Data Engineering and Analytics

Handling and analyzing very large amounts of data is an urgent problem in many areas of science and industry and requires novel approaches and techniques. The trend towards “Big Data” is caused by a host of developments: Firstly, the creation and storage of large data sets becomes feasible and economically viable, for example due to price decreases in storage space, sensors, smart devices, social networks and many more. Secondly, technical advances for example in multi-core systems and cloud computing make it possible to examine data sets at large scale. And thirdly, such amounts of data do not only origin in the “classical” domains like business data, but now are created in many areas of life. Consider vehicles, that create sensor data and share information via intelligent networking, or consider data that is created by intelligent energy grids.

The master program Data Engineering and Analytics steps up to these developments and provides an education that on the one hand enables graduates to design and plan industry grade solutions in the area of Big Data, on the other hand creates a solid starting point for ventures into research.

For a comprehensive description of the program, please refer to the degree program documentation:

• Degree program documentation for the master's program in Data Engineering and Analytics (PDF, German) 

The master’s programs “Mathematics in Data Science” and “Data Engineering and Analytics” offer access to many career opportunities including: research, consulting, IT security, systems design, and data science in industry. The respective departments offer Ph.D. positions that are the pathway to a career in research. Typical job profiles in industry include data analysts and data engineers. Data engineers master very large databases and distributed information systems and are responsible for IT security and applied data analytics for structuring data. Data analysts filter and extract information from large data sets based on statistical and mathematical methods and tailor them towards informed strategic decisions

The program is divided into three areas of study: Data Analysis, Data Engineering and Analytics and Data Engineering. The first area is concerned with fundamentals of understanding and modelling data and the underlying relationships. Data Engineering consists of lectures about the construction of systems that perform efficient and scalable data processing, thus enable the methods of Data Analysis on large data sets.

The curriculum comprises mandatory courses on Data Analysis and Data Engineering. Advanced lectures are offered in these area of studies: Data Engineering contains lectures about distributed systems, distributed databases, query optimization, database systems on modern CPU architectures and high performance computing.  Data Engineering and Analytics offers lectures about machine learning, business analytics, computer vision and scientific visualization. Data Analysis is concerned with topics that require solid mathematical foundations: Fundamentals of Convex Optimization, Computational Statistics and more.

• Program structure & Overview of modules

Required language skills for admission:

You need sufficient English language skills if you wish to apply for this program. Evidence of your language proficiency has to be submitted before the end of the application deadline. Learn more about recognized certificates and other ways to prove your English language skills.

This evidence of your language proficiency confirms that you comply with the minimum language requirements for admission to the program. Depending on the program and your individual background, it may be necessary for you to keep working on your language skills during your studies. Be sure to take a look at the services of our Language Center.  

Language of instruction:

The language of instruction for this program is usually English. This means that most of the modules are offered in English. Some courses may, however, be taught in German.To learn more about the language of instruction for each module, contact the departmental student academic advisor of this program.

• Information on exams
• Information on studying abroad

The tuition fees for international students from third countries for this degree program are 6,000 euros per semester.

Many international students can have their fees waived or receive scholarships to finance them. You can find all information on waivers and scholarships here.

Please note: The semester fee as a contribution to the student union must be paid additionally. It varies depending on where you are studying. You can find all information on the semester fee here.

Minimum requirements to apply for a Master’s program at TUM are a recognized undergraduate degree (e.g. a Bachelor’s) and the successful completion of the aptitude assessment procedure. The aptitude assessment allows the TUM school to which you are applying to evaluate your individual talents and motivation for study.

During the application period, you must apply through the TUMonline application portal and upload your application documents.

If you receive an offer of admission, you will additionally have to submit individual documents as notarized hardcopies by post to be enrolled.

Generally, applicants with a qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. a Bachelor’s) obtained outside of the EU / EEA must have their documents reviewed in advance through uni-assist.

In detail:

• Applying for a Master’s program: Application, admission requirements and more  
• Important information about your application from the TUM school

• Degree Certificate and Diploma or Subject and Grade Transcript of Studies to Date
• Transcript of Records
• Proof of English Language Proficiency
• Letter of Motivation
• Essay
• Curriculum (e.g. module description)
• Curricular Analysis
• Complete and Current Résumé
• Passport
• Preliminary Documentation (VPD) if the qualification for graduate studies (e.g. a bachelor’s) was obtained outside the EU/EEA (from winter semester 2025/26: outside Germany)

We may require additional documents depending on your educational background and your country of origin. Complete the online application to receive a comprehensive list of the required documents. 

• Application for Enrollment (signed)
• Degree Certificate and Diploma (certified copy)
• Transcript of Records (certified copy)
• Most Current Photo (as for ID)
• Digital notification of your health insurance status from a German public health insurance provider (requested by applicant)

We may require additional documents depending on the type of educational background you earned and your country of origin. After accepting an offer of admission in TUMonline, you will receive a list of documents you must submit to TUM in hardcopy for enrollment.

Application period for winter semester: 01.02. – 31.05.
Application period for summer semester: 01.09. – 30.11.

During the application period, you must apply through the TUMonline application portal and upload your application documents. Please be aware that we can only process your application if you upload all required documents within the application period.

We will review your application as soon as it is complete. Please check your TUMonline account regularly, to see if we have any queries to your documents or if you have to amend one or more documents.

After receiving admission, you will see in TUMonline which documents you have to submit for enrollment, and in which form. Please note that you always have to send the signed application for enrollment and all notarized hardcopies by post.

We recommend that you submit the documents for enrollment as soon as possible after receiving admission. If individual documents are not available by then, you can submit them up to 5 weeks after the start of the lecture period. You will, however, only be enrolled once we have received all documents.

You can check the status of your application at any time in your TUMonline account.

Selection takes place through an aptitude assessment procedure. The aptitude assessment is a two-part procedure after the submission of an official application to a program. In this procedure, the TUM school determines whether you meet the specific requirements for its Master’s degree program.

In the initial stages, the grades you obtained during your Bachelor’s program, as well as your written documents, will be evaluated using a point system. Depending on the amount of points accumulated, applicants are either immediately admitted, rejected, or invited to an admissions interview. 

• Aptitude Assessment for Master
• Description of the Aptitude Assessment (German) (PDF 169 KB)