Enrollment
No, enrollment for the summer semester in the first study semester is not possible.
Transfer to the master's program is possible no later than October 31 for the winter semester and April 30 for the summer semester. By this deadline, all examination results from the bachelor's degree program must have been completed and evaluated. In the case of the Bachelor's thesis, a confirmation that the thesis was passed with at least 4.0 is also sufficient.
Please note: in order to complete the bachelor's program in the summer semester, all examinations must be completed by September 30; to complete the program in the winter semester, all examinations must be completed by March 31. If the last examinations are taken after the deadline, it is possible to transfer to the Master's program as described above, but the number of semesters required for the Bachelor's program will still increase.
If you have further questions about transferring to the Master's in Computer Science at RWTH, you can find If you have further questions about transferring to the Master's in Computer Science at RWTH, you can find more information here.
Modules, timetables, examination regulations
Here is a good example of the course of a Bachelor's degree program and how the individual courses can be taken.
The Timetable of PO2018 is of interest to all those who started their studies before WiSe 22/23.
In the application area, modules from other subject areas such as mathematics, mechanical engineering or even business administration can be taken at will to the extent of 12 - 18 CP. A listing of the possible modules can be found in the Module Handbook Bachelor of Computer Science.
The registration takes place via RWTHOnline.
The curriculum provides for a non-technical elective (NTW) of 4 credits, which may optionally be divided among several courses.
Typical NTWs are
- Language courses: The courses are offered through the Language Center of the RWTH. A registration is usually necessary weeks before or at the beginning of the semester at the latest, as a placement test is often required beforehand.
- Mentoring als NTW: Selber als Mentorin oder Mentor eine Erstsemestergruppe durch ihren Studienstart zu begleiten und auf der “anderen” Seite zu stehen, ist eine gute Möglichkeit, Erfahrungen zu gewinnen.
- Projekt Leonardo: The "Leonardo" project promotes the ability to use subject-specific knowledge in a broader context to address global and societal challenges and thus to solve problems responsibly. To this end, three fundamental principles apply: Interdisciplinarity is fundamental to solving questions about the future, Responsibility for science, research and teaching into the higher education discourse, Participation and Co-design of all students to solve global challenges.
- Own proposal: If you are interested in a non-technical subject that is not yet listed in the NTW catalog of the Bachelor of Computer Science, you should arrange with the lecturer for a certificate of attendance. A second step is the approvalof the desired course with course number (LV-Nr.) informally via e-mail by the Subject Advisory Service for the Bachelor of Computer Science.
For all options, the corresponding achievements must be submitted to the ZPA. Either the performances are reported directly to the ZPA by the lecturers, or students receive a participation certificate in paper form, which must be forwarded to the ZPA.
In the course of your studies, you will certainly have developed preferences for certain topics, either by taking modules or by taking a job as a student assistant in one of the research groups. The current offers for final theses can be found on the respective pages of the individual Research areas.
Please note: Theses are issued by professorial or habilitated members of the Department of Computer Science. The person issuing the thesis is automatically the first assessor of the thesis. However, each thesis must also be assessed by a second assessor. This person can also come from another department or from another university/research institution, but must have a permanent, independent teaching or examination permit.
For the registration of the bachelor thesis, at least 120 credits must have been achieved and the compulsory modules from the first three semesters must have been passed.
The following points are necessary:
- The respective responsible person in the Central Examination Office issues the registration form by email.
- With the form completed as far as possible, you make an appointment with the reviewer of the Bachelor's thesis to finalize the topic and enter it on the form in English and optionally also in German.
- The completed form is submitted by mail, email or in person to the Examination Board for Computer Science. The board will determine the date on which the four-month period for working on the thesis begins and sends the form back to the Central Examination Office. You will receive information about the time to finish the thesis.
- The Bachelor's thesis must be submitted to the Central Examination Office in due time, firmly bound and in triplicate (one copy each to the two examiners, the third to the archives of the Computer Science Department). The affidavit must be included. The submission can be done personally during the opening hours in the office or via the after-hours mailbox at the main building. If the thesis is sent by mail, please note that the date of arrival counts as the date of receipt. The Central Examination Office confirms the timely receipt of the thesis.
- The bachelor thesis and the form are then sent to the examiners. When the evaluations have been entered, the examiners forward the form together with the written evaluations to the Central Examination Office.
- A date and also the language for the Bachelor colloquium must be agreed with the first examiner. The colloquium can also be done before the final submission of the Bachelor thesis.
Note:
- An extension of the time to work on the thesis can only take place due to illness (if necessary, attach a medical certificate), in the case of force majeure or for reasons that are justified in the topic and are not the responsibility of the examinee, and must be applied for at the examination board. The time can be extended by a maximum of four weeks for appropriate reasons (see § 15 (4) SPO Informatik (B.Sc.) 2022). The corresponding form can be found on the web pages of the examination board and should be submitted to the examination board well in advance of the deadline.
- External theses without an issuing computer science professor cannot be accepted.
The examination regulations (PO) are constantly adapted to the current challenges - especially in the subject of computer science.
As of the winter semester 22/23, the PO (08/2022) for the Bachelor of Computer Science will apply. This PO is future-oriented and gives RWTH Aachen University a special unique selling point, especially by adding the areas of machine learning, data science and IT security.
All those who started their studies before WiSe 22/23 have the opportunity to change.
The PO 2018 remains in effect through Sept. 30, 2026.
These examination regulations are framed by the general examination regulations (ÜPO), in which you can find basic regulations.
All examination regulations and the corresponding module handbooks can be found on the corresponding page of the Study Center.
A Module Handbook Bachelor Computer Science lists all modules of the study program. You will find a description of the content, the lecturer, exams, credits, etc.
All examination regulations and the corresponding module manuals can be found here.
In addition or supplementary to the elective modules, modules of the following Master's programs can be taken in advance, especially in the final phase of the program or to bridge the gap until entry into a Master's program of the Computer Science Department:
- Master Computer Science
- Master Data Science
- Master Media Informatics
- Master System Software Engineering
These modules are credited when transferring to one of the Master's programs. According to §9 (1) of the ÜPO 2015, modules that are to be taken for the master's degree can be taken at the earliest after the acquisition of usually 120 CP of the bachelor's degree and should not exceed a total of 30 CP.
Registration for early Master's examinations, which are also to be credited in the Master's programs, is done in RWTHonline.
Please note that early master's examinations that are not passed can only be repeated after enrollment in the master's program, i.e. only one examination attempt can done in advance.
It is possible to postpone the proseminar or seminar and attend a NTW instead.
Examinations and Transfer of Credits
The examinations for the modules can have a very different character; they can be in the form of written examinations or oral examinations, or as homework, as continuous practical performance, or as a combination of several forms of examination. A detailed description and listing can be found in the Module Handbook.
There are also described the conditions to be admitted to the exam.
Exceptions to this are regulated by the examination board on application.
The main changes are:
- Two new mandatory courses "Elements of Machine Learning and Data Science" and "IT Security"
- Language of the new compulsory courses: English, Semester: 5th semester
- New admission requirement: English B2 (This is necessary because the new compulsory courses are offered in English).
- Prerequisite for the bachelor thesis: 120 CP and all compulsory courses of the first 3 semesters have been passed.
- Redesign of Elective:
- Elective courses in computer science with 18 - 24 CP
- Open application area with 12 - 18 CP
- Credit adjustments:
- Data structures and algorithms: 8 CP => 7 CP
- Operating systems and system software: 6 CP => 7 CP
- Proseminar computer science: 3 CP => 4 CP
- Seminar Computer Science: 5 CP => 4 CP
- Other changes:
- New study plan
- The bachelor thesis now only has to be submitted in single copy (not in triplicate as before). In addition, the thesis must be submitted digitally.
Full details can be found here.
- The “Mentoring” module must be passed in order to participate in the compulsory courses in the fourth and fifth semesters. (PO 10/2022)
- To participate in the practical course "System Programming", the module "Computer Engineering" must be passed. (PO 10/2022 and PO 2018)
- To participate in the seminar Computer Science, the module "Introduction to Scientific Work (Proseminar)" must be passed. (PO 10/2022 and PO 2018)
- In order to register for the bachelor thesis, at least 120 credits must be acieved.
In the PO 2022, in addition to this, all compulsory courses from the first three semesters must be passed. This is not necessary in the PO 2018.
Yes, after an unsatisfactory third written examination attempt (§ 14 (2) ÜPO). The application for the oral supplementary examination must be submitted to the respective teaching group immediately after the result of the third failed attempt has been announced, at the latest during the appointment for inspection.
A passed exam cannot be repeated.
A failed exam can be repeated twice. This means that for each exam, with the exception of the Bachelor thesis, you have three examination attempts. If all three attempts are failed, it is possible to apply for a supplementary oral examination at the respective teaching unit after the third failed attempt. The application for the oral supplementary examination must be submitted to the respective teaching group immediately after the result of the third examination attempt has been announced, at the latest at the time of inspection. If this is also not passed, the examination and thus the module is definitively not passed. In case of non-appearance or attempted cheating in the third examination attempt, it is not possible to apply for an oral supplementary examination.
A definitively failed compulsory module leads to exmatriculation. If an elective module is definitively not passed, another elective module can be taken.
Seminars, proseminars, labs and mentoring can also be repeated only twice (three attempts in total). It should be noted that a change of proseminar, seminar or internship does not result in a reset of failed attempts. Since these courses are compulsory modules, a final failure of one of these modules will lead to exmatriculation.
The Bachelor thesis can only be repeated once (two attempts in total). The repetition of the Bachelor thesis must be registered no later than 3 semesters after the failed attempt. The bachelor thesis is a compulsory module and will lead to exmatriculation in case of final failure.
No. All registrations for retests must be self-registered.
If the deadline for registering for one or more examinations has not been met, a late registration may be made upon request in justified exceptional cases. For this purpose, the application for re-registration for the examination date must be submitted to the examination board.
We would like to point out that final theses (in particular Bachelor's and Master's theses) are exclusively assigned by professors and habilitated members of the Department of Computer Science as teaching work and are performed by students as learning work.
The members of the Computer Science Department who are authorized to do so therefore assign and supervise theses within the framework of teaching. This may include involvement in ongoing research projects, also in the context of longer-term collaborations with research groups external to the department or with industry.
External theses without an issuing computer science professor cannot be accepted.
For a successful thesis, the individual steps are listed here.
Change, Discontinue Studies
You come from another university or another study program and want to change to the Bachelor of Computer Science at RWTH? Then you can move directly to a higher semester. To do this, you need your previous study achievements to be credited, whereby at least 15 CP are necessary to be classified in a higher semester. The Registrar's Office requires an unsworn declaration in which you affirm that you have not definitively failed any course of study or subject of study or that you can no longer be admitted to any required examination.
When submitting your application, pay attention to the deadlines of 15.1. for the summer semester and 15.7. for the winter semester.
Yes, as long as the achievements are relevant to the bachelor's degree program in computer science.
It can cause problems if you are definitively denied admission to a required exam or definitively failed a subject in your former study program.
In that case, a certificate of no objection is required and must be received by the university at least two weeks prior to the end of the re-registration or enrollment period.
Everyone will certainly have doubts about their studies at some point, no matter what semester they are in.
When analyzing the causes and a possible new direction, the first step is to approach the Mentoring Team Computer Science for a counseling interview.
The following counseling services are also helpful:
Before you take the plunge, arrange a counseling session with Mentoring Team Computer Science.
You like computer science, but the study course is not the right one? Possibly too theoretical? Then the dual Apprenticeship MATSE might be of interest to you: A balanced combination of mathematics and computer science on a practical basis.
Leaving computer science and RWTH altogether and starting your career anew, but very much taking your already acquired knowledge and experience with you, is what SWITCH offers you.
Contact the Central Examination Office to have an additional notation of continued examination eligibility added to the issuance of your statement of account.
Help, Contact Persons and Contact Points
Literature on current courses of the Computer Science Department can be found in the so-called "Handapparat" of the Informatik-Bibliothek.
The Informatics Library offers a wide range of research options for literature searches and also holds regular training courses on this subject. Registration lists for the training courses are available in the library.
Depending on your question or concern, you will find the right contact person in the computer science department for the following topics:
- Studying or learning in general as well as mentoring
- School projects
- Literature, research and library
- Examination Board
- Academic advising: before and during the bachelor's program
- General concerns of the department
- Website
- The student council - student representatives
Together with the student council, the computer science department has developed a mentoring program that addresses the multitude of questions, problems, and uncertainties that students face, especially in the early stages of their studies, which can be very stressful.
The mentoring team helps first-year students successfully master the difficult initial phase of their studies with intensive support and effective advice.
In addition, the Central Student Advisory Service of RWTH Aachen University offers support throughout the study period for personal stresses and crises as well as for all questions and problems that may interfere with studies, such as
- Disturbances in the ability to work and learn,
- Motivation problems,
- Exam and presentation anxiety or other fears,
- Mood swings,
- Orientation or decision-making difficulties,
- Contact problems,
- Crisis and conflict situations
by offering psychological counseling. Please do not hesitate to take advantage of this offer if needed.
You can obtain the certificate of achievement (Form 5) through the PA application system.