Master in Interdisciplinary Mathematics (IP)

Master in Interdisciplinary Mathematics (IP) is one of 10 English-taught Mathematics programmes at master’s level in the register, offered by 6 institutions. 10 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; this programme lists EUR 1,453 a year. 10 are at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters.

This is a joint Erasmus Mundus master run by five European universities: Università degli Studi dell’Aquila (Italy), TU Wien (Austria), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain), Technische Universität Hamburg (Germany) and Université Côte d’Azur (France). The programme is taught in English and leads to a Dipl.-Ing. degree, internationally comparable with a Master of Science. It takes four semesters and 120 ECTS.

What you study

The first semester is spent at Università degli Studi dell’Aquila, where all students take mathematical foundations in functional analysis, dynamical systems, partial differential equations and modelling. After that you choose a path that combines a second semester at either TU Wien or TU Hamburg with a specialisation for semesters three and four.

If you go to TU Wien for semester two, you can specialise in Computational Fluid Dynamics (staying in Vienna for semesters three and four), Decision Making with Applications to Logistic (moving to Barcelona), or Cancer Modelling and Simulation (moving to L’Aquila). If you go to TU Hamburg for semester two, the options are Computational Methods in Biomedical Imaging (staying in Hamburg), Decision Stochastic Modelling in Neuroscience (moving to Nice), or Modelling and Analysis of Epidemic Disease (moving to L’Aquila).

The curriculum is built around the partner universities’ strengths in mathematical modelling. You will construct and simulate mathematical models for engineering fields, with a focus on modern applications. The programme also aims to make you flexible at problem solving, so you can handle problems that differ from those you met during your studies.

How the programme is organised

Mobility is a core part of the design. You start in L’Aquila, then move to Vienna or Hamburg, and often move again for the final two semesters. That means you will pick up foreign language skills and get insight into different cultures and scientific environments across Europe. The degree is awarded through the joint programme, and the curriculum and course list are published by TU Wien.

Who it suits

This master is for students with a bachelor’s degree in a mathematically or technically oriented subject who want to work across engineering and applied mathematics. The page names eligible TU Wien bachelor’s degrees such as Technical Mathematics, Statistics and Mathematics in Economics, Financial and Actuarial Mathematics, Technical Physics, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. You should be ready to study in English and to live in at least two countries during the degree.

Admission, language and next steps

Admission requires a thematically eligible bachelor’s degree from an accredited national or international university or university of applied sciences. The qualification is verified by Università degli Studi dell’Aquila. Entry is limited to a certain number of students each year, and applicants who meet the formal requirements go through a selection procedure carried out by all five partner universities. Applications are made exclusively through the platform https://www.intermaths.eu/. The teaching language is English. There is no central application portal, so use that platform and check the application period there. After the master, TU Wien lists doctoral programmes in Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Social and Economic Sciences as possible next steps.

This master's curriculum is more wide-ranging when compared to traditional master's programmes in Technical Mathematics since it covers several methodological areas of mathematics that are shared by very diverse fields of applications in engineering, with a special focus on modern applications. Moreover, it addresses more directly to the solution of problems in engineering.

The curriculum is involving five European universities: Università degli Studi dell’Aquila (Italy), TU Wien (Austria), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain), Technische Universität Hamburg (Germany), Université Côte d’Azur (France)

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. Entrance examination, as the register states it: Admission procedure. 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.