Intellectics: The Science of AI, M.A.
Intellectics: The Science of AI (M.A.) at the University of Hamburg is a research-oriented, fully English-taught master’s program that studies artificial intelligence from an interdisciplinary perspective combining computer science, philosophy, social sciences, and the humanities. The program connects AI foundations, modeling, planning, language, perception, ethics, and social mechanisms.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Arts (M.A.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 semesters, 120 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Required English | B2 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 31.03 |
| Admission | Admission restriction (NC): a competition of school grades |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €384 per semester |
| Campus | Campus der Uni Hamburg |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
The programme has an admission restriction: the average grade of your certificate, converted to the German scale, decides. The cut-off changes every year — last year's value shows the order of magnitude, not a promise.
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 program aims to provide students with a deep understanding of the foundations, approaches, methods, and results of the science of artificial intelligence. It is based on a humanistic educational principle and examines the interaction between humans and systems that can perform non-trivial tasks for them.
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The core perspective is the paradigm of the rational agent or agentic system. Students learn not only to critically analyze intelligent systems, but also to design new agents that are safe, trustworthy, robust, transparent, and explainable. At the same time, the program develops the ability to reflect on the social, ethical, and epistemic dimensions of AI.
What you study
The program comprises 120 ECTS and is structured over four semesters.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
The program prepares graduates for academic and advisory careers at the intersection of AI, computer science, philosophy, mathematics, sociology, and economics. The official program description explicitly mentions doctoral pathways as well as advisory roles in companies, commissions, and non-profit organizations for AI-related topics.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Hamburg), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €384 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | Applicants must hold a first university degree in a humanities subject or in computer science, mathematics, sociology, psychology, business administration, or economics, or in a comparable degree program. |
|---|---|
| Language | English B2 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 31.03 |
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 31.03Send 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 31.03.2027 (168 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.