Master's Degree Programme
| About the programme Language: English (See language requirements) | Place of study: Aarhus | Commencement: August / September |
The MSc in IT Product Development is based at Aarhus University’s Department of Computer Science and offered in collaboration with the Department of Engineering. Students take a combination of courses from both departments related to computer science and industrial design.
The programme offers the highest-quality teaching from a strong international team of researcher - all in an informal learning environment. The teaching style is a mix of lectures and classes, with preparatory work in study groups.
In the first year of the programme, students take several required courses in the research priority areas of physical and spatial design, IoT/cloud computing, and augmented reality. These are followed by an innovation project. In the second year, students complete their master’s thesis. Elective courses give students the scope to specialize in fields including advanced data management, multimodal interaction, interactivity, or computer mediation.
Applicants are expected to have acquired a thorough knowledge of the basics of IT and industrial design in their bachelor’s programme. These should include programming, systems, system development, physical design, basic electronics, as well as some experience of combining these disciplines.
Since English is the language of instruction in all subjects, all applicants are required to provide evidence of their English language proficiency.
In this section you can learn more about the admission requirements relevant to the master's degree programme in IT Product Development. 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 you will also be able to learn more about language requirements and find out whether or not this master's degree programme has a limited intake.
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 |
Industrial design The following subject areas must be covered:
| 20 |
Physical computing, i.e. the building of interactive physical systems by the use of software and hardware that can sense and respond to the analog world | 10 |
| Human-computer interaction and experimental system development | 10 |
Programming The following subject areas must be covered:
| 20 |
Computer systems The following subject areas must be covered:
| 20 |
| Basic subjects in mathematics, probability theory and statistics | 10 |
| Total | 90 |
We cannot assess in advance whether your specific degree will meet the above requirements. Therefore, we recommend that you apply for the programme if you believe that you meet the academic requirements. In this regard, it is a good idea to compare your degree with the programmes that provide direct admission.
The following Bachelor's degree programme(s) from Aarhus University entitles you to an offer of admission to the Master's degree programme in IT Product Development:
Bachelor's degree programme in IT Product development from Aarhus University
Please note that you must apply for admission to the Master's degree programme within three years of completing your Bachelor's degree programme.
Learn more about Legal right of admission.
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 in IT Product Development:
You must fill in this appendix and upload it to the application portal. The appendix helps the Admission Board to assess your application.
Download appendix
This master's degree programme has a limited intake.
Because of the limited intake all qualified applicants will be prioritised according to a set of selection critieria (see below).
Meeting the admission requirements does not automatically ensure your offer of admission. Only if you have a specific bachelor's degree from Aarhus University with a so-called 'legal right of admission' will you be guarenteed an offer of admission to this master's degree programme.
If there are more qualified applicants than available student places, the selection will be based on the following criteria (each criterion counts for 1/3):
Grades from the qualifying degree
Grades achieved in relevant subject fields:
IT-Product Development
Industrial Design
Mathematics
Probability Theory
Statistics
Please note that grades achieved after the application deadline are not included in the grade point average (GPA).
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.
Industrial Design
Mathematics
Probability Theory
Statistics
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.
Unfortunately, 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.
The Master's degree programme in IT Product Development spans two years, divided into four semesters. During the two years, you will take a series of mandatory courses, engage in a major innovation project, and choose from a range of elective courses that allow you to specialise in the areas you are most passionate about. On the third semester, you can go on exchange, while the fourth semester is dedicated entirely to your thesis, which some choose to write in collaboration with a company. Your individual study programme will be tailored to your interests in consultation with the programme coordinator.
The Department of Computer Science has many spaces for getting together with fellow students outside class, which form an excellent basis for both study-related and social activities. The department and our student associations organize a variety of events and tech talks in collaboration with local and international companies. There is also a popular Friday bar, and students organize the annual hackathon AUHack.
The Department of Computer Science is in the IT City Katrinebjerg, where Aarhus University has consolidated all its IT programmes and research. As the largest IT education center in Denmark, with more than 3,000 students and 200 researchers, IT City Katrinebjerg is an exciting study environment. This multidisciplinary hub, unique to Aarhus University, provides great opportunities in IT for students, researchers, and businesses to work and interact together.
The IT city Katrinebjerg is close to the unique main campus of Aarhus University. The campus is located near the city center, and student accommodation is readily available as long as you apply on time. There are a range of activities, ranging from running to regatta on the lake, as well as guest lectures, film screenings, and university events taking place throughout the year. To ensure student well-being, counselling services are available for students, to offer support and guidance during their time at Aarhus.
Want to know more about student life in Aarhus? Ask all your questions about courses, workload, student jobs and much more via Unibuddy. Our friendly student ambassadors are here to answer your questions. Find an ambassador from your home country or the subject you want to study.
As the second-largest city in Denmark, Aarhus is a young and dynamic place with plenty of opportunities. The 40,000 students at the university make up almost 20% of the city’s population, which leaves its mark on city life. An attractive feature of Aarhus is that beaches and woods are just a short bike-ride away, as well as many cultural events taking place throughout the year, including the Aarhus Festival in September. The theatres in the city and the ARoS art museum offer many events that enable you to experience the Danish culture.
-experienced, photographed and filmed by the students themselves.
With thousands of pictures #AUInternational, #AarhusUni and #AUDatalogi gives insight into the everyday life as a student at AU; the parties, procrastination, exams and all the other ways you’ll spend your time at university.
The photos belong to the users, shared with #AUInternational and #AarhusUni.
The chart shows the five most common types of work for graduates 1-2 years after finishing their degree. The data is derived from a survey made by Epinion for the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and Aarhus University in 2020.
The IT Product Development Master’s is multidisciplinary, and it qualifies you to work across a wide range of fields. Graduates of the programme are particularly qualified to develop IT products, as well as digital and physical interface applications supplemented by web-based services.
Previous graduates have gone on to develop media and navigation equipment for motor vehicles, mobile applications, energy and media control equipment for homes, experience and learning installations for museums and attractions, and technology for the health sector.
There is a great demand for IT specialists in Denmark, and many Aarhus-based IT companies are on the lookout for student employees for part-time jobs. The department has a close collaboration with the industry network Destination AARhus, who helps international IT talents find student- or full-time jobs. The department also has an online ‘jobwall’, and every year we host a career fair (“Kdag”), where students get a unique opportunity to meet more than 50 IT companies.
If you are interested in staying in academia, the department also has a very popular PhD programme. It is possible to apply for admission during your master studies. The PhD programme is open for admission four times a year. All PhD positions at the department are fully funded.
Many of our students are interested in innovation and starting up new companies. At the Department of Computer Science, one of our goals is to support entrepreneurial activities of our students and recent graduates. Therefore, we have created an experimental innovation lab and incubator environment called HatchIt Lab.
In HatchIT Lab, you can develop a start-up idea in a business-oriented incubation and innovation environment. The lab is located close to the IT research and educational facilities at Aarhus University. Hereby, HatchIT Lab contributes to collaboration between students, researchers, and companies. As an open innovation environment, HatchIT Lab supports the sharing of knowledge and experiences between students, entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized businesses, and well-established companies.
I work in a division that develops new play concepts for LEGO. We work with the early phases of product development, including prototyping and tests. The job is a great fit with my degree. On my programme we made prototypes of all the concepts we developed. Working with prototypes in our studies means a lot for the way we approach projects. We take a very practical approach and we can quickly produce something concrete that can move the development process along.
Morten Boye Mortensen
Graduate, MSc in IT Product Development
Digital concept designer at LEGO
