Engineering Cybernetics

Master of Science 

Standard Period of Study: 4 semesters
Teaching Language: English
[Image: Thomas Bernhardt 2020]

Course of study

The Engineering Cybernetics master’s program comprises four semesters (120 ECTS), which must be completed in accordance with the examination regulations. The program is divided into several blocks, many of which offer a wide range of options.

Fundamentals: These modules build the theoretical foundation for understanding complex system dynamics and core control concepts, preparing you to develop expertise in advanced control techniques and specialized fields.

Advanced Control and System analysis: To deepen your knowledge in the core areas of engineering cybernetics, these modules focus on advanced methods for handling nonlinear and uncertain systems, as well as optimal control strategies. You will also strengthen your understanding of complex systems and develop your skills in modeling and analyzing their behavior.

Area of Specialization and Elective: Within the specialization areas, you can either deepen your methodological expertise or focus on a specific application field of engineering cybernetics. One major and one minor specialization are selected from a wide range of options, allowing for individual academic focus. In addition, an elective module offers the opportunity to broaden your perspective by exploring subjects from other areas of engineering as well.

Practical study components: To address the necessary and important development of key competencies, two projects have been integrated into the curriculum. In these projects, you work in small groups to solve a practice-oriented task within a set timeframe. The focus is not only on applying the theoretical skills acquired but also on developing a structured approach, as well as planning and task distribution within a team. The practical relevance of the subject and the methods learned is further strengthened through a mandatory industrial internship. 

Master's thesis: You will complete your studies with a master's thesis. This will be closely supervised by the staff of the institute you choose for this purpose.

More information on the course of study
Study overview for the current examination regulations  

 

The study schedule below is a suggestion of how you could organize your studies. 1 ECTS corresponds to approximately 30 hours of actual work

Link zu C@MPUS

An industrial internship of at least twelve weeks in total is a compulsory part of the Master's degree program. 

More detailed information can be found in the internship guidelines. 

If you have any further questions, please contact the Internship Office for Engineering Cybernetics: write an email

The module handbook and the study program curriculum describe the individual modules with the associated courses, content and examinations.

Study Plan

Please fill out the Study Plan, documenting your individual course choice, and have it officially approved by the board of examiners before the start of your first exam period. You may change your study plan throughout your studies, but each change must be approved. 

Fundamentals, System Analysis and Advanced Control

The lecture Concepts of Automatic Control forms the foundation for several advanced courses and should be taken at the beginning of the program.  

The M.Sc. Engineering Cybernetics study program focuses on system theory and dynamics, control engineering, and mathematics. This is also reflected in the two compulsory modules in the curriculum. In the module Concepts of Automatic Control, students learn advanced control engineering concepts and modern controller design methods, as well as mathematical foundations. In the module Dynamics of Distributed Parameter Systems, students gain knowledge in system dynamics for more general classes of systems than those that are usually covered in the Bachelor studies. 

The focus areas of system theory, system dynamics, and control engineering are further addressed in the Advanced Control and System Analysis and Modeling modules. In these modules, students can choose from a wide range of specialized lectures that are closely related to current research. In addition to the above-mentioned focus areas, System Analysis and Modeling also covers a central field for the application of the acquired methods. 

We only list English-taught courses here. The full offer including German-taught courses can be found on C@MPUS.

Specializations

In the specialization subjects, students can acquire in-depth knowledge from an application area of engineering cybernetics. It is also possible to specialize further in the core area of engineering cybernetics. 

Students choose one major and one minor specialization subject. The major specialization requires 18 ECTS credits and the minor specialization 12 ECTS credits.  

On October 9, 2025 and October 10, 2025, presentations of the specializations will take place. More information can be found in the overview below.

English-taught specializations
As of now, the following specialization containers are offered in English in the sense that there are
 at least 12 ECTS available and all compulsory modules are offered in English. However, they may still contain additional German-taught courses. The complete offer of specializations including German-taught specializations can be found on C@MPUS.

Elective

The elective comprises 12 ECTS, which can be filled with a variety of modules, e.g:  

  • Specialization in the core area of cybernetics  
  • In-depth study in your specialization subject  
  • Broaden your knowledge in other areas 

The only condition is a connection to cybernetics.  

If you would like to choose an elective module that is not linked to C@MPUS, you can submit a request to the examination board.

Internships and Master's Thesis

1st Semester               Concepts of Automatic Control Lab (1.5 ECTS) 

2nd Semester              Concepts of Automatic Control Project (1.5 ECTS) 

3rd Semester               Industrial Internship (15 ECTS) 

4th Semester               Master's Thesis (30 ECTS) 

To address the necessary and important development of key competencies, the Concepts of Automatic Control Lab and the Concepts of Automatic Control Project have been integrated into the curriculum. In this course, students work in small groups to solve a practice-oriented task within a set timeframe. The focus is not only on applying the theoretical skills acquired but also on developing a structured approach, as well as planning and task distribution within a team. 

The practical relevance of the subject and the methods learned is further strengthened through the mandatory industrial internship. 

The program concludes with the Master's thesis. 

Contact for further questions

This image showsJonas Mair

Jonas Mair

M.Sc.

Research Assistant

This image showsAndrea Iannelli

Andrea Iannelli

Prof. Dr.

Tenure-Track Junior Professor

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