M.Sc. Philosophy & Computer Science

A university degree in a Bachelor's degree programme with at least 180 credit points; this must include the following academic achievements or equivalent achievements:

a) for the "Philosopher's Track", a total of at least 60 credit points in the field of philosophy - of which one course each in theoretical philosophy, one course in practical philosophy and one philosophical methods course (e.g. logic, argumentation theory) or

b) for the "Computer Scientist's Track" a total of at least 60 credit points in the field of computer science - including one course in theoretical computer science, one programming course and one application course (e.g. human-machine interaction) or

c) for the "Mixed Track", a total of at least 60 credit points in the areas of philosophy and computer science - including a total of three courses on different topics from the areas of theoretical philosophy, practical philosophy and philosophical methodology (e.g. logic, argumentation theory), theoretical computer science, programming and application of computer science (e.g. human-machine interaction) or

d) for the "Development Track" a total of at least 60 credit points in the fields of philosophy and computer science - including one course each in theoretical philosophy, one course in practical philosophy and one philosophical methodology course (e.g. logic, argumentation theory), one course in theoretical computer science, one programming course and one application course (e.g. human-machine interaction)

he most important prerequisite for applying to this program is having a strong interest in contemporary societal issues raised by new technologies. Apart from that, you’ll need:

• a Bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS) in computer science, philosophy, or a related field; applicants with interdisciplinary degrees in, e.g., cognitive science or computational linguistics, are also welcome to apply;
• an up-to-date transcript of records;
• a short essay outlining your reasons for choosing the Philosophy and Computer Science program, the competencies that qualify you for the program and how you plan to expand them through the program (max. 500 words);
• excellent command of written and spoken English (level B2);
• basic German (level A1, can be acquired within the first year of study).

Applicants should hold a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, computer science, or a related field. You need to prove that your degree contained either 60 ETCS in philosophy and/or computer science covering at least 3 of the six basic modules (see [module hand book](https://www.philcs.uni-bayreuth.de/en/downloads/index.html)).

Some other B.A./B.Sc. programs that might fulfill these criteria are:

Cognitive Science

Computational Linguistics

Business Informatics

If you are unsure whether your BA will be accepted, please use your essay to argue why your degree qualifies you for the program.​

The University of Bayreuth follows the recommendation of the German Central Office for Foreign Education which has found that 3-year bachelor's degrees from India are not formally equivalent to 3-year bachelor's degrees from Germany. Therefore, they recommend only accepting students with four years of higher education from India for German master's programs. If you are very ambitious about our master's program, we would recommend waiting one more year and using this time to do a Postgraduate Diploma or to successfully complete 1 year of master's studies in an accredited institution of higher education in India, ideally in a program related to philosophy and/or computer science.​

English skills must be proven at the level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), Ideally, proof is provided by submitting a recognized language test:

• UNIcert II: Pass or better
• Cambridge Proficiency: Pass or better
• Cambridge Advanced: Grade C or better
• Cambridge First: Grade B or better
• IELTS: Band 6.5 or better
• TOEFL iBT: 80
• TOEFL IPT: 543

If your first study program or your high school diploma was completed in English, an official certificate/ English proficiency letter from your university stating that English was the medium of instruction is also sufficient evidence.