Automation Engineering, M.Sc.
The interdisciplinary course of study in Automation Engineering is offered by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, the Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences, and the Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Science (M.Sc.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 semesters, 120 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Required German | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Summer semester, winter semester |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 01.03, summer semester until 01.09 |
| Admission | No admission restriction: every eligible applicant is admitted |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €375.19 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
Every applicant who meets the formal requirements is admitted — but places can run out before the deadline, so apply at the start of the window.
How the selection works and how strong the competition is — we go through it against your certificate when we select programmes for you.
Programme selection →About the programme
The task of Automation Engineering is to ensure, that a given technical system or process can be run without intervention of humans. This can be an autopilot of a plane or car, the sensitivity of a robot, or the automatized emergency shutdown of a process plant. To automatize the system, it is necessary to perform the following four tasks for an automation engineer:
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- Modeling: How can I model the given process?
- Control: How can I control process, such that given requirements are fulfilled?
- Monitoring: How can I operate and monitor the process?
- Embedding: How can I program microcontroller, such that they can perform these tasks?
These questions are in terms of their generality independent from application. Thus, automation engineering can be interdisciplinary applied to several branches of industry, and working as an automation engineer is diverse and multifaceted.
This master course teaches you in German, how to answer the four questions mentioned above.
What you study
The master course is divided in six parts and has a standard period of studies of four semesters:
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (North Rhine-Westphalia), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €375.19 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | THE MASTER AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY IS SOMETHING FOR ME BECAUSE ... |
|---|---|
| Language | German C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 01.03, summer semester until 01.09 |
The procedure and the set of documents depend on your certificate. We check the university's requirements against your documents and give you a list: what to submit, how to certify and translate it, where and when to apply.
Check the requirementsHow to get into this programme
- 1Check your certificate and its recognitionDirect admission, a year at a university at home, or Studienkolleg first — this decides the whole plan.
- 2German up to C1 and a certificateDSH or TestDaF has to be passed before you apply.
- 3Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 4Application directly to the university until 01.03Send the documents well before the deadline — an incomplete application cannot be completed after it.
- 5Admission, visa, movingPlan 2–3 months for the visa and the blocked account in parallel.
How to apply
You can submit the application yourself or with our help — the university decides on admission in both cases.
Applications go through the university's portal or uni-assist. Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
StudyInFocus does not represent the university and does not influence the admission decision. We do not sell study places and do not guarantee admission — this is a service for preparing and submitting documents on the applicant's side.
If your level is not enough yet
The two most common stoppers are a language level below the requirement and a certificate without direct admission. Both can be solved, but they take months — plan them now, not after a rejection.
Questions about this programme
How much does the programme cost?
What language level do I need?
When do I need to apply?
Don't postpone the application
The deadline is 01.03.2027 (138 days left). Language, translations and the document check take months, not weeks. In 30 minutes we will build a plan backwards from the deadline and tell you honestly whether you can make it.