APPENDIX 2: Aptitude Assessment
Aptitude Assessment for the Master’s Program in Informatics, part-time Master's Program in Informatics (50%) and part-time Master's Program in Informatics (66%) at the Technische Universität München.
1. Purpose of the Assessment
1Eligibility for the Master’s Program in Informatics, in addition to the requirements pursuant to § 36 (1) nos. 1 to 3, requires proof of aptitude pursuant to § 36 (1) no. 4 in accordance with the following provisions. 2The special qualifications and skills of the candidates should correspond to the Informatics profession. 3Individual aptitude parameters are:
1.1 ability to do research work and/or basic research and methodological work;
1.2 specialized knowledge from undergraduate studies in Informatics in accordance with the Bachelor's program in Informatics at the Technische Universität München;
1.3 ability to solve complex and difficult problems;
1.4 interest in solving problems for applications.
2. Aptitude Assessment Process
2.1 The aptitude test will be held twice a year by the Department of Informatics of the Technische Universität München.
2.2 1Applications for admission to the aptitude test including the documents set out in no. 2.3.1 up to and including 2.3.5 as well as § 36 (1) no. 2 must be filed online by 31 May for the winter semester and by 30 November for the summer semester to the Technische Universität München (absolute deadlines). 2Documentation pursuant to no. 2.3.1 up to 2.3.5 as well as § 36 (1) no. 2 which due to reasons beyond the appliant's control could not be filed within the deadline set out in sentence 1, may be filed later: for the winter semester by August 15th and for the summer semester by February 15th (absolute deadlines). 3In case of application for admission in a timely fashion pursuant to sentence 1 or in case of already declared admission to a Master's program of Informatics pursuant to no. 5.2.6 already at hand, a change of track from or to the part-time Master's programs in Informatics is possible during the week before 15 February for the summer semester resp. 15 August for the winter semester. 4Degree certificate and diploma as proof of Bachelor's degree obtained must be filed no later than five weeks after the beginning of lectures. 5Otherwise, pursuant to § 36 the enrollment to the Master's program is not yet possible.
2.3 The application must include:
2.3.1 a transcript of records containing modules of at least 120 credits, or resp. of two-thirds of the examinations necessary for the undergraduate degree in case of degrees not being subject to the "European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System" (ECTS); the transcript of records must be issued by the responsible examining authority or the responsible office of academic affairs;
2.3.2 a curriculum vitae formatted as a table;
2.3.3 a written statement of no more than 2 DIN A4 pages in German or English of the reasons for choosing the Informatics program at the Technische Universität München in which the applicant explains those specific abilities and interests that make him or her particularly qualified for the Informatics Master’s program at the Technische Universität München; a candidate's exceptional motivation and commitment can e.g. be demonstrated by details on program-related vocational training, practica, stays abroad, or program-related further education beyond the attendance and course requirements of the Bachelor's program, if necessary by appropiate documentation;
2.3.4 a written essay, in English or German, of approx. 1,000 words in length; the chairperson of the committee may provide one topic or a selection of several topics for this essay; the candidates must be informed of the topic(s) no later than 1 January resp. 1 September;
2.3.5 a declaration that both the statement of the reasons for choosing the program and the essay are the candidate’s own work, and that the candidate has clearly identified any ideas taken from outside sources.
3. Aptitude Assessment Committee
3.1 1The aptitude test is administered by a committee that, as a rule, consists of the Dean of Studies in charge of the Informatics Master’s program, at least two members of the professorial faculty and at least one member of the academic staff. 2At least half of the committee members must be members of the professorial faculty. 3A representative of the student body will be a part of the committee, in an advisory capacity.
3.2 1The members of the committee are appointed by the faculty council (Fakultätsrat) in consultation with the Dean of Studies. 2At least one member of the professorial faculty is appointed as deputy member of the committee. 3As a rule, the committee is chaired by the Dean of Studies. 4Procedural regulations will be in accordance with Art. 41 of the BayHSchG as last amended.
4. Admission to the Aptitude Assessment
4.1 Admission to the aptitude assessment requires that all documentation specified in no. 2.3 has been submitted in a timely and complete fashion.
4.2 Applicants who have fulfilled the requirements will be tested according to no. 5.
4.3 Applicants who are not admitted will receive a notification specifying the reasons and providing information on legal remedies.
5. The Aptitude Assessment Process
5.1 First stage of the Aptitude Assessment Process
5.1.1 1The committee will assess, on the basis of the written application documents required under no. 2.3, whether or not an applicant is suitable for a program pursuant to no.1 (First stage of the aptitude assessment process). 2For this purpose, the committee evaluates and grades the candidate's documentation on a scale ranging from 0 to 100, 0 being the worst and 100 the best possible result:
The following criteria will be applied to the evaluation:
1. Academic qualification
1The curricular analysis is not conducted in the form of a schematic comparison of the modules, but rather on the basis of competencies. 2It will encompass the fundamental subject groups of the Bachelor's program in Informatics at the Technische Universität München listed in the table below.
| Subject Group | Credits |
|---|---|
| Informatics Fundamentals (Introduction to Informatics, Programming, Computer Architecture, Software Engineering, Algorithms and Data Structures, Databases, Operating Systems and Systems Software, Computer Networks and Distributed Systems, Theory of Computation) | 71 |
| Mathematics Fundamentals (Discrete Structures, Linear Algebra, Calculus, Discrete Probability Theory) | 30 |
3Where a candidate's competencies are at least equivalent to those listed above, he or she will be awarded a maximum of 55 points. 4Missing competencies will be deducted in accordance with the credits of the corresponding modules of the Bachelor's program in Informatics at the Technische Universität München. 5There will be no negative points. 6Where a GRE or GATE test has to be submitted pursuant to § 36 (1) no. 3, it is assumed that, in case of successful demonstration, there are no substantial differences regarding the level of competencies demonstrated by the undergraduate degree compared to the reference criteria set out in 5.1.1 no. 1 sentence 2 and that the curricular analysis will be conducted according to the abovementioned criteria.
2. Final grade
1For each tenth of a grade that the average grade determined for the examinations amounting to 120 credits (resp. two-thirds of the examinations necessary for the undergraduate degree) is better than 3.0, the applicant will be awarded one point. 2The maximum number of points is 20. 3There will be no negative points. 4Where a degree was obtained outside of Germany, the grade will be converted according to what is referred to as "Bavarian Formula" (bayersiche Formel). 5If the applicant, at the time he or she files the application, submits a final degree certificate showing more than 120 credits, the assessment will be made on the basis of the modules that were awarded the best grades, up to 120 credits (resp. two-thirds of the examinations necessary for the undergraduate degree). 6The applicant must list them in the application and confirm the accuracy of the information presented in writing. 7The grade average is calculated from the graded module examinations up to 120 credits. 8The overall grade average will be calculated as the weighted grade average of the modules. 9The grade weights of the individual modules correspond to the credits assigned to each module. 10For the calculation of grade, one decimal place will be taken into account, all further decimal places will be dropped without rounding.
3. Letter of Motivation
1The applicant's written statement of purpose will be evaluated by two committee members and graded on a scale of 0 - 10 points. 2The motivation letter will be assessed using the following criteria:
1. Exceptional motivation and commitment: The applicant has relevant qualifications which exceed the knowledge and qualifications obtained at undergraduate level.
2. Interest: The applicant is able to illustrate the connection between personal interests and the content of the degree program and to provide convincing arguments and examples for showing his/her special motivation for the Master's degree program.
3The committee members assess each of both criteria independently. The criteria will be weighted equally. 4The points total will be calculated as the arithmetic means of the individual assessments, rounded up to the nearest full point.
4. Essay
1The applicant's written essay will be evaluated by two committee members and graded on a scale of 0 - 15 points. 2The essay will be assessed using the following criteria:
1. formal and coherent structure
2. complete and correct in content, coherent argumentation
3. academic foundation.
3The committee members assess each of the three criteria independently whereas the three criteria will be weighted equally. 4The points total will be calculated as the arithmetic means of the individual assessments, roundeed up to the nearest full point.
5.1.2 1The applicant’s points total is calculated as the sum of the individual points awarded. 2Decimal places must be rounded up.
5.1.3 1Applicants who have achieved at least 70 points will receive confirmation that they have passed the aptitude assessment test. 2In those cases where it was determined pursuant to § 36 (4) that only some subject-specific requirements from undergraduate studies are missing for the Master’s program, the committee may make admission subject to successful completion of Fundamentals Exams from the Bachelor’s program in Informatics (so-called Brückenkurse) in the amount of a maximum of 30 credits. 3These Fundamentals Exams must be taken in the first year of study. 4Failed Fundamentals Exams may be repeated only once at the next examination date. 5The examination board may make the admission to individual module examinations dependent on the successful completion of the Fundamentals Exams.
5.1.4 1Unsuitable applicants with a points total of fewer than 50 points will receive a rejection notice, signed by the TUM Board of Management and specifying the reasons for rejection and providing information on legal remedies. 2Signatory power may be delegated.
5.2 Second stage of the Aptitude Assessment Process
5.2.1 1The remaining applicants will be invited for an aptitude assessment interview. 2In the second stage of the aptitude assessment process, the applicant's qualification at undergraduate level and the result of the assessment interview will be evaluated, taking at least equal consideration of the qualification obtained at undergraduate level. 3In cases where the points set out in 5.1.3 sentence 1 have not been achieved, this will also apply to applicants whose admission is subject to the requirement stipulated in 5.1.3 sentence 2. 4Interview appointments will be announced at least one week in advance.5Possible time slots for interviews must be announced before expiration of the application deadline. 6 The interview appointment must be kept by the applicant. 7If the applicant is unable to attend an aptitude assessment interview due to reasons beyond his or her control, a later appointment may be scheduled upon an applicant’s well-grounded request, but no later than two weeks before the beginning of classes.
5.2.2 1The aptitude assessment interview is to be held individually for each applicant. 2The interview lasts at least 20 but not more than 30 minutes for each applicant. 3The interview will focus on the following topics:
1. Motivation for the Master's program in Informatics considering the under No. 5.1.1.3 listed criteria for the assessment of the letter of motivation.
2. Comprehension of the leading questions in Informatics (basic research and application-related questions from the subjects listed in 5.1.1.1 for assessment of the academic qualification).
3. Use of scientific terminology.
4The above topics may cover the documentation submitted pursuant to 2.3. 5Any subject-specific academic knowledge that is to be taught in the Master’s program in Informatics will not affect the decision. 6With the applicant’s approval, a representative of the student body may sit in on the interview. 7The interview will be conducted in English on the applicant's request.
5.2.3 1The aptitude assessment interview will be conducted by at least two members of the committee. 2The committee members will grade each of the three topics set out in no. 5.2.2 independently, each with the same weighting. 3Each member will grade the result of the interview on a scale from 0 to 45, 0 being the worst and 45 being the best possible result. 4The points total will be calculated as the arithmetic means of the the individual points. 5The result will be rounded up to the nearest full point.
5.2.4 1The applicant’s points total in the second stage will be calculated as the sum of all points obtained under 5.2.3 and the points under 5.1.1.1 (academic qualification) and 5.1.1.2 (grade). 2Applicants with 70 or more points will be deemed suitable.
5.2.5 1The applicant will be notified of the result of the aptitude test determined by the committee in writing - where applicable, subject to the requirements determined in stage 1, 5.1.3 sentence 2. 2The notice must be signed by the TUM Board of Management. 3Signatory power may be delegated. 4A rejection notice must specify the reasons for the rejection and provide information on legal remedies.
5.2.6 Admissions to the Master’s program in Informatics shall apply to all subsequent applications for this program.
6. Record
1The aptitude assessment process must be documented, including the date, duration and location of the assessment, the names of the committee members, the applicant’s name, the decision of the members of the committee as well as the complete results. 2This record must contain the essential reasons for the decision and the topics discussed at the interview held with the applicants; these reasons and topics may be recorded in note form.