of international accredited universities will be accepted. Non-academic, practical experience in computer science alone does not qualify you for our program.

Prior qualification for curriculum

Students subscribing to the Curriculum in Web and Data Science are expected to possess the following competencies, skills, and knowledge:

Skills in programming and analyzing basic data structures and algorithms.
Basic knowledge in the design, modeling, and testing of software according to the software development process.
Understanding of formal foundations and principles of programming languages.
Basic knowledge in analysis, linear algebra, discrete mathematics, and logic.
Foundational skills in academic writing and presenting.
Basic understanding of formal languages, automata theory, and computational complexity theory.
English skills.

Grades

The German grading system ranges from 1 ("very good") to 6 ("insufficient"). Lower numbers mean better grades.

To be eligible for our program, the grades from your previous studies must be between 1 and 2.5.
For a non-binding estimation on your eligibility, you might want to check our grade converter.

Final grade conversion into the German system is done by uni-assist (see application procedure) and so we cannot tell you bindingly whether your GPA is sufficient.

English Language Proficiency

The medium of instruction for all required courses is English, and some additional electives can be taken in German. For this reason, we require international students to command a level of English proficiency sufficient for undertaking studies successfully. A standardized language certificate is required; any proof that your previous studies were held in English is not sufficient and not negotiable. We accept three types of language proficiency certificates:

a TOEFL result of at least 79 (internet based/ Home Edition), 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer based)
IELTS test with 6.5 points minimum
Cambridge certificate at level B2 or higher (find an exam center)

IELTS 6.0 mapped to CEFR "B2" is not sufficient, however. Proficiency of the German language is not a requirement for application. However, additional elective courses are available in German, and we recommend learning some basic German for daily life. Some hints on learning German can be found at Deutsche Welle.

Motivation Letter

Applicants need to supply a motivation letter. Please do not send lengthy standard letters describing your general interest in computer science and your appreciation of the German education system. Instead, refer only to our program and follow these guidelines:

Length should be between 150 and 300 words.
The letter must be written in English.
Specify what you learned and found particularly interesting in your previous studies or practical experiences. Tell us how you want to deepen these previous experiences in our master's program. You can also describe what you expect to learn here for your future job. You should always refer to our curriculum, especially the module groups Foundations of Web Science, Major Subject Computer Science and Major Subject Web and Society. Make clear that you know about our curriculum, and point out why you have chosen our program over others.