Master Computational Science

Please note that this is not a computer science program. It's science
with programming. We demand at least one of these:

• physics (quantum mechanics)
• advanced math (calculus for engineers is not sufficient)
• genomics/bioninformatics

Also, there is no financial aid whatsoever connected to this program.

Details

Our master in computational science is an interdisciplinary program. Please note, that there are no grants/scholarships/studentships connected to this program. 

You can do a master thesis in one of these three fields:

• genomics (bioinformatics)
• physics
• mathematics

The curriculum consists of three parts:

• mandatory courses
• optional courses
• thesis

You have to pick three mandatory courses out of ten (Applied math I, applied math II, applied math III, biochemistry, experimental genomics, bioinformatics, lattice QCD I, lattice QCD II, computational nanoscience, molecular dynamics) Two of the mandatory courses are from your main field, and one course has to be from a different field. (E.g., to genomics courses and one math course).

Optional courses are all courses offered in the sciences (Biology, chemistry, physics, maths, med school) and you have to complete a certain minimum of credit points in the optional courses.

The idea is, that students  complete most of the optional and mandatory courses in the first year, and focus on the thesis in the second year.

Prerequisites are:

• if the main field is physics:
  • quantum mechanics (minimum!)
  • advanced quantum mechanics (not strictly required, but preferred)
• if the main field is math:
  • Analysis
  • linear algebra
  • numerics
  • functional analysis
• if the main field is genomics:
  • basic knowledge in bioinformatics and genomics,
  • biochemistry

Programming skills are required in any case.

Please note that this is not an engineering curriculum and it is not a computer science curriculum. Instead, it is a scientific program with a strong focus on research, theoretical and computational methods.

Application deadlines are:

January 15 if you plan to start in the summer term,
June 15 if you plan to start in the winter term.

For the application, please send:

• A short CV,
• a full transcript of records (copies only at this point!)
• a short letter of motivation, that states what you are planning as your primary focus (mathematics or genomics or physics)
• this form

Currently, we prefer that you send the documents by e-mail as PDF documents to: 

stefan.solbrig@ur.de (öffnet Ihr E-Mail-Programm)

You need a proof of english language proficiency, corresponding to the european language proficiency level “B2”, e.g., TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with at least 80 points; IELTS (International English Language Testing System) with at least level 6.5; DAAD language certificate issued by a Language Center at a university; B2 in all three language skills required.

Proof of german language proficiency (DSH) is not necessary. However, we recommend taking german courses. It makes your daily life a lot easier. (https://www.uni-regensburg.de/zentrum-sprache-kommunikation/lehrgebiete/deutsch-als-fremdsprache (externer Link, öffnet neues Fenster))

The actual admission will be a two-step process:

First you will do the science related admission with the commission for computational science. We need only copies of your documents at this point. Scanned PDFs are also OK.

If you are admitted, we will ask the administration to contact you. From them, you will get credentials for an on-line portal to complete the formal aspects of the admission and the process for the visa (if required).