Informatics

You have to apply for the Master's degree via TUMonline. After you have created your account in TUMonline, enter personal data and information about your education, and upload the required documents. The application is done completely electronically.

Prospective students with a Bachelor's degree from outside Germany have to request a preliminary examination documentation from uni-assist (VPD) in advance.

Only in case of admission, you will have to submit some additional documents as certified copies for the enrollment.

Application for a Master's program - step by step

The following documents have to be submitted for the application (the required documents may vary depending on the applicant):

• A statement of reasons explaining why you have chosen this master’s program and TUM specifically (max. 2 pages)
• Your CV/résumé
• A scientific essay of approx. 1,000 words on a specified topic (see below)
• Form "Analysis of the Curriculum" (see below)
• Bachelor's degree certificate, including a list of courses and grades OR an official transcript of records. Documents not issued in German or English must be translated and notarized by a sworn translator.
• Curriculum (module descriptions, course catalog or syllabus) of the underlying university degree; this document is very important for the check of the academic qualification!
• Proof of your English language proficiency
• GRE or Gate score for applicants with a B.Sc. degree from Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Pakistan (original scorecard or have the score transmitted directly via ETS)
• Preliminary documentation from uni-assist for all applicants with a Bachelor's degree from outside Germany
• APS certificate for applicants with a Bachelor's from China, Vietnam or India
• Certificates from professional training or additional qualifications related to the program (e.g. participation in research competitions, internships, etc.) (not mandatory)
• A passport photo
• A copy of your passport

International applicants:

Attention: If you did not obtain your Bachelor's degree in Germany, you have to upload a preliminary documentation from uni-assist (VPD). More information on Preliminary Documentation (VPD) by uni-assist.

Please do check the requirements for Notarization, especially for translations!
Special requirements for documents apply for certain countries.

The admission office checks if your uploaded documents are complete and correct. When this is the case, the department can access your application and forward it to the admission committee. The admission committee will decide whether your application is admitted, rejected or processed to the second stage of the aptitude assessment.

Students from Non-EU countries:

At the Technical University of Munich (TUM), tuition fees are charged for international students from third countries who newly enroll in a degree program starting in the winter semester of 2024/25.

Preliminary documentation from uni-assist (VPD)

Applicants who did not obtain their qualification for postgraduate studies (usually a bachelor's degree) in Germany must apply for a preliminary documentation (VPD) from uni-assist, additionally to the TUM application.

What documents must be submitted to uni-assist?

• Filled-in application form for VPD (see Downloads)
• a copy of your degree certificate (if available)
• a copy of your transcript of records
• a translation, given that the original documents have not been issued in either German or English
• if necessary: Certificate of the German Evaluation Center (APS)

You don't have to submit an entire application for a specific program to uni-assist, you only have to apply for the general preliminary documentation (VPD).

An application for a VPD via uni-assist alone does not qualify as an application for a degree program at TUM.

GRE and GATE

Applicants with a Degree from Bangladesh, China, India, Iran or Pakistan have to submit a GRE (General) Test. We have defined required minimum scores, lower scores will not be accepted!

The required scores are:
Verbal reasoning: (will not be taken into account anymore)
Quantitative reasoning: 164
Analytical writing: 4.0
The Institution Code: 7806, Department: 5199 ("all other departments").

Alternatively, students can submit a scorecard of the Indian GATE test (Computer Science; for M.Sc. CSE the Mechanical Engineering Test will also be accepted). The minimal qualifying score of the respective year is necessary.

Certificate from the German Evaluation Center (Akademischen Prüfstelle, APS)

Applicants with an undergraduate degree from China, India and Vietnam have to submit a certificate from the German Evaluation Center (APS).

Before filling the form for the analysis of curriculum, you have to do and safe(!) your application in TUMonline in order to get your applicant number.

Please fill in the form for the analysis of curriculum under the following link. Then, upload the generated PDF in your application in TUMonline.

CAUTION: only completed modules/courses can be entered in the form! Modules/Courses which have not been completed yet are not allowed to be indicated!

Link to the form: https://apply.db.in.tum.de/

The scientific essay / paper, submitted along with the online application, should be approximately 1,000 words in length and must be written in English.
Your scientific paper / essay has to introduce the topic, discuss it, and lead to a logical conclusion. Please use relevant data and scientific literature to support your argumentation. Ideas that are not your own must be identified as such! The term "essay" can be misleading - we require a scientific paper with proper citation! Your sources of information must be listed at the end. The essay must be your own work and you have to write it without any assistance. We reserve the right to check the essay for authorship of the applicant and the use of unauthorized tools.

You have to choose one of the following topics:

Topic 1:
The role of Artificial Intelligence in future technology

Topic 2:
The influence of social networks on human society

Topic 3:
The characteristics of Big Data platforms and their importance for data exploration

Topic 4: 
Can computers think?

Topic 5: 
The importance of digitalization

The statement of reasons, submitted along with the online application, should not be longer than two DIN-A4 pages and must be written in English.
In your statement of reasons, you should explain your specific qualification and exceptional commitment for this particular Master's program. This may include demonstration of qualifications which exceed the knowledge and qualifications obtained at undergraduate degree level, e.g. program-related vocational training, internships, stays abroad, research papers etc. You should make clear the connection between your specific qualifications and the contents of the program.
The statement of reasons must be your own work and you have to write it without any assistance. We reserve the right to check the essay for authorship of the applicant and the use of unauthorized tools.

The written test takes 90 minutes and includes approx. 20-30 questions (in English). The content of the test is based on the contents of the B.Sc. Informatics and includes the following topics:

a) General Foundations (max. 12 points):
Ability of abstract, logical and system-oriented thinking and of formalizing approaches to solutions.

b) Mathematical Foundations (max. 13 points):
Knowledge from undergraduate studies in the areas of Stochastics, Combinatorics, Calculus, Linear Algebra, Numerical Programming.

c) Foundations in Theory of Computation (max. 13 points):
Knowledge from undergraduate studies in the areas of Automata Theory, Complexity Theory, Algorithms and Data Structures, Verification.

d) Practical Foundations of Informatics (max. 13 points):
Knowledge from undergraduate studies in the areas of Databases, Computer Architecture, Programming in Java.

If you are invited to the test, we will send you well in advance an email with detailed information about procedure, schedule and arrival.

Sample test and instructions

Online application and submission of required documents
For the winter semester: 
February 1 – March 31: recommended application deadline for applicants who need a visa 
February 1 – May 31: compulsory application deadline

For the summer semester:
September 1 – October 31: recommended application for applicants who need a visa 
September 1 - November 30: compulsory application deadline

No submission of missing application documents after the official application deadline!

Time frame for test on campus:
Application for winter semester: July-September
Application for summer semester: January-March

Test date application period winter semester 2025/26: Thursday, 21 August 2025

Start of program (lecture period)
Winter semester: October
Summer semester: April

Check here for exact dates: Academic Calendar TUM

In the electives area, 53 credits must be earned. You will select one specialization area with at least 18 credits and two supplementary areas with at least 8 credits each from the specializations offered. You may take an additional 9 credits in any subject areas. Excess credits in the three chosen subject areas automatically count towards the "free elective".

Theory modules: at least 10 credits from "Theory" modules must be earned. The "Theory" modules can be found in the study tree in the respective subject area under Theory. These modules can also be assigned to different subject areas and do not have to be in the focus area or one of the other two subject areas.

For the remaining 10 credits, choose one of the following profiles:

• Research: the guided research module will be taken.
• Practice: a second Master's practical course is completed. 
• Practice in depth: An Advanced Master's practical course will be completed.
• Fundamentals: The total remaining credits are earned through elective modules from any subject area

Special regulations for individual modules

In the area "Machine Learning and Data Analysis" only one of the following three modules can be counted towards your degree:
IN2028 Business Analytics and Machine Learning
IN2339 Data Analysis and Visualization in R
IN2030 Data Mining und Knowledge Discovery

In the area "Machine Learning and Data Analysis" only one of the following two modules can be counted towards your degree:
IN2064 Machine Learning
IN2332 Statistical Modeling and Machine Learning

In the area "Formal Methods and their Application" only one of the following two modules can be counted towards your degree:
IN2048 Equational Logic and Lambda Calculus
IN2358 Lambda Calculus

In the area "Computer Graphics and Vision" only one of the following three modules can be counted towards your degree:
IN2364 Advanced Deep Learning for Computer Vision
IN2389 Advanced Deep Learning for Computer Vision: Dynamic Vision
IN2390 Advanced Deep Learning for Computer Vision: Visual Computing

In the Guided Research module, you will learn basic skills to conduct independent research. You will do this by working on a research question under supervision.

• Registration (via CIT portal, see below) in the first week of the lecture period of each semester with the examination board
• Achievements to be made:
  • Successful completion of the work
  • Regular attendance of the contact appointments
  • Presenting the results in a presentation (at the chair or at a scientific event)
  • Submission of a concise scientific report (8-12 pages in English)
• Submission at the latest at the beginning of the following semester: The results report must be submitted to the supervisor at the latest in the first week of lectures of the following semester, the evaluation at the latest in the 5th week of lectures of the following semester. The assessment must take place in the fifth week of the following semester at the latest.

Please send grade reports for WiSe 24/25 via e-mail to grades-in.asa(at)xcit.tum.de with the following information by the grade deadline for WiSe 24/25 on 09.05.2025:

• Name of the student
• Matriculation number
• Title of the project

Alternatively, you can scan the grade requirements and send them to grades-in.asa(at)xcit.tum.de.

From summer semester 2025, registration will be carried out via the CIT portal by the supervising professor of your research work.

Students will receive an automatically generated email via the CIT portal with the request to confirm the registration of the research work under guidance. Only after students have confirmed the registration can the admission requirements be checked by the Academic and Student Affairs Office (ASA) and students will receive an automatically generated e-mail via the CIT portal about the binding registration for the research work. The research paper is transferred to TUMonline together with the grade report at the end of the processing period.

Functions for students in the CIT portal:

• You can log in to the CIT portal with your TUM ID
• You will receive an overview of the status of your research paper.
• The research paper is submitted directly to the supervising professor and not via the CIT portal.
• Your supervising professor will report the grades via the CIT portal and the ASA staff will then transfer them to TUMonline.

The Interdisciplinary Project (IDP) involves a practical activity in the field of an application subject and builds a bridge from computer science to the application subject. It can build on previous knowledge in an application subject from the undergraduate degree.

For detailed information on examinations, please check the website Exams Informatics.

The General Examination and Study Regulations (APSO) of TUM and the respective Subject specific Examination and Study Regulations (FPSO) apply to all students.

Fünfte Satzung zur Änderung der FPSO vom 19.08.2024 (German only)
valid for all students starting their studies in summer semester 2025 or later

Vierte Satzung zur Änderung der FPSO vom 09.08.2023 (German only)
valid for all students starting their studies in winter semester 2023/24 or later

Dritte Satzung zur Änderung der FPSO vom 14.12.2022 (German only)
valid for all students starting their studies in winter semester 2023/24 or later

FPSO vom 15. Oktober 2018, in der Fassung vom 27. Januar 2022: (German only)
valid for all students starting their studies in winter semester 2022/23 or later but before winter semester 2023/24

FPSO vom 15. Oktober 2018: (German only)
valid for all students starting their studies in winter semester 2018/19 or later but before winter semester 2022/23

FPSO vom 29. Oktober 2013, in der Fassung vom 7. Februar 2018: (German only)
valid for all students starting their studies in winter semester 2016/17 or later but before winter semester 2018/19

FPSO vom 29. Oktober 2013: (German only)
valid for all students starting their studies in winter semester 2013/44 or later but before winter semester 2016/17

To complete a master's degree, students have to write a scientific paper: the master's thesis. You have six months to do this. Different deadlines apply to part-time students. Everything you need to know from planning to submission can be found at Thesis.