The part-time study options in our Master Informatics are not a distance learning (online) degree, nor an evening or weekend program.
It is an on-site degree program with limited workload per semester and resulting longer duration of study.
Apart from the full-time program, TUM CIT offers the Master Informatics in two part-time options with longer duration of study.
In this way, we enable students who may be restricted by family commitments, chronic illness or disability to undertake studies in our master´s degree program in Informatics.
Apart from the full-time (100%) option we offer two study options in part-time:
- Part-time in 66%
- Part-time in 50%
Before applying, consider carefully which study option fits yourself and your personal situation best.
The choice of study option determines the study progress requirements and the maximum amount of credits (ECTS-points) allowed per semester.
Please see the information on the overview page for the M. Sc. Informatics, in the paragraph “Application and Admission”.
Should you already be enrolled in the Master Informatics and wish to change the study option, please use the so-called switching window and see the information further down on this page, under “Switching between study options”.
Irrespective of the selected study option within the Master Informatics, the general regulations regarding tuition fees are applicable.
Within the part-time study options, the maximum amount of credits (ECTS-points) allowed per semester is
- 25 credits for the study option part-time with 66%
- 20 credits for the study option part-time with 50%
For comparison: The regular workload in the full-time study option is 30 credits.
Attention:
Please note that the maximum amount of credits stated above for the part-time options may not be surpassed. Should you register for so many exams that this limit is exceeded, the surplus cannot be counted towards your degree.
Do familiarize yourself with the rules laid down in your study and examination regulations!
Part-time students visit the regular courses and examinations and take responsibility for planning their study progress themselves.
The intended study plan must be submitted for approval each semester (see below).
Planning your study progress
Within the two part-time study options, we allow for a more flexible study progress compared to the full-time degree program. This is facilitated by a reduced workload per semester. Part-time students undertake less than the regular 30 credits (ECTS-points) per semester and thus have an increased standard duration of study (Regelstudienzeit).
| Study option | Standard duration of study | Credits/semester | Duration of Master’s Thesis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time 100 % | 4 semesters | ≥ 30 | max. 6 months |
| Part-time 66 % | 6 semesters | 20 - 25 | max. 9 months |
| Part-time 50 % | 8 semesters | 15 - 20 | max. 12 months |
Submission of your study plan
(The process may change from summer semester 2025 onwards. To be on the safe side, please check the information again at the beginning of the summer semester 2025.)
According to § 52 of the Examination and Academic Regulations (FPSO) of the Master´s program in Informatics, students are obligated to hand in a binding study plan each semester. Use the currently valid template for this purpose (see download area on this page) and send the study plan in pdf-format to your secretary of the examination board by e-mail: part-time-in.asa(at)xcit.tum.de.
- Deadline for submitting your study plan in the winter semester: 30. November
- Deadline for submitting your study plan in the summer semester: 30. May
Changes to your study plan after submission are only permissible after consultation and approval. Exams that do not comply with the approved study plan will be de-registered resp. will not be counted.
Please note:
The master´s thesis must and the IDP may be stretched over several semesters.
Regular module examinations
Students register themselves for the exams in TUMonline during the registration period. In case you encounter difficulties, please contact your secretary to the examination board (e.g. exam offered by another school and therefore no registration in TUMonline possible).
Interdisciplinary Project (IDP) and Master´s Thesis
The Interdisciplinary Project (IDP) and the Master`s Thesis are registered by students via the respective forms (see information on the relevant websites). The transfer of those registrations to TUMonline is undertaken by us at a later stage.
Please also note the following:
- The master´s thesis must and the IDP may be stretched over several semesters.
- The 16 credits for the IDP and the 30 credits for the master´s thesis will only be validated in TUMonline within the semester in which the module was passed.
- This means, there is no validation of proportions over several semesters for IDP and master´s thesis.
The study progress that needs to be achieved is governed by § 10 of the General Academic and Examination Regulations (APSO) and additionally by § 51 and § 55 of the Examination and Academic Regulations (FPSO) for the study options with 50 % and 66 % for the Master Informatics.
- Study progress monitoring governs by which time certain examinations or a minimum amount of credits (ECTS-points) need to be achieved.
- This then stipulates the maximum duration of study.
For the part-time study options, the study progress requirements are adjusted in comparison to the full-time study option. This leads to
- max. a doubling of the standard duration of study in the study option with 50 % and
- max. two semesters increase of the standard duration of study in the study option with 66 %
compared to the full-time option.
Study progress monitoring for the study option 50 %
| By the end of semester of study | Minimum amount of credits to be achieved |
|---|---|
| 3 | 15 |
| 4 | 30 |
| 5 | 45 |
| 6 | 60 |
| 7 | 75 |
| 8 | 90 |
| 10 | 120 |
Study progress monitoring for the study option 66 %
| By the end of semester of study | Minimum amount of credits to be achieved |
|---|---|
| 3 | 20 |
| 4 | 40 |
| 5 | 60 |
| 6 | 80 |
| 7 | 90 / 100 * |
| 8 | 120 |
* Students who started their studies in the Master Informatics study option 66 % before winter semester 2023/24, must have achieved 100 credits by the end of the 7. semester of study (Fachsemester).
Please take note of the following information:
- In case you ultimately failed the Master Informatics, switching between study options (e .g. full-time to part-time, part-time 50 % to part-time 66 %, or vice versa) is not possible anymore.
- Tuition fees for students from non-EU-countries:
- Switching between study options within the Master Informatics counts as a change of degree program with regards to tuition fees. When switching study options from winter semester 2024/25 onwards, please note the regulations regarding tuition fees for students from non-EU-countries.
Switching into another study option within the Master Informatics is generally possible.
Exception: During the processing time of the master´s thesis, switching between study options is not permitted.
Switching period:
In case of existing admission to resp. immatriculation in the Master Informatics, a change of the program into or from the part-time study options is possible within the week
- prior to 15. February for the following summer semester resp.
- prior to 15. August for the following winter semester
in addition to the regular application periods.
We kindly request students who are already enrolled or already admitted to use the switching window for a change of study option in the Master Informatics rather than the regular application periods.
Attention:
To switch between study options within the Master Informatics, it is required to submit a new application, albeit in a simplified version. Please see the Manual for switching between study options.
Please take note of the regulations regarding exemptions from social security contributions. You can find a useful overview (in German) on the website of the German Student´s Union (Deutsches Studierendenwerk).
The following applies to part-time master´s students (as of February 2025):
- Students who take up employment next to a part-time degree program which amounts to half or less than half of a full-time program, are subject to social security contributions.
- This means that only students with the study option part-time 66 % (or full-time 100 %) can be exempted from social security contributions.
This is only an indication on our part - please contact the relevant authorities or your employer.
After you study plan for the relevant semester was approved (see above, “Planning your studies”), you register for your module exams in TUMonline. To register for the IDP or master´s thesis, you need to follow the applicable process.
Should you encounter difficulties, please contact your secretary to the examination board.
No. Within the two part-time options, the maximum amount of credits per semester is governed by the Academic and Examination Regulations.
As part-time students have a longer duration of studies and adjusted deadlines for the study progress monitoring, the possibility to undertake the regular workload would constitute an unfair advantage over the other students.
Students from the part-time options are also free to complete additional modules. However, additional modules are not credited towards the curriculum and your study progress.
We strongly recommend to focus on the modules from your curriculum at first.
Yes. Due to the maximum amount of credits allowed per semester within the part-time options, the master´s thesis must and the IDP may be spread over several semesters. Please note that you need to indicate the credits for the master´s thesis and, if relevant, the IDP in your study plans pro rata for the semesters affected. The actual booking of the total credits in TUMonline will, however, only take place after the module was successfully passed.
The General Examination and Academic Regulations of TUM (APSO) and the subject-specific Examination and Academic Regulations (FPSO) for the Master Informatics are linked on the overview page for the Master Informatics in the paragraph “”During the degree program".