Information and Communication Technology

The degree course places a firm emphasis on real-world application and features a number of advantages for you as a student:

• A quarter of the time across almost all taught modules is reserved for lab practicals
• Students undertake two required projects tackling issues analogous to those found in real-life industrial settings – sometimes businesses propose projects to us
• Projects and labs make use of up-to-the-minute measurement technology and software in widespread use in industrial environments
• Students do their Master's theses on topics related to real R&D projects taking place in the Department of Information and Electrical Engineering

This degree course is designed for those who hold a Bachelor’s or Diplom (or non-German equivalent) degree in electrical or information engineering or IT/computer science.

You will be expected to have the following knowledge and skills:

• Programming in ANSI C
• Signal and system theory (analogue and discrete time)
• Electrical engineering (basic knowledge)
• Matlab/Simulink (basic knowledge)  
• There is an introductory course in the final point listed above in the week before the teaching period commences. All students without prior knowledge of these areas are expected to attend. Please pre-register with Prof. Vollmer after submitting your application: juergen.vollmer(@)haw-hamburg.de

The in-depth expertise you will acquire during this Master’s degree will open up career prospects for you in development and planning roles in businesses of all sizes, enabling you to hit the ground running wherever you land – be it in industrial (e.g. automation technology) or non-industrial settings (such as management consultancies and other areas relying heavily on communications technology). Qualified specialists are in particular demand in SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), which need expertise in state-of-the-art development tools and methodologies in order to cope with the increasing complexity of products and systems and remain efficient, relevant and competitive.

The modules taught in this degree course take an in-depth look at various aspects of information and communications technology, including communications networks, mobile communications, digital signal processing, high-frequency and microwave technology, and distributed applications such as smart homes and smart grids.

One of the distinctive features of this degree course is its significant focus on applying the content taught in team projects and lab practicals, which take up approximately 40 per cent of the teaching time devoted to required modules. A core component of this work is the practical implementation of algorithms from digital signal processing with the aim of solving problems in communications engineering.

The third and final semester of the degree course is dedicated to the Master’s project, which centres around a task usually set from within the department and related to R&D projects in progress there; this enables you to take part in an active research project while demonstrating your capacity for independent scientific work.

This Master’s degree course is run in cooperation with the Master’s degree course in Microelectronic Systems (MES), also in the department.

Essential:

• A completed Bachelor’s, Diplom or equivalent degree in electrical or information engineering, IT and/or computer science, or media technology (with an appropriate specialism), worth at least 210 credit points 
• Diploma Supplement/Transcript of Records
• If your first degree was worth fewer than 210 credit points, or did not include a mandatory practical semester, you will need to submit proof of having completed a semester (or at least 22 weeks) of relevant practical or professional experience.
• International applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in the German language at level C1 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) or above via a recognised language test, which should be one of the following: Goethe Institute C1, TestDaF 4, telc C1 Hochschule, DSH2, Deutsches Sprachdiplom issued by the KMK (Kultusministerkonferenz), or Kleines or Großes Sprachdiplom issued by the Goethe Institute.

Submitting additional documents increases your chances of being selected:

• Letter of motivation
• CV
• Documentation of any previous relevant professional/work experience (e.g. written reference from your employer)
• A letter of recommendation

N.B.: Applicants whose Bachelor’s degrees are equivalent to 180 credit points are required to attain a further 30 credit points in order to enrol fully in this Master’s degree course. The department will tell you in a one-to-one advisory session which courses and examinations you will be required to undertake. If this applies to you and your application is successful, you will be enrolled for an initial fixed period of one semester in order to attain the required credit points. Your application for full enrolment will be considered at the end of this semester. You must prove you have completed the required credit points before you will be permitted to register your topic for your Master's thesis.

Applicants whose first degrees were in other subjects may be required to acquire specific knowledge or skills by taking modules from Bachelor’s degree courses. Our point of contact for subject-related queries (see below) will be happy to give you advice. Please feel free to contact him before you apply.