Program Structure
In order to complete the Master's degree program in Human-Centered Intelligent Systems, students must obtain a total/minimum of 120 ECTS by fulfilling subject area requirements, completing the compulsory modules and finally the Master's thesis.
Study plan | Semester | CP |
Compulsory area: Compulsory modules | ||
| Introduction to Learning Systems and Data Science | 1. Semester | 6 |
| Designing Interactive Systems I | 1. Semester | 6 |
12 | ||
Compulsory elective area: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning | ||
At least 2 compulsory elective modules | 1.-3. Semester | each 4, 6 or 8 |
min. 12 | ||
Compulsory elective area: Human-Centered and Interactive Technologies | ||
At least 2 compulsory elective modules | 1.-3. Semester | each 4, 6 or 8 |
min. 12 | ||
Compulsory elective area: Use and Societal Impact | ||
At least 2 compulsory elective modules | 1.-3. Semester | each 4, 6 or 8 |
min. 8 | ||
Elective area: Computer Science Electives | ||
Max. 2 elective modules | 1.-3. Semester | each 4, 6 or 8 |
0 – 12 | ||
Compulsory elective area: Labs, Seminar and German Language Course | ||
Fraunhofer lab | 2.-3. Semester | 9 |
Second lab(1) | 2.-3. Semester | 7 or 9 |
Seminar | 2.-3. Semester | 4 |
German course (or additional seminar(2)) | 2.-3. Semester | 4 |
24 – 26 | ||
Master's thesis | ||
Master's thesis | 4. Semester | 30 |
30 | ||
Total | 120 |
Notes:
(1) The second lab can be chosen either from the courses offered by the Department of Computer Science at RWTH Aachen University or from the courses offered by the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bonn. If the workload permits, the second lab may also be another Fraunhofer lab.
(2) Students who have acquired their study qualification at a German-speaking institution or who have German as their mother tongue must complete an additional seminar instead of the German course.
Seminars
Seminars introduce students to academic research and writing and allow students to learn more about a specific area or current research topics. Students must complete one mandatory seminar with 4 CP.
Students can choose from a broad variety of seminars offered by the many chairs and research groups of the Computer Science department of RWTH Aachen University or University of Bonn.
While seminar selection at RWTH Aachen University is centralized and offered in January/June every year for the upcoming summer/winter semester, seminars at University of Bonn are assigned via individual registrations in the beginning of the respective semester.
Seminar selection
Students must make sure to not miss the seminar and lab selection deadline at RWTH Aachen University (usually around January for the following summer term and around June for the following winter term). For seminars and labs at University of Bonn, please check the BASIS system and contact the instructors.
Lab courses
Lab courses give students the opportunity to conduct a project as a team over a few months. As part of the program, students are required to complete two mandatory lab courses:
- Fraunhofer Lab (10 CP)
- Second Lab (7 to 9 CP)
Students can choose from a broad variety of lab courses offered by the many chairs and research groups of the Computer Science department. Each lab course has a different topic and a different focus (from research-oriented to applied computer science) and some of the lab courses are conducted in cooperation with industry partners.
Lab course selection
Students must make sure to not miss the seminar and lab selection deadline at RWTH Aachen University (usually around January for the following summer term and around June for the following winter term). For labs at University of Bonn, please check the BASIS system and contact the instructors.
Fraunhofer Lab Distribution
Please note that Fraunhofer lab courses are offered every semester and registration procedure starts in May/November of the previous semesters via the HCIS mailing list.
German course / additional seminar
The mandatory German course enables international students to learn the German language. Students with no prior knowledge do an entry-level German course. Students that already have learned some German can do a higher-level German course. The German courses are offered by RWTH Aachen University’s or University of Bonn’s language center and the mandatory German course is free of charge. The students must pass a German course providing 4 CP, which is a 4-hours-per-week course at the language center.
German-proficient students can choose an additional seminar instead of the German course. Students are considered as German-proficient if they either have German as native language or can provide a proof of sufficient German proficiency. Accepted German proficiency proofs are
- „Deutsch (ZD)“ certificate with minimum grade „gut“ (good);
- „Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache“ (TestDAF) certificate with a niveau level of 3 in all examined areas; and
- „Goethe“ certificate with level of at least B2.