Application
Information für Bewerber mit einem Bachelor-Abschluss der Universität Bonn
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How to apply
The master of science in cybersecurity at University of Bonn is a research-oriented degree requiring talent and ambition. It brings our students to the forefront of knowledge in one of the major fields of computer science. Our students are selected by a committee of four professors based on the evaluation of their academic record, recommendations and (possibly) an additional interview.
If you are interested in applying to the master's program in cybersecurity, we kindly ask you to read the information on our application requirements carefully. It is absolutely necessary to send us all required documents via the Online Application Form. If you anticipate any problem in this respect, please get in touch with us immediately. Please note: do not send us copies of your documents by email or hard copies by mail. We only accept applications sent to us via the Online Application Form.
Admission requirements
- good to very good TOEFL or IELTS result
- very good bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science or a related field from an internationally high ranked university
- a final transcript that proves that you have covered:
- at least 24 ECTS credit points in IT security
- at least 18 ECTS credit points in mathematics
- at least 9 ECTS credit points in theoretical computer science
- at least 18 ECTS credit points in programming, software technology, information systems
- at least 10 ECTS credit points for your bachelor's thesis
Am I eligible?
We strongly advise all prospective students to learn about our eligibility criteria before applying.
The Cybersecurity programme has very few places and must apply the eligibility criteria strictly. Please check your qualifications carefully before you apply. Out of those who are qualified, we can select at most ten candidates per semester.
Application deadlines
Application periods depend on your nationality. For the summer semester 2024, there are two application periods:
- The first application period starts on 1 October 2023 ends on 1 November 2023. It is open to nationals of countries outside of the EU and the EFTA .
- The second application period starts on 1 December 2023 and ends on 15 January 2024. This application period is open only to nationals of EU/EFTA member states.
If you obtained a German Abitur, a European Baccalaureate, or a German Bachelor's degree, you should apply as if you were a national of an EU/EFTA member state.
If you are not a national of an EU/EFTA member state yourself, but you live in Germany and a close family member is a national of an EU/EFTA member state, please contact [Email protection active, please enable JavaScript.] to ask whether you can apply as if you were a national of an EU/EFTA member state yourself.
All applications will be processed within six weeks after the deadline of the respective application period. The decision will be communicated through the online application portal. Please wait for this decision. Queries on the status of your application will not be answered.
Applicants who need a visa or a certificate or authenticity
If you need a visa to enter Germany and take up studies here, please inquire about the waiting times for visa appointments. After you receive your letter of acceptance from the university, there are only three months left until the start of the semester. In many countries (particulary Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan), this is not enough to get your visa. Therefore, to be able to take up your studies with us, you must apply for a visa before you apply to the Cybersecurity programme and before you know whether you will be admitted.
If you cannot accept your place in the Cybersecurity programme because you get your visa late, we cannot promise that you will be admitted if you arrive in the next semester. You would have to apply again.
If you have completed your previous education in China, India or Vietnam, you will need a Certificate of Authenticity (Echtheitsbestätigung) of your documents issued by the Academic Acknowledgement Bureau in Beijing (Akademische Prüfstelle in Peking), New Delhi (Akademische Prüfstelle in Neu-Delhi) or Hanoi (Akademische Prüfstelle, Deutsche Botschaft Hanoi). Please see the German embassies' websites for details: Deutsche Botschaft Peking, Deutsche Botschaft Neu-Delhi or Deutsche Botschaft Hanoi. You do not need to submit the certificate with your application to our programme, but you will need the certificate to get a visa, and, if you are accepted, you will need the certificate to enroll.
Documents to be submitted
In order to be considered for admission to our programme, please make sure to submit all of the following documents via the Online Application Form:
Mandatory documents (in English, French or German):
- Bachelor certificate (current Bachelor students, please see comment below)
- Transcript of records (official university transcript in English, French or German - please see comment below)
- Bachelor thesis
- TOEFL or IELTS result (please see comment below)
- Statement of purpose/motivation letter
- Curriculum Vitae
- Name and address of two referees (email and physical address, a template is given on the application form)
Only complete applications will be considered.
Applications missing one or more of the mandatory documents listed above will be rejected.
Only applications submitted via our Online Application Portal will be considered.
The student registry and the computer science department generally accept documents in English, French and German. To enroll, you will need to provide original documents in one of these languages, or original documents in another language together with a certified translation into English, French or German. In the application process, we also accept certificates and transcripts (but not letters) in Afrikaans, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. However, if you are accepted, you will still need to provide translations into English, French or German to enroll.
Bachelor's thesis and certificate
In the application system, you must upload the final report of your Bachelor's graduation project in the original language.
If your report contains fewer than 300 lines of text (not code) per author, your application will not be considered.
If the original report is not written in English, French or German, you should also provide a summary in English, written by yourself (no official translation). The summary should at least include the title page, define the scientific research questions your strive to answer and discuss relevant literature.
In case you have not yet finished your graduation project before the application deadline expires and you are doing the graduation project by yourself (without fellow students), you may apply without the final report but you must upload a summary.
In case you have not yet received your Bachelor's certificate before the applciation deadline expires, you can apply without the certificate. Please note that the final bachelor's certificate need to be handed in within the first semester of your studies. Otherwise, you will be automatically exmatriculated.
Transcript of Records
We only accept official transcripts of records from the university you graduated from in English, French or German. Please make sure that your official bachelor's transcript either shows credit points according to the ECTS credit point system or else attach a diploma supplement that explains the credit point system of your university.
TOEFL/IELTS
Handing in a TOEFL or IELTS result is mandatory for all applicants. Applications without either test result will be rejected. Exempt from this rule are:
Applicants who had English classes in school in the EU/EEA for at least eight years until the end of secondary school do not need to submit a TOEFL / IELTS certificate.
Applications who completed at least three years of secondary or tertiary education (high school or Bachelor studies) in Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, English-speaking Canada, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kiribati, Liberia, Mauritius, Micronesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, St.Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, Trinidad & Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States, Zambia or Zimbabwe do not need to submit a TOEFL / IELTS certificate.
Minimum scores for TOEFL/IELTS (results below minimum score will not be accepted):
- TOEFL paper-based: 550 points
- TOEFL computer-based: 213 points
- TOEFL internet-based: 80 points
- IELTS: 6.0 (we only accept the Academic IELTS)
Please upload a scan copy of your result with your online application.
What if my TOEFL/IELTS score is being sent late?
You can apply for our master´s program without having your TOEFL/IELTS score yet, as long as you submit the rest of the application documents before the relevant deadline. Your TOEFL/IELTS score can be submitted by email to application(at)informatik.uni-bonn.de after the deadline. If you do not send us any score, we will not consider your application.
Master Program Office
If you have questions concerning your application, please contact our Bachelor and Master Office: [Email protection active, please enable JavaScript.]
