Master in Computational Science and Engineering

Master in Computational Science and Engineering is one of 11 English-taught Computer Science programmes at master’s level in the register, offered by 9 institutions. 11 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 727 to EUR 1,453; this programme lists EUR 1,453 a year. 8 are at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters.

What you study

This is an interfaculty Master's programme at TU Wien. It brings numerical mathematics and computer science together with the natural sciences and engineering so you can run computer simulations accurately and quickly. The compulsory modules are Computer Science, Scientific Computing and Applied Mathematics, worth 50 ECTS in total. For your specialisation (30 ECTS) you pick at least two key areas from a cross-faculty list: Computational Bionics, Computational Building Science, Computational Chemistry and Material Science, Computational Electronics, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Acoustics, Computational Informatics, Computational Mathematics, Computational Mechatronics and Computational Solid Mechanics. You also take a module in Free Electives and Transferable Skills (10 ECTS), with at least 4.5 ECTS from the central Transferable Skills catalogue. The recommended free electives are ASC-School I and II Courses in High Performance Computing. Your diploma thesis (27 ECTS) and final exam (3 ECTS) make up the remaining 30 ECTS.

How the programme is organised

The degree runs over four semesters and totals 120 ECTS. It is taught in English. The programme is interfaculty, with participating faculties linked to the master's programmes in Informatics, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Mathematics and Geoinformation, and Technical Chemistry. Teaching covers simulation on systems from individual workstations to large-scale computing clusters and supercomputers. The curriculum and the list of courses in TISS give the full structure. The programme code is UE 066 646. The degree awarded is Dipl.-Ing., internationally comparable with a Master of Science.

Who it suits

You should have a Bachelor's degree with at least 30 ECTS in informatics and mathematics. On the informatics side that means programming in at least one of C, C++, Fortran, Java or Python, plus data structures, algorithms, functions, classes, object-oriented programming and computer architectures. On the mathematics side you need linear algebra with eigenvalue problems, differential and integral calculus in one and several variables, and ordinary differential equations. Graduates of several TU Wien Bachelor's programmes are admitted without supplementary examinations, including Informatics, Technical Mathematics, Technical Physics, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Technical Chemistry and Chemical and Process Engineering. Other degrees are considered if they are comparable in depth.

Admission, language and next steps

You apply directly to TU Wien. The programme's own page gives the application period and the admission requirements for master's programmes. The teaching language is English. After the Master's you can go on to a doctoral programme at TU Wien in Engineering, Natural Sciences, or Social and Economic Sciences. For questions about the programme, contact the coordination and student service at the Institute for Analysis and Scientific Computing (cse-master@tuwien.ac.at). The Student Union for Technical Mathematics also offers advice. The programme page includes FAQs and Erasmus mobility information.

The master’s programme in Computational Science and Engineering introduces the students to applied mathematics and informatics and allows them to further specialise in two of the following subdisciplines: computational building science, computational chemistry and material science, computational electronics, computational fluid dynamics and acoustics, computational informatics, computational mathematics, computational mechatronics, computational solid mechanics.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here TU Wien. A public university sets the admission requirements and dates for this level, so read them on the programme page. 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.