Master Media Informatics
Frequently Asked Questions
Table of Contents
For students interested in studying MI
What are the tuition fees / costs for studying MI?
There are no tuition fees for studying the MI master program, but there is a unversity fee for a social contribution and the student public transport ticket allowing the usage of parts of the public transport in the city of Aachen and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia at no further cost.
Do non-academic qualifications improve the admission chances?
We do not consider qualifications other than those we explicity require. In other words, other documents or certificiates are not considered for the admission decision. For example, we do not consider:
- certificates, online courses, and exams obtained from institutions other than recognized universities
- letters of recommendation
- professional experience
Can I study MI online / from abroad?
No, the MI master program has courses that may require the students‘ in-person attendance and the exams usually require attendance. Note that the respective courses often require a regular attendance, e.g. every week, and the exams are usually spread over weeks such that travelling to Bonn or Aachen for the mandatory courses and exams is likely no feasible solution.
While for most courses the students‘ attendance is not mandatory, we highly recommend to attend the lectures and exercises as this allows students to better follow the courses, to directly enter a dialog when questions arise, and to learn together with other students.
Online studies during COVID-19 pandemic
In an effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and to enable students to safely continue their studies, most of RWTH Aachen University’s and University of Bonn’s courses switched to an online format. This applied to all MI courses, i.e. all MI courses were online. The exams were done in presence with safety measures in the summer term 2020 and online in the winter term 2021.
The intention is to return to the in-presence courses once the situation allows it. Please follow the official information provided by RWTH Aachen University and University of Bonn.
Why is there no option to apply for (the first semester in) MI in RWTHonline?
You cannot apply at any time for a first semester start in the MI master program but only during certain time periods. To apply for the MI master program you always have to apply via RWTHonline (you first need to register and then you can submit your application(s)). If you cannot select MI master program in RWTHonline when entering an application for admission, then the application for admission time window is probably not open. If you can select the MI master program but you cannot select the first semester as entrance semester (you can only select a higher semester), then the application for admission time window for a first semester start in MI is probably not open.
What is the meaning of "entrance semester" or "first semester start"?
Students that have completed an undergraduate (bachelor) degree and want to study the MI master program have to apply for admission for the first semester as an entrance semester, i.e., if they are accepted they can start their studies in the first semester. Students that have already studied one or more semesters in a master degree that is similar to MI and want to switch to the MI master program at RWTH Aachen University can apply for admission with a higher semester as the entrance semester. Most of our applicants do not have studied a similar master program before, but apply with an undergraduate (bachelor) degree. Thus, for most students only the application for admission for a first-semester start is relevant.
What are the time windows for submitting applications for admissions?
Since the MI master program only starts in winter terms, applications for admissions for a first semester as entrance semester, can only be submitted during the application for admission time window for winter terms. For a start in summer terms only applications for admissions for higher semesters can be submitted. For the application for admission time periods refer to the Application for Admission page.
For students enrolled to the MI master program
How to receive important announcements?
Once you enrolled as student of the Software Systems Engineering master program, we highly recommend to register for the mailing list managed by the academic advisory team for Media Informatics. Only enrolled MI students using their RWTH Aachen University email address will be accepted for joining the mailing list. Note that the acceptance is a manual process that may take some time as usually collect and process a batch of requests.
The academic advisory will announce important information via this mailing list. Only the academic advisory can post to this mailing list, i.e. this mailing list is not meant to the MI students to communicate with each other. We recommend the MI students to connect with each other using social media or messengers (e.g. directly after after the introduction event for MI students).
Only students enrolled to the MI master program can subscribe to this mailing list
How to find lecture halls?
All mandatory courses are offered at the b-it building in Bonn. It is located directly next to the CS department building of University of Bonn and holds two lecture halls, various seminar rooms or computer labs.
RWTH Aachen University is not a university with only one central campus, but it has multiple campuses and buildings spread across the city of Aachen. Below you find links to websites that can help you find the way.