Full-time Master's Degree Programme (1 year)
| About the programme Language: English (See language requirements) | Place of study: Aarhus | Commencement: August / September (See if this programme also offers a January/February start for international applicants) | Find current tuition fee rate | Programme type: Full-time Master's Degree Programme (1 year) |
The 1-year Master's degree programme in Applied Computer Science builds on the computer science competencies you have acquired during your Bachelor's degree. Over the course of one year, you will specialise in a specific area of computer science and develop specialised knowledge and competencies at Master's degree level. The programme is research-based and leads to a full Master's degree.
When you apply for the programme, you choose one of four specialisations, which will form the framework for your studies:
The programme combines courses with an industry project, giving you the opportunity to apply your academic knowledge to a specific problem in collaboration with an external partner. You complete the programme with a 15 ECTS final project.
At Aarhus University, you will receive a world-class education. The Department of Computer Science is among the world's leading research environments in cryptography and programming languages and is internationally recognised for its research in areas including artificial intelligence, algorithms, human-computer interaction (HCI) and cyber security. This strong academic environment attracts researchers and students from around the world and gives you the opportunity to become part of an engaged, international study environment with close links to research.
In this section you can learn more about the admission requirements relevant to the Master's degree programme in Applied Computer Science. Depending on your educational background and your qualifications, there are different ways to meet the admission requirements:
This section is relevant for you, if you have:
The two sections listed below are relevant only for students with a Bachelor's degree from a Danish institution:
Below these sections, you can learn more about the English language requirement. You can also find out which ranking criteria we use to assess your application when prioritizing among the submitted applications.
If you have an international educational background, you must meet both the general admission requirement and the specific admission requirements:
You must have a Bachelor's degree or equivalent that is comparable to a Danish Bachelor's degree in both level and duration (180 ECTS).
For more information about how your Bachelor's degree is assessed, please see the national database.
If you meet the general admission requirement, the university will continue on to assess whether or not you meet the specific admission requirements.
You can be admitted to the Master's programme if the university assesses that your education has a level, scope, and content that corresponds to the academic requirements specified below.
| Subject area | Number of ECTS |
Programming You must have at least 20 ECTS credits in programming. The following subject areas are typically considered, but other relevant courses within programming may also be included:
| 20 |
Computer Systems You must have at least 20 ECTS credits in computer systems. The following subject areas are typically considered, but other relevant courses within computer systems may also be included:
| 20 |
Theoretical Computer Science and/or Human-Computer Interaction You must have at least 20 ECTS credits in Theoretical Computer Science and/or Human-Computer interaction. The following subject areas are typically considered, but other relevant courses within Theoretical Computer Science may also be included:
| 20 |
Basic subjects in Mathematics, Probability Theory and Statistics You must have at least 20 ECTS credits in foundational mathematical subjects, like cal-culus/analysis, (linear) algebra, discrete math/graph theory, or probability theory and statistics. | 20 |
| Total | 80 |
There is no Bachelor's degree programme(s) from Aarhus University that provides a legal right of admission to this Master's degree programme.
Certain Bachelor's degree programmes from Aarhus University and various other Danish universities have been determined to meet the admission requirements to this master's degree programme:
If you obtained your Bachelor's degree from an educational institution outside Denmark, we ask you to complete an appendix to help us assess whether you meet the programme's academic admission requirements. In the appendix, please specify which courses you have completed as part of your Bachelor's degree within the required subject areas.
You will find a link to the appendix in the confirmation message you receive in the application portal (DANS) after submitting your application.
All Master’s degree programmes at Aarhus University have limited intake. This means that you are not guaranteed admission even if you meet the entry requirements. When we prioritize among applicants, we assess your application based on a set of fixed ranking criteria, which you can see below.
If you have a legal right of admission, you are guaranteed a place in the programme and do not need to consider the ranking criteria.
Ranking criteria:
1. Grades from the qualifying degree
2. Grades achieved in relevant subject fields:
3. Relevant subject fields (measured in ECTS). In this assessment, ECTS credits that are a part of the admission requirements described under ‘Other qualifying degrees’ are not included.
In criterion three, the score is based on the proportion of subjects on the bachelor’s degree diploma that fall within the relevant subject fields. In this assessment, ECTS credits that are a part of the admission requirements described under ‘Other qualifying degrees’ are not included.
Please note that grades achieved after the application deadline are not included in the assessment.
In order to be admitted to this programme you must meet the university's english language requirements.
Students with bachelor's degree from Aarhus University with a so-called 'Legal right of admission' are exempt from the English language requirement.
Unfortuntely, Aarhus University is not able to assess your qualifications beforehand. In order for your qualifications to be assessed you must apply for admission. To learn more, please go to Assessment of your qualifications.
Applied Computer Science is a one-year Master's degree programme comprising 75 ECTS. It is a focused, full-time programme in which you specialise in one area of computer science through courses, an industry project and a final project.
The programme consists of:
During the first semester, you take courses corresponding to 30 ECTS. In the second semester, you take a further 20 ECTS of courses and complete a 10 ECTS industry project. Over the summer, you complete the programme with a 15 ECTS final project.
When you apply for the programme, you must choose which specialisation you want to pursue. You can choose between:
As part of the programme, you complete a 10 ECTS industry project in collaboration with an external partner. The industry project builds on the knowledge you have acquired through your courses and gives you the opportunity to work on a specific problem. This allows you to apply your specialised academic knowledge outside the university and gain experience collaborating with external partners.
If it is not possible to find an external partner, the industry project can be replaced by 10 ECTS of specialisation courses.
You complete the programme with a 15 ECTS final project within your chosen specialisation. The project gives you the opportunity to explore a topic in depth and apply the theories, methods and competencies you have developed throughout the programme. The final project takes place over the summer and constitutes the final part of the one-year programme.
The academic regulations for Applied Computer Science will be available in late autumn 2026.
The academic regulations contain further information about the content of the individual courses. You can also find information about the structure of the programme and the requirements you must meet as a student, including examination formats and requirements.
As an Applied Computer Science student, you will become part of the international study environment at the Department of Computer Science in IT City Katrinebjerg. Here, Danish and international students study side by side.
The programme is an intensive, full-time programme, and you will work both independently and together with other students. Teaching methods vary from course to course, but typically include a combination of lectures, classroom teaching, assignments and group project work. If you have questions or need help with assignments, you can get support from your lecturer or a teaching assistant.
Aarhus University has brought together most of its IT degree programmes in IT City Katrinebjerg, close to the University Park. More than 3,000 students study here, and with many active student associations, there are plenty of opportunities to take part in both social and academic activities during your studies.
At the Department of Computer Science, you can meet fellow students as well as lecturers at the Friday bar. The student association DSAU organises a wide range of activities throughout the year, helping to create a strong sense of community across degree programmes and year groups.
Our students are very active and organise events such as the AUHack hackathon, K-LAN and IT Camp for Girls every year. These activities are organised on a voluntary basis, and there is always room for more helping hands and good ideas. The department also regularly organises academic and career-related events together with companies from our Business Club.
With a Master's degree in Applied Computer Science, you will gain specialised computer science competencies that can be applied in private companies, public-sector organisations, and research and development environments.
Your specific career opportunities will depend on your specialisation. For example, you may work with the development and application of AI, cyber security, software development and analysis, interaction design, user experience, or the development of new digital technologies.
The one-year Master's degree programme is research-based and leads to a full Master's degree. It also qualifies you to apply for a PhD programme in accordance with the applicable regulations.
Even while studying, you have opportunities to gain relevant professional experience. The Department of Computer Science is located in IT City Katrinebjerg, where many companies offer relevant student jobs. As a student, you can work as a student programmer, teaching assistant or in other IT-related student positions.
Current student jobs, project collaborations and full-time positions are shared on the CS Job Wall on Facebook. Many students also meet their future employer at Kdag, the department's annual career fair and one of Denmark's largest IT career fairs.
Once you have completed a one-year Master’s degree programme, you have the right to return later in life and take a free ECTS-accredited supplementary programme. This allows you to build on your existing competencies or acquire new knowledge relevant to your working life.
