Information and Communications Engineering

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 or Diplom or equivalent degree in Electrical Engineering and Information technology, Information Engineering, Renewable Energy Systems, Computer Science for Technical Systems and Energy Management, or Mechatronics or in a comparable subject
• You are also required to provide proof of proficiency in English at the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference
• Diploma Supplement/Transcript of Records

Submitting additional documents increases your chances of being selected:

• CV, including any continuing education courses you have taken, with proof of your qualifications and experience where relevant; in particular, please submit any written references from employers
• A letter of recommendation
• Proof of a successfully completed year of study at a German university

Applicants whose (six-semester) Bachelor’s degrees are equivalent to 180 credit points are required to attain a further 30 credit points within the first two semesters on the course in order to enrol fully. If this applies to you and your application is successful, your studies will generally take one semester longer.
​​​​​​​Our point of contact for subject-related queries (see contact information below) will be happy to advise you of the modules and examinations you will need to undertake. You may be exempt from this requirement if you have acquired relevant work experience of at least six months – or have completed a relevant one-semester internship – after completing your Bachelor’s degree.

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.