Master in Software Engineering and Management

Master in Software Engineering and Management is one of 3 English-taught Software Engineering programmes at master’s level in the register, offered by 3 institutions. 3 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; this programme lists EUR 1,453 a year. 3 are at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters.

The Software Engineering and Management master's at TU Graz is an English-language programme that puts software development and business management in the same degree. It runs over four semesters and 120 ECTS, and you finish with a Diplom-Ingenieurin or Diplom-Ingenieur (Dipl.-Ing. or DI), which is equivalent to a Master of Science (MSc).

What you study

You learn the principles, methods and tools for building, running and maintaining complex software systems. The programme covers the whole process, from identifying requirements to commissioning and maintaining an IT solution. You also deal with the practical side: delivering reliable software on time, meeting quality criteria and calculating costs precisely. Methods are applied in practical IT and management tools.

The degree is built from a major in Software Engineering, a minor in Management, an elective, a free-choice subject and a master's thesis. You choose your major from these focal areas:

• Algorithms and Theoretical Computer Science: probability and information theory, combinatorial optimisation, discrete geometric structures
• Data Science: data mining, machine learning system architecture, statistical analysis of large data sets
• Games Engineering: game development and design, real-time graphics, simulation and animation, an initial game prototype
• Human-Centred Computing: computer science and society, human-computer interaction, analysis of data from human interaction with software
• Information Security: secure systems such as ATM cards or chips, applying security mechanisms
• Intelligent Systems: artificial intelligence, knowledge representation and inference, natural language processing, intelligent user interfaces
• Interactive and Visual Information Systems: design, development and evaluation of user-based information systems, web technologies
• Machine Learning: mathematical skills, machine and autonomous learning, deep learning and reinforcement learning
• Robotics: navigation, computer vision, machine learning, decision-making, speech comprehension, validating intelligent systems
• Software Technology: analysis, design, validation and verification, AI techniques in software engineering, programming languages and compiler construction
• Visual Computing: computer graphics, image processing, geometric modelling, virtual and augmented reality, information visualisation

Minors come from Management: Business Informatics (ERP and supply chain management systems, IT implementation projects), Industrial Management and Innovation (innovation, production and logistics, product development and marketing), Management, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship (corporate strategy, organisation, corporate management concepts), and Management Control, Marketing and Purchasing (financial management instruments, mediating between companies and finance).

How the programme is organised

The programme is very practice-oriented and strongly integrates the economic component, which is what sets it apart from other IT degrees. You can take part in research and industrial projects, for example parcel delivery by drone, games engineering or detecting chip errors, contributing through conception, programming or algorithm development. Regional partners such as AVL, Magna and Infineon offer project work, and thesis work with local industry is supported, as are stays abroad. You can write your thesis at universities such as RWTH Aachen, ETH Zurich or Stanford University, and visiting international professors regularly give insights into their research. Facilities include a Human-Centered Computing lab, a drone space, head-mounted displays and computing infrastructure for machine learning and data science.

Who it suits

It suits someone who wants to build software and understand the business around it. You should be comfortable with the idea of leading projects and taking responsibility for cost, quality and deadlines, not just code. The programme expects abstract and interdisciplinary thinking. If you want a technical master's with a management minor and room to specialise, this fits.

Admission, language and next steps

You need a completed bachelor's degree in a relevant subject. Graduates of TU Graz bachelor's programmes in Computer Science, Information and Computer Engineering, or Software Engineering and Management are admitted without further requirements. Other national or international degrees are assessed against the requirements in the curriculum. You also need evidence of English competence. The teaching language is English. Registration for the academic year 2027/28 runs from 15 October to 15 December 2026, and you can complete the admission procedure before finishing your bachelor's. TU Graz graduates are exempt from the admission procedure, and from winter semester 2027/28 so are graduates of an eligible degree programme in the EU, EEA, Switzerland or the UK (see the curriculum). Applications go directly to TU Graz, not through a central portal. Contact: studynoSpam@tugraz.at.

Software engineering deals with the fundamentals and technologies of the systematic production and development of software. It provides principles, methods and tools for the engineering development and application of complex and extensive software systems. Software engineering includes the entire process from the identification of requirements to the implementation and maintenance of an IT solution. The goal is the timely provision of reliable software with guaranteed quality features at calculated costs. To achieve this goal the methods of practical computer science must be combined with methods of management. For this reason graduates of the master’s programme in Software Engineering and Management will acquire both in-depth technical and scientific skills in software development and in-depth economic skills in management. The study programme aims to provide in-depth knowledge in special topics while maintaining breadth and interdisciplinarity and prepares the students to be independent and proactive in their thinking, decision-making and actions.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here Graz University of Technology. A public university sets the admission requirements and dates for this level, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: Admission procedure possible, depending on your previous studies. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.