Faculty of Surveying, Computer Science and Mathematics

The faculty organises its teaching across three study areas — Informatik, Mathematik, and Vermessung — offering programmes at both Bachelor and Master level:

Computer Science (Informatik) — Bachelor programmes:
- Bachelor Informatik (German-taught, software engineering focus)
- Bachelor Wirtschaftsinformatik (business information systems)
- Bachelor Digitalisierung und Informationsmanagement (interdisciplinary CS + geodesy)
- Bachelor Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality-Engineering
- Bachelor Vermessung und Geoinformatik

Computer Science (Informatik) — Master programmes:
- Master Software Technology (English-taught)
- Master Digitale Prozesse und Technologien
- Master Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics (English-taught, international)

Mathematics — Bachelor:
- Bachelor Angewandte Mathematik und Künstliche Intelligenz (two specialisations: Algorithm Engineering and Finance and Insurance)
- Bachelor-variant Mathe² – Work & Study (dual study, same content, company-integrated from semester 1)

Mathematics — Master:
- Master Mathematik und Künstliche Intelligenz (specialisations: Algorithm Engineering; Finanz- und Versicherungsmathematik — DAV-accredited)

Surveying — Master:
- Master Vermessung (industry & engineering surveying, higher civil-service track)

All Bachelor programmes are taught in German; the Master Software Technology and Master Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics are fully English-taught, making them the primary entry points for international applicants without German proficiency.

Small cohort sizes and an explicitly hands-on didactic philosophy mean every student gets individualised support — a structural advantage over larger research universities in the same region.

• The Mathe² – Work & Study dual track lets Bachelor mathematics students earn a company salary from semester 1 while receiving the same rigorous curriculum as the standard track — an effective solution for study financing.
• The Finance & Insurance specialisation in both Bachelor and Master Mathematik is DAV-accredited (Deutsche Aktuarvereinigung), giving graduates direct recognition on the path to becoming a certified actuary.
• Two English-taught Master programmes (Software Technology; Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics) sit within a faculty known for applied, industry-connected teaching — relevant for international students targeting Stuttgart's automotive, geospatial, and IT sectors.
• A dedicated one-week Mathe-Brückenkurs (mathematics bridge course) before semester 1, plus the Semester 1+ Förderprogramm for students who need to study at different paces, reduce early drop-out risk.
• Semester abroad options and thesis projects co-supervised with regional industry partners are built into the curriculum across all study areas.

Applied, industry-linked research is a defining characteristic of the faculty's three study areas:

Informatik / Computer Science:
- Software systems engineering, Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality applications
- Business process digitalisation, IoT and Industry 4.0 systems

Mathematik / Mathematics:
- Artificial Intelligence & Algorithm Engineering: neural networks, deep reinforcement learning for trading strategies, heuristic optimisation for electric vehicle fleet routing, point-cloud structure recognition via PCA and graph algorithms
- Finance & Insurance Mathematics: valuation adjustments in derivatives (neural-net-accelerated), risk management for insurance portfolios, options pricing with fractional Brownian motion
- Climate & Sustainability: mathematical modelling of climate data, AI-based urban heat relief (a HFT doctoral project won the Outstanding Poster award at the 12th International Conference on Urban Climate, ICUC12), Green AI ethics
- Annual events including the Mathe-Cup (schools competition), KI-Symposium, and Workshop Finance & Insurance bridge academic research and regional practice

Vermessung / Surveying & Geoinformatics:
- Photogrammetry, remote sensing, and image recognition for geodata interpretation
- Land management, Industrie- und Ingenieurvermessung, earth physics, geoinformatics
- Interdisciplinary Digitalisierung und Informationsmanagement research connecting CS and geodesy
- The faculty maintains an active Graduiertenakademie pathway enabling doctoral degrees in mathematics in cooperation with partner universities

International applicants have two fully English-taught Master entry points within this faculty:

• Master Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics — designed explicitly for future decision-makers in national mapping agencies, land management, forestry, agriculture, and urban/rural planning. The programme targets engineers and specialists from both industrialised and emerging economies; photogrammetry, remote sensing, and geodata management are considered global key-market disciplines.
• Master Software Technology — builds on a German-language Bachelor Informatik foundation; taught entirely in English, making it accessible to international computer science graduates.

All Bachelor programmes (Informatik, Wirtschaftsinformatik, Digitalisierung und Informationsmanagement, Angewandte Mathematik und KI, Vermessung und Geoinformatik, AR/VR-Engineering) are taught in German, so a solid German language level is required for those tracks.

The faculty actively promotes semester abroad options and thesis projects with international and regional industry partners. Partner university contacts are managed via the Studienbereich offices; study counselling for international applicants is available from the faculty study advisors (Studienberatung) listed per study area.

HFT Stuttgart is located in central Stuttgart (Stadtmitte), Baden-Württemberg's capital and Germany's premier automotive and engineering hub. The compact urban campus means lectures, labs, and the city's tech industry are within walking distance of each other.

Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof (central station, ICE connections to Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin) is minutes away; Stuttgart Airport (STR) is roughly 30 minutes by suburban rail (S-Bahn).

For the Surveying and Geoinformatics study area, students have access to on-site measurement equipment, geodata labs, and software suites for photogrammetry and GIS. Mathematics students benefit from a dedicated project space for the autonomous vehicle teaching project and computing infrastructure for AI/algorithm engineering coursework. Computer science students work in software development labs equipped for AR/VR projects.

The Metropolregion Stuttgart — home to the regional headquarters of the insurance, finance, automotive (Daimler, Porsche, Bosch), and IT industries — acts as an extended campus for practical semesters and thesis partnerships.

Graduates from this faculty are described by HFT as highly sought-after on the labour market across all six core programmes.

Computer Science graduates (Informatik, Wirtschaftsinformatik, AR/VR-Engineering) move into:
- Enterprise software development, ERP and business process systems (all industries)
- AR/VR application engineering in automotive, manufacturing, and gaming
- Digitalisation management and information logistics in industry and consulting firms

Mathematics & AI graduates (Angewandte Mathematik und KI, Master Mathematik und KI) are recruited as:
- Risk analysts and risk controllers, actuaries (DAV-accredited track) in the insurance and finance sector — Stuttgart is a major hub for Allianz, LBBW, and comparable firms
- Data Scientists and Algorithm Engineers in automotive R&D (autonomous driving, robotics, fleet optimisation)
- AI/ML developers and software engineers in IT and tech companies
- Development engineers in medical technology and management consulting
- The Master qualification also opens the höherer Dienst (senior civil service) track and enables doctoral study via the HFT Graduiertenakademie

Surveying & Geoinformatics graduates enter:
- Engineering and industrial surveying firms
- National and regional mapping and cadastral authorities
- International land management, photogrammetry, and remote sensing projects (both industrialised and emerging markets)
- Senior engineering careers in the higher technical civil service (höherer vermessungstechnischer Verwaltungsdienst)