Media Systems

Communication and multimedia – hardly any other economic sector is developing so dynamically and influencing technological and societal developments so strongly.

Hamburg has significant locational advantages here: a creative media branch, a strong computer games sector, and a growing VR/AR scene. A large number of both young and established companies are developing software applications in these areas, increasingly across genres. This is opening up a multitude of new and exciting work areas for Media Systems graduates.

Media Systems graduates are responsible for the conception, design and programming of software applications (games, Internet applications, mobile apps, VR/AR systems). They are also qualified to plan and construct IT networks and servers, particularly in the multimedia sector, or to ensure IT security in companies. These fields typically require interdisciplinary collaboration with designers and media technology experts.

Media Systems graduates work as both employees and freelancers. Their employers or clients include software firms, Internet and games agencies, and audiovisual media companies.

The course’s first year focuses on foundational courses in mathematics, computer science, programming and design, AV technology, and media and society.

The second year deepens and expands on these topics with courses in networks, cryptography, software engineering, virtual systems and computer graphics.

In your third year, you’ll specialise by choosing a variety of advanced technical and design-related courses, such as media design, storage management, mobile systems, interactive systems, mixed reality and databases.

The courses are taught in seminars with roughly 40 participants, and are sometimes complemented with practical small-group exercises in modern media labs and studios. Creative and artistic topics are covered in special courses. The technical and design objectives of the degree course are linked in three interdisciplinary major projects. At the end of their studies, students complete a Bachelor thesis that demonstrates their ability to work independently on a task from the workplace setting using academic findings and methods.

You’ll need a sound knowledge of mathematical and scientific subjects from your schooling. Ideally, you’ll be interested in algorithms, programming languages and data structures, and in transforming creative ideas into programming codes.

Interested – but not quite sure yet whether this is the right course for you? Our self-assessment test can help you make up your mind. Take it here: HAW Navigator