Autonomous Systems

FAQs

About the programm

“Focused”: yes; “only”: no. We deal with *ALL* aspects necessary to build, program, operate, design and deploy robots. So, we cover some aspects of embedded systems, machine learning (as a facet which is good to have in a robot), localization and navigation (needed for GPS-based devices), neural networks, sensing (especially vision), risk estimation and many other topics. Yet,  *MOST* of our examples and exercises are centered on application scenarios from robotics, such as in RoboCup: designing a filter that is able to detect the whistle of a referee reliably.

About the university

Yes, the university offers free German language courses to all enrolled students. Classes at several levels are provided each semester. Once admitted, you will be asked if you wish to participate in the classes and what your current level of German is.

The university and the program do not offer scholarships, however, you should check the DAAD website for funding opportunities.

 

The program is very demanding and you will find that you need most of your time to study and keep up with the course and project work. Opportunities for student jobs at the university are limited and are generally offered to excellent students in their second semester. There are strict laws in Germany governing a student’s ability to work and the time that may be invested in this. Be sure to familiarize yourself with them so as not to risk losing your “student status”.

About the admission process

No you do not. Your application form itself serves as the request for internship.

Yes, you can apply for the course even if you speak no German. For your university life it is not necessary to speak German. You may want to take *SOME* courses in order to better understand and appreciate the local culture. You can take advantage of the free German courses offered to international students of the university.

If you are admitted, you will receive an e-mail informing you that you were admitted, and the welcome pack will be attached. This will be followed by a post package with your formal acceptance letter and other important information on the program. All applicants will receive notification of their status at most four months after the application deadline. We realize that waiting is very difficult; however, we request that you do not call or email our offices to inquire about the status of your application.

Yes, this is occasionally the case. You will be notified as soon as the decision has been made.

You can defer admission by one semester only (and only to the following semester). You have to re-apply for the following semester in the announced period and email the registrar’s office to let them know that you were previously admitted and have uploaded the new application for the following semester.

Your admission letter may state that you would be required to take additional course work which may total a certain number of credits. You may not obtain “course credit” towards your degree with these courses.

The living expense per month for college students in Germany will be about Euro 854. It includes housing rent (student dormitory), meals, medical insurance, books, stationary, living articles and others. This sum does not include the fees which are around 294.70 Euros per semester.

If the number of qualified students exceeds the available number of internship seats for a given semester, it may be necessary to reject applicants. If you are still interested, you may re-apply for the following semester. However, a place is still not guaranteed.

Requirements for Admission

For admission to the program, a professional academic degree (Bachelor or equivalent) is required in the areas of computer science, mathematics, natural sciences, or engineering.

For your application to be reviewed by the Admissions Committee, a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or less on the German grading scale (1=excellent to 5=fail) is necessary. Grades from other countries are converted to the German equivilant by applying the “Bavarian formula”. You can check if your GPA meets this criterion by performing the conversion yourself:

  • NMax is maximum possible grade of your university’s grading system
  • NMin is lowest passing grade of your university’s grading system
  • Nd is your GPA which needs to be mapped to the German grading scale

Your German-equivilant GPA = 1 + (3*((Nmax-Nd)/(NMax-NMin)))

For example, if NMax = 100, NMin = 60 and Nd = 78.2, then the equivilant score on the German scale is equal to 1 + (3*((100-78.2)/(100-60))) which evaluates to 2.635. As the GPA in this example is greater than 2.5, it would not meet the given criterion.

Another requirement is sufficient knowledge of concepts, methods and tools in the field of computer science. Such knowledge is usually acquired in a four-year computer-science course with at least 65% computer-science content. Program applicants who have already graduated from a first level degree course in mathematical/scientific subjects or engineering can be admitted to the program provided that the course had a computer-science content of, as a rule, at least 50%. They must also perform additional assignments, to be specified on an individual basis, worth up to 30 ECTS credits.

Admission is based solely on credentials and academic excellence.

Language Proficiency

As the program is taught entirely in English, the TOEFL, IELTS or the Cambridge Certificate for English language proficiency is required for all candidates who meet any of the following criteria:

  • Candidates who do not have English as the de facto language in their country (i.e. countries other Australia, Bahamas, Canada, New Zealand, UK, and USA)
  • Citizens of Australia, Bahamas, Canada, New Zealand, UK, and USA whose first language is not English (i.e. those who have lived in countries other than those mentioned here and who have not obtained a school diploma which conforms to one of the national certificates of these countries – e.g. High school diploma, IB diploma, A-levels and so on).

Exemptions are granted to applicants who meet any of the following criteria:

  • Candidates who have earned a bachelor’s degree from universities in Australia, Bahamas, Canada, New Zealand, UK, and US
  • Candidates who have earned degrees from English-language degree programs in Germany

The minimum required language skill level is upper B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. This currently corresponds to a TOEFL score of 88 or higher for the internet-based test, and to an IELTS score of 6.5. Scores must be submitted from a test taken within the last 24 months. The TOEFL code for the university is 7977 (“Fachhochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg”). No German language skills are required for the programme.