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Application Process
Great that you are interested in our study program! Below is some information about the admission criteria, the application procedure and important dates during the application and selection process. Click on the corresponding tabs to find out more!
Here you can find information about the requirements for admission to our study program. If you want to know more about the application procedure and the deadlines, click on the Procedure and Important dates tabs!
Formal criteria for admission
All applicants applying to the Master study program in Geoinformatics and Spatial Data Science will be assessed against the following formal admission criteria:
- A maximum of 30 students will be admitted each year (usually, 18 students per winter semester and 12 students per summer semester will be admitted). The general entry requirements are defined by the respective national and state laws for Higher Education in Germany.
- All applicants must have an adequate Bachelor degree based on six semesters full time studies (= 180 ECTS credit points) or more, recognized in Germany for admission to graduate studies. The Examination board decides on the equivalence of other degrees (see below).
- All applicants who are not of English mother tongue have to present a TOEFL certificate with a minimum of 550 points (paper-based), or an equivalent qualification for English. This can be another test from an acknowledged institution, e.g. IELTS (academics 6,5). Another option: you already passed a study program with English as a medium of instruction.
- Applicants will have to comply with the admission procedure:
- Complete and correct personal information
- Complete and certified supporting documents:
- Bachelor diploma including a grade transcript of records in English or German copy. A preliminary transcript of records of at least 150 ECTS credit points is sufficient for the application. At the time of admission, you must have completed the Bachelor degree.
- if applicable: Documentation of time spent abroad, working or other experience, certified (translated to English or German) copy
- European format CV (template)
- TOEFL test or equivalent
- Reference letters (minimum of 2)
- Proof of nationality (certified copy of passport)
- Passport photo
- List with reference names
- Other (if applicable)
Equivalence of degrees:
The MSc Geoinformatics and Spatial Data Science in Muenster is a consecutive study program that is based on completion of a suitable BSc study program (e.g., Geoinformatics, Computer Science, Geodesy). It has a strong focus on software development and algorithmic processing of geospatial data. Therefore, an important basic requirement for admission is a bachelor’s degree in a study program that includes a minimum of 80 credit points (ECTS) of courses that impart at least 4 of the following competences:
- mathematics – linear algebra and analysis
- algorithms and data structures
- software engineering and programming
- architectures and methods for the distributed storage and processing of (spatial) information
- acquisition and statistical analysis of spatio-temporal data
- application of information technologies for solving geoscientific research questions
Here, a minimum of 10 credit points must apply to “software engineering and programming”.
Please note that the information about criteria and regulations mentioned on this homepage are not legally binding, but only a guidance for students interested in the MSc Geoinformatics and Spatial Data Science. The only legally binding information is given in the ‘Zugangs- und Zulassungsordnung’.
Online Applications
Downloads
Contact
For technical support please contact:
Karsten Höwelhans
Institute for Geoinformatics
Heisenbergstraße 2
48149 Münster
Regular application procedure (non-scholarship applications)
In a first step, applications in English language are to be submitted online only to avoid unnecessary costs and efforts: Application System
All applicants will be informed about their results by e-mail. Those candidates who are found to be eligible for the program will be asked to send a hard copy version of their full application by post. The following documents need to be provided as certified* copies:
- Your Bachelor diploma and transcript
- Your Master diploma and transcript (if applicable)
- Your passport
Since the enrolment procedure can only start after having received the before-mentioned documents, please make sure to be able to submit the certified copies on very short notice by the time the results are being published.
*Certifications can be made by any official institution, e.g. a lawyer, your home university, town halls etc. The documents provided must have an original stamp and signature on it, no copies of certified copies can be accepted.
Deadlines
In order to allow for sufficient time for visa application procedures, there are separate deadlines for European and Non-European applicants:
- Non-EU applicants: November 30th; EU applicants: from early December up to January 15th for the following summer semester
- Non-EU applicants: May 31th; EU applicants: from early June up to July 15th for the following winter semester
TOEFL
For sending TOEFL test results through ETS, please use the ifgi TOEFL code number 3692.
Additional information for applicants from P.R. China and Mongolia
Applicants with Chinese diplomas need a certificate of the Academic Evaluation Centre (Akademische Prüfstelle – APS) at the German Embassy Beijing. Further information:
Akademische Prüfstelle Beijing
Chaoyang District, Dongsanhuan Beilu 8
Landmark Tower 2, Office 0311 100004 Beijing P.R. China
Email: info@aps.org.cn
It is acceptable to provide only the regular application documents until the respective deadline (January 15th or July 15th). In this case, the APS certificate has to be provided before the enrollment at the University of Münster.
The applications will be evaluated and pre-selected on the basis of the application form and supporting documents. Selected applicants will be invited to a 15-20 minutes interview in person or by telephone.
Online Applications
Downloads
Contact
For technical support please contact:
Karsten Höwelhans
Institute for Geoinformatics
Heisenbergstraße 2
48149 Münster
The following table provides an overview of important dates for application, admission and enrollment:
Winter semester | Summer semester | ||
---|---|---|---|
1. | Opening of the online application portal | late March | late September |
2. | Deadline online application for non-EU applicants | May 31 | November 30 |
3. | Deadline online application for EU applicants | July 15 | January 15 |
4. | Waiting time before notification of admission (and non-admission) | 4-5 weeks | 4-5 weeks |
5. | Enrollment | October | April
|
Online Applications
Downloads
Contact
For technical support please contact:
Karsten Höwelhans
Institute for Geoinformatics
Heisenbergstraße 2
48149 Münster