Application:Minimum requirements

We aim at offering the courses to a wide range of students. Applicants should have a strong background in computer science or a related field since programming and mathematical knowledge is assumed. In order to apply to the Master in Intelligent Adaptive Systems, you have to fulfil the following formal requirements. If not your application will not enter the application process.

• A Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field insofar as 60 ECTS credit points were acquired in the core field of computer science (without maths, core engineering, soft skills, electrical engineering courses, economics … )

• Proof of English language proficiency by (or comparable to)

 CEFR/TELC Level B2
 IELTS 6.5
 TOEFL (IBT 90, PBT 575, CBT 230)
 Cambridge CAE or CPE

If you are not sure please ask the IAS Team (ias-team ‚At‘ informatik.uni-hamburg.de ) before the application period starts.

Requirement: 60 ECTS credits or comparable from computer science

The requirement for the MSc IAS is a Bachelor’s degree with 60 credit points (ETCS) from Computer Science. Make sure to provide evidence of modules with computer science content (e.g. detailed transcript of records, module description in a nice and short table) to help the admissions board to decide whether a module can be counted towards the requirement. Please note the admission board will not search for info in an entire module handbook. All courses you list and explain have to be found in your transcript of records.

I do not have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, can I still apply?

Yes, but still you need to evidence 60 ECTS in core computer science courses.

What modules will be counted towards the 60 credit points?

Without additional information, the admission board can only count modules where computer science content is evident from the module's name (e.g. a module named "Object-oriented programming" will surely be counted). To enable the board to make an informed decision, please provide a short description for all modules with a majority of computer science related content, including projects or practicals. This can include modules ranging from digital signal processing to artificial intelligence or computational linguistics.

The ECTS credit system is not used in my country, how can I calculate the correct amount?

There is no easy or direct way to compare different credit systems. ECTS (= European Credit Transfer System) credits are a measure of estimated workload for a student per module. One ECTS credit corresponds to about 25-30 hours of work and the amount of credits a module gives is set by the lecturer. The BSc programmes in Hamburg consist of 180 ECTS points for three years, so in order to judge the amount of computer science content the admission board will be looking for, you can use 1/3rd of your BSc as a rough estimate (60 credits equal one year of full time study).

I do not have enough credits on the BSc transcript, what else might be counted?

The admission board will be looking for finished university courses obtained in one bachelor or master in CS or a related field. These courses should be in total compared to 60 ECTS credits obtained in the Bachelor of Science in Informatik at the University of Hamburg. Everything else will be a case by case decision by the admission board and might lead to rejection. The advice here: make it as clear as possible what you would like the admission board to accept and where the course came from. In some borderline cases*, online courses, courses from a different bachelor/master or work experience might be counted if it is evident that you have learned concepts and gained experience that is comparable to modules on at least Computer Science at BSc level (and that your had exams). You still need 60 ECTS but it will help your case verifying that you are really interested in the field of IAS. In any case, provide as much evidence about the content and the nature of the courses/experience as you can - in order to help the admission board to come to an informed decision. Please note the admission team does not have endless time to sort your mess.

• borderline cases means = students with exactly 60 ECTS (not less) in a (CS related) study program or a study program in which you were able to take CS courses and their exams.

Can I complete courses after application to make good for missing credit points in computer science?

No, unfortunately not. The requirement of 60 credit points from computer science modules, which have to be comparable to modules from the “BSc Informatik” at the University of Hamburg, will be checked at the beginning of the admission process. If you do not fulfil this requirement, your application will be rejected by the admissions board before entering the selection process. Missing credit points have to be obtained before application through additional courses, e.g. at your current university

Requirement: English language proficiency

I have a language certificate that is not listed on the website, can I send this as proof?

Only sending a language certificate that is listed on the website with a sufficiently high score will lead to an automatic acceptance as proof of language proficiency.

You can also send a language certificate that is not listed, which then will be handed to the admission board that has to decide whether this is comparable to the listed certificates. It is always a good idea to provide information about the certificate and why you have acquired a different language certificate than listed. Please understand that only internationally established certificates can be counted. Certificates from local language schools and universities cannot be easily verified and therefore have to be rejected.

I am a native English speaker. Do I still have to send a certificate?

If you are born and living in a country with English as its native language, you do not have to provide further evidence. This might also apply if you have been living, studying or working in such country for a long time, but this will be decided on a case to case basis by the admission board. If the admission board decides that it is not sufficient proof, it can still be counted in addition with other evidence.

My previous degree was taught fully in English, does that count as sufficient proof?

No. However if your certificate/transcript explicitly states that English was the medium of instruction within your entire degree (=3+ years) or you provide a letter by the University stating that all modules were taught and assessed in English, the admission board may accept this as proof of proficiency. Again this will be decided on a case to case basis depending on country and institution. Over the last years - it was more likely to be rejected than accepted without language proficiency test. If you have studied in a country where English is the native language, the evidence carries more weight since you were fully immersed in an English speaking environment.

I have a TOEFL certificate but can't find the institution code of Universität Hamburg?

If you want to submit the TOEFL scores through ETS, the departmental code is B406. Since there usually is a considerable delay between test and the arrival of the score card, please ALWAYS add a copy of the scorecard or the results page to your documents. If your documents do not arrive in time or never your application will be rejected. Only by adding a copy to your application - you can be sure that the admission board has the information by the time a selection decision has to be made.