Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding the application and enrolment for the masters degrees programme Cybersecurity

These FAQ concern the application process and the enrolment for the master degree programme Cybersecurity. Please find general information about other prgrammes on their respective sites.

 

General information about applying in the Online Application System

How do I apply for a masters’ degree programme?

Applications for our postgraduate programmes have to be submitted online in the application system of the computer science department! You’ll find the link to the application system at the very end of this site.

Incomplete applications cannot be considered. You are responsible for making sure that all required documents, including references, are submitted on time and meet the university’s requirements. Complete applications that are received after the deadline will be considered automatically in the decision making round for the next semester. Do not register more than once in the application system!

Please check all documents you upload carefully, as you will not be able to upload revised versions after submitting your application.

As soon as your application is complete (that includes required submissions by you and your referees), you will receive a confirmation email!

 

What is the minimal requirement for your CGPA?

Minimal prerequisite is a cumulative undergraduate grade point average (CGPA) of 75% or 3.00 GPA on a 4 point scale.

 

What necessary language skills do you need?

The teaching language of the master’s degree programme is English. All applicants from all countries must provide a proof of advanced proficiency in English (level C1 of the Common European Framework).

The following certificates will be accepted:
_ IELTS (academic test): min. 7.0 out of 9
_ TOEFL (internet based): min. 95 out of 120
_ TOEFL (paper based): min. 600 out of 677
_ Cambridge English Certificate: C1 Advanced (CAE) or C2 Proficiency (CPE)
_ PTE Academic: min. 76

The English certificate is a mandatory part of the application. A confirmation of your university or a MOI (Medium of Instruction) is not a sufficient equivalent.

Only native speakers from Australia, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA, or applicants who have studied in one of the above mentioned six countries are excluded from this rule. In these cases, please enter native speaker from [country] or studied in [country] into the form and upload a high school and/or bachelor’s degree certificate from that country as proof.

For German applicants, a basic English course up to the general qualification for university entrance (Abitur) is sufficient. In that case, please enter Abitur in the form.

Knowledge of proficiency in German is not required.

 

What are recommendations by academic members in the subject?

Two letters of recommendation written by referees who know the applicant academically (ideally one from the supervisor of your Bachelor thesis, letters should be from faculty members or members of research labs) will need to be submitted.

 

What are the required Application Documents?

During the application process, you need to submit the following documents with your application in order to be considered for admission. Please note that we only accept files in the PDF file format.

Transcripts (Academic Records):

_ a copy of your university entrance diploma
_ copies of your 3 most recent degrees* (with certified translation, if the original language is not English, German or French)
_ a certified list of all attended courses with the respective grades, including an explanation of the grading system

*If your current degree is ongoing, please include a recent transcript showing your current progress.

Minimal prerequisite is a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 75%. Do not apply if you do not satisfy this requirement!

 

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

including information on your areas of interest in research, as well as any projects or publications

 

Letters of Recommendation

A complete application includes two complete review forms by recommenders appointed by the applicant. These recommenders can optionally upload an additional recommendation letter.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your referees have the information they need to provide a reference and submit it by the deadline.

It is extremely important to enter valid email addresses of your referees! An email will be sent to your recommenders with information on how to proceed. Please check them before submitting your application.

We do not accept letters of recommendation sent by mail or any other means.

 

APS certificate

Applicants who have obtained their university degree in China, India or Vietnam are required to submit the original APS Certificate issued by the Academic Evaluation Center (Akademische Prüfstelle) in the corresponding country with the application.

 

Additional Certificates:

Please list other qualifications that may be relevant to your application here. Other documents could include among other things:

_ GRE test: To better assess your skills, we advise a GRE Test (general and/or computer science). However, proof of participation in this test is not mandatory.

FAQ Application

 

For how many programmes can I apply?

You can apply for two master programmes at the same time. However, you can either apply for a MSc or a PhD.

If you want to apply for a programme that is in the new application system (e.g. Computer Science) and one that is in the old application system (e.g. Bioinformatics) for the same semester, you have to register and submit an application in both systems by the respective deadline.

 

I made an error during my submission. What now?

Please pay attention when entering your details or uploading documents in our application system. You will not be able to change any details after submitting your application. The name you have entered in the application system, must match the name printed in your passport or national id. If the names do not match, there may be subsequent problems when applying for the visa or blocked account.

 

I don’t have a final diploma yet; can I still apply?

You can apply without your final diploma if you are in your final semester. Please upload a transcript showing your current study progress and enter your current average grade as grade. If your application is successful, you will get a conditional admission letter and be asked to provide the official diploma during your first term at UdS.

 

Do I need an APS certificate?

Applicants who have obtained their university degree in China, India or Vietnam are required to submit the original APS Certificate issued by the Academic Evaluation Center (Akademische Prüfstelle) in the corresponding country with the application. Please check with your local German Embassy, if a certificate is needed, if you are unsure.

 

Do my documents need to be notarized?

The documents for the application do not need to be certified by an embassy or a notary. We do not need or accept hard copies for the application. When you apply online with us, you can just upload your scanned, legible documents in PDF format.

 

What happens if I do not submit my application before the deadline? Do I need to reapply for the next iteration?

Applications which are completed after the deadline will automatically be considered for the next application period. A completed application includes the LORs by both recommenders, i.e. applicants have to submit their application in good time before the deadline so that the recommenders have enough time to add their LORs to the application.

 

My recommenders did not receive an email with instructions on how to provide a LOR. How to proceed?

After submitting your application the system will send an email to the provided addresses of each of your recommenders to provide their LOR. Please instruct your recommenders to check in their spam folders. If necessary, they can request a new email by filling out the forgot password form with the email address you provided during your application.

 

What is the status of my application?

You can see the status of your application in the application system. The evaluation process by the admissions board process normally starts after the official deadline. As soon as a decision has been made about your application, you will receive an email with either a rejection or admission with further information. Please refrain from mailing us about the status of your application as no other information can be given.

 

When can I expect a decision from the application board?

The evaluation process normally starts after the official deadline. Results can usually be expected between the middle of December until mid-January for application for the summer semester and between mid-June and end of July for applications for the winter semester.

 

I applied for a master’s program and have been rejected. Why?

On our website the minimal application requirements are given. However, satisfying these minimal standards does not guarantee admission. Our master commission consisting of several professors reviews each application of all its strengths and weaknesses and accepts only the very best students out of hundreds of applicants for our highly challenging master's programs.

Please understand that due to the high number of applicants we cannot give individual reasoning to why an application has been rejected.

 

When can I expect an answer to my email requests?

Please expect response times of several days before the application deadline because of the high volume of requests during that time. We expect you to read the information given in the application guide and in this FAQ carefully before contacting us.

Please be aware of German national holidays. Furthermore, the university is closed over the winter holidays.