Global Software Development (Master)

• You are aiming for a career as a software developer.
• You would like to work in international teams.
• You are interested in the design and realisation of complex distributed software systems.

The first two semesters comprise modules in the areas of infrastructure, programming, technologies, methods and application (in intercultural teams). The third and fourth semesters are intended for the completion of the Master's thesis and participation in a seminar focussing on intercultural topics.

A period abroad is compulsory for students with a first degree from Germany who have not yet completed a period abroad.
In the three-semester programme variant, the semester abroad can be completed in the second semester, in the four-semester programme also in the third or alternatively an internship abroad in the third semester.

Students with a foreign first degree can choose between a 20-week internship in Germany, German language courses and attendance of other courses totalling 30 ECTS in the four-semester study option.

Practical training

The programme offers modules in the areas of infrastructure, programming, technology, methods and applications (in intercultural teams). Great emphasis is placed on practical training with numerous internships in our computer labs as well as project and group work.

In the third and fourth semesters, students write their Master's thesis and attend a Master's seminar and a seminar on intercultural topics.

The programme places great emphasis on cooperation between German and international students. Students present their work in written and oral form, both individually and in groups, in order to develop their communication and presentation skills.

You can choose from the following compulsory elective modules:

• Advanced Big Data
• Cryptography - Theory and Applications
• Intercultural Project Management
• Research Project
• Software Development Project
• Special Topic of Global Software Development
• User Centred Development

• Completion of a degree programme in computer science or a computer science-related subject at a German university or comparable foreign university. The scope of this degree programme must be at least 180 or 210 credits by German standards, i.e. applicants with a foreign degree must provide evidence of a degree equivalent to a German degree programme of at least three years or three and a half years.
• The grade point average must be 2.5 or better.
• Successful proof of academic aptitude is provided by the department as part of an aptitude test.
• Qualified English language skills, which are usually proven by a TOEFL test (computer-based at least 213 points, paper-based at least 550 points, internet-based at least 85 points). Alternatively, an IELTS test with a score of band 6.5 or higher is also accepted. Applicants who have not obtained their higher education entrance qualification at a German-speaking institution must provide proof of qualified German language skills at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, usually in the form of a Goethe-Zertifikat A1, telc-Zertifikat A1, ÖSD-Zertifikat A1 or ECL-Zertifikat A1. Alternatively, the language certificates DSH1 or TestDaF at least TDN 3 are also accepted.

Winter semester
German/EU/EEA nationals with a foreign first degree: 1 March to 30 September
All other nationals with a foreign first degree: 1 March to 31 May
All applicants with a German first degree: 15 April to 30 September
 

Summer semester
German/EU/EEA nationals with a foreign first degree: 15 October to 31 March
All other nationals with a foreign first degree: 15 October to 1 December
All applicants with a German first degree: 1 November to 31 March