High Integrity Systems, M.Sc.
Master's in High Integrity Systems (M.Sc.) at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Germany — a computer science program on designing and operating IT systems that must keep working correctly because people, assets or business operations depend on them. It covers two application families: safety-critical systems (automotive, aerospace, medical technology, chemicals) and business-process-critical systems (banking, insurance, media, IT services). It builds on a computer-science-based first degree and is taught in English.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Science (M.Sc.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 semesters, 120 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Required English | B2 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 15.04 |
| Admission | Aptitude assessment: the university evaluates how well your previous education fits the programme |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €361.07 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
Admission goes through an aptitude assessment: the university checks how well the subjects, credits and grades of your previous education fit the programme. There is no fixed cut-off — the assessment is comparative.
- ✓People with a computer science background who want to specialise in dependable software and systems rather than general-purpose development.
- ✓Those drawn to problems where correctness and reliability matter more than speed of delivery, such as software behind vehicles, aircraft, medical devices or financial transactions.
- ✓Applicants who see themselves in industries with high demands on quality and trust, from automotive and aerospace to banking and insurance.
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- ✓Students who want a practice-relevant master's from a university of applied sciences, but who also want to keep a doctorate as a possible later step.
- ✓International students who want an English-taught computer science master's in Frankfurt, a major financial and business hub.
- —The requirement that most of the prior degree be in computer science excludes applicants from only loosely related fields. It is worth checking your transcript early.
- —Admission looks closely at the grade of your first degree. Applicants whose grades fall short of the main threshold are considered only if they show special qualification.
- —If your degree was awarded outside Germany, your grade will be compared to the German grading scale. Check how your result converts before you apply.
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- —Frankfurt is one of Germany's more expensive cities, especially for housing. Plan your budget accordingly.
- —The programme is oriented toward safety-critical and business-critical industries. It suits you best if you want to work on dependability-focused systems, not general software development.
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
High Integrity Systems is a computer science master's programme at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, run by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. It addresses a specific question: how do you build and run IT systems that must keep working correctly because people, assets or business operations depend on them?
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Two families of critical systems
The programme frames its subject around two kinds of application environment:
- Safety-critical systems, where a malfunction can endanger people or the environment. Examples are automotive and mechanical engineering, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and biomedical and medical technology.
- Business-process-critical systems, where an outage or error can cause severe financial or operational damage. Examples are banking and finance, insurance, media and television, and IT services.
Treating both families together gives the programme a clear profile. Students learn to think about dependability as a general engineering concern that applies across industries.
Who the programme builds on
The master's builds on a first degree that is already strongly computer-science based. Most of that prior degree must consist of computer science content. This lets the programme work at an advanced level instead of re-teaching basics.
Academic and applied orientation
The programme sits in an applied-sciences setting and is linked to industries in which reliability is a core requirement. It also keeps the academic route open: the master's is described as an advantage for those who later apply for doctoral studies.
Study setting
The programme is taught in English and studied full-time. Frankfurt is a major German financial and business centre, which is relevant for the business-critical side of the subject area. The programme is accredited.
This description does not reproduce a module-by-module curriculum. It reflects the programme's stated orientation: dependable, high-integrity IT systems for domains in which errors have serious consequences.
Career
Graduates can work in two groups of sectors:
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- Safety-critical areas: automotive and mechanical engineering, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and biomedical and medical technology.
- Business-process-critical areas: banking and finance, insurance, media and television, and IT services.
The degree is also regarded as an advantage when applying for a doctorate. No employment outcome is guaranteed.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Hesse), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €361.07 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | A completed university degree of at least 180 ECTS, of which at least 70% must be in computer science. |
|---|---|
| Language | English B2 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 15.04 |
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 via uni-assist until 15.04uni-assist checks documents for 4–6 weeks — send them well before the deadline.
- 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 15.04.2027 (176 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.