Data Science, M.Sc.
Data Science is a hot topic, which gains in importance as a cross-sectional topic almost everywhere including natural sciences, engineering, and medical science.
Data Science deals with the extraction of knowledge and usable information from data. The available data sets are often very large, heterogeneous, and partially unreliable. Data Science is an interdisciplinary field with its roots in computer science, mathematics, and statistics and it has a strong link to various application areas.
The essential constituents of data science are data analysis and systems engineering.
Therefore, this course of study is going to convey modern methods of data analysis as well as algorithms and techniques for the development of information systems.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Science (M.Sc.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 semesters, 120 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Required English | 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 →What you study
The curriculum is divided into a foundational area with about 60 CP and an area of specialization with about 30 CP, plus some room for "additional competences" with maximum 12 CP. Courses offered in the specialisation area form the basis of the final thesis with 30 CP. Following the idea of the Integrated Interdisciplinary University, the final thesis can be written not only in the core fields computer science and mathematics, but also in one of the following application fields: Business Analytics, abbreviated BA, Computational Life Science abbreviated CLS, Computational Social Science abbreviated CSS, and Physics abbreviated P.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
Data-Science methods are used in a broad spectrum of applications in science and industry.
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Data science gains increasing importance in the industry due to the desire and the need for utilizing the information that becomes available because of the comprehensive networking of terminal equipment - Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 - the widespread use of social networks and the availability of immense amounts of measurement, multimedia and simulation data. In addition to the companies from ICT, financial and service sectors, also "classical" industrial companies look for graduates with this qualification profile.
Data Science is also a hot research topic, which gains in importance as a cross-sectional topic almost everywhere including natural sciences, engineering, and medical science.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (North Rhine-Westphalia), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €375.19 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | The program builds on bachelors' programs mathematics and computer science. |
|---|---|
| Language | English 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.
- 2Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 3Application directly to the university until 01.03Send the documents well before the deadline — an incomplete application cannot be completed after it.
- 4Admission, 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.