Courses are held in English (100%). However, participants can choose to write their Master's theses either in English or in German.
31 March for the following winter semester (exception: 15 July for EU residents)
Fees per semester:
1,500 EUR state tuition fee for non-EU citizens
650 EUR state tuition fee for a second degree (only for EU citizens who already obtained a Master's degree from a German university)
In the three-semester Master's degree programme Enterprise and IT Security, you will gain knowledge in IT security and organisational enterprise security. More and more companies and authorities lack experts in the area of enterprise and IT security, who need to be familiar with often highly complex processes and who provide well-founded security solutions.
In the course of the programme, you will both gain thorough practical experience and improve your scientific-academic skills. Besides the purely technical aspects of protecting IT systems, the organisational and legal framework conditions receive more focused attention as well. You will discuss relevant current security questions in small groups and directly apply and evaluate them in the lab.
Graduates of the Enterprise and IT Security Master's degree programme are among the most sought-after specialists in IT. Moreover, in the foreseeable future the demand for experts in this field is expected to exceed the supply many times over.
Technical IT Security – The Technical IT Security part of the programme addresses areas such as software security, mobile security, applied cryptanalysis, data mining, and security aspects for ubiquitous systems. You will learn about specific procedures of modern cryptanalysis and selected anonymisation technologies. Moreover, you will acquire expertise in system security and the vulnerability of current mobile devices, and become able to assess the security level of a given architecture. For hackers or pentesters, the breaking of given cryptographic building blocks is gaining importance. When designing secure IT systems, it is thus of tantamount importance to be familiar with such approaches as well. In an advanced practical project, you will also work in a team and apply your theoretical knowledge in a professional setting, based on current research.
Organisational Enterprise Security – In Organisational Enterprise Security, you will deal with current issues of international and national risk and security as well as applied problems of compliance and economic ethics. Furthermore, you will acquire knowledge and skills in quantitative methods of enterprise, risk, and security management. You will also work with analysis software and optimisation and simulation models.
Ethics and Law – The Ethics and Law part of the programme will enable you to understand, analyse, and assess current ethical problems related to information technology. You will learn to make informed decisions, and you be able to debate and defend your positions. You will understand the relevant laws and regulations and evaluate their consequences for enterprises, including the legal means to review the security of their IT systems.
The central qualification objectives of this study course are students' application-oriented and interdisciplinary education and training in the technical, organisational, and legal aspects of enterprise security, with a special emphasis on IT security.
Required modules (lectures, seminars, and exams) of the first semester are, for example:
The second semester includes a group project and courses such as the following:
In the third and last semester, students prepare their Master's theses. Throughout the study course, both theoretical and practical contents are taught and continuously correlated.
The international student body creates a diverse and challenging learning atmosphere. Cultures from all over the world collide and students are exposed to an international field that is no different from the real globalised world.
Fees per semester:
1,500 EUR state tuition fee for non-EU citizens
650 EUR state tuition fee for a second degree (only for EU citizens who already obtained a Master's degree from a German university)
150 EUR service contribution
153 EUR administration fees
Approximately 935 EUR per month to cover personal expenses. This includes accommodation at a cost of 400 EUR per month.
At Offenburg, a very limited number of partial scholarships are available; applications for these are only open to students enrolled in their second semester (or higher) who have shown high academic performance and a social commitment outside of class.
In addition, there are a few scholarships for international students. Through these scholarships, international students can be exempted from the 1,500 EUR state tuition fee for one year. To be entitled to apply, students must be enrolled at Offenburg University and be in their second semester (or higher).
Admission requires a completed Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Engineering degree in computer science, business informatics, enterprise and IT security, or equivalent, amounting to 210 ECTS credits (European credit system) or equivalent (for degrees from non-European institutions).
APS (only for applicants from India, China and Vietnam)
If you are interested in the programme in Enterprise and IT Security, we invite you to enter your data into our online application system HISinOne.
The selection committee will then screen your online application. Within a few weeks, you will be notified as to whether or not you have been selected to provide a complete application. The selection committee will then make a final decision based on the scanned documents, which you are asked to send.
Please be aware that you will have to show your original documents at the registrar's office of Offenburg University after your arrival.
English: TOEFL [550 and higher (PBT), 213 and higher (CBT), 79 and higher (IBT)] or IELTS (6.0 or higher in each band)
Enrolment for studies will not occur unless you submit the proof of English language skills before starting the study programme in October.
31 March for the following winter semester (exception: 15 July for EU residents)
Applications are only accepted via our HISinOne online application system.
In the International Student Barometer, the largest survey of international students worldwide, Offenburg University was rated number one among German universities for its arrival assistance for international students.
Before your arrival, the Graduate School team can arrange accommodation (student residence hall or private accommodation) for you. The rent is approximately 400 EUR per month. If you wish, we can put you in contact with a student mentor ("Senior Buddy"). He/she will assist you to make preparations before you leave your home country, pick you up at the railway station, show you around, and help you on an individual basis during the first few weeks so that you can familiarise yourself with important aspects of life in Germany.
Each of our Graduate School's Master's programmes has a dedicated coordinator who will provide you with all of the necessary information for your studies in Offenburg. A preparatory German language course is offered in September. At the beginning of October, a special introduction day for international students is organised. Each programme also has its own orientation weekend.
Additionally, members of the Senior Service (local citizens interested in fostering intercultural understanding and working on a voluntary basis) offer their friendship and help.
Here, at Offenburg University, you are made to feel not only welcome, but also at home.
Offenburg University's Career Center offers you a personal advisory service, directing you through your contemplated or chosen career path.
Seminars on "Applying in Germany" will get you ready for successfully writing applications and presenting yourself to companies.
The Career Center will also help to correct and translate CVs and letters of motivation.
In addition, Offenburg University hosts a career day at the university and participates regularly in recruitment fairs in Cologne, Hanover, or other bigger cities. At these fairs, students can directly contact companies, make enquiries about available positions, and discuss any concerns that they may have.
Field trips to companies such as Daimler, SMART, etc., provide an excellent window of opportunity for students to gain insight into organisations' work environments and structures as well as get a first-hand overview of career opportunities.
Extensive assistance in finding accommodation, senior buddy system (personal mentor for the first few weeks), information package and introduction events in English, assistance with immigration services and authorities, guided city tours in English, individual support and advice from the coordinator of the study programme, German summer language course, ongoing language courses during the lecture period, language exchange programmes ("tandems" and "Sprachencafé"), cultural and social programme (excursions, get-togethers, company visits, etc.), sports (sailing, mountain biking, dancing, etc.), and "Senior Service" (an initiative to bring local senior citizens and international students of Offenburg University together)
Offenburg University is a research-rich, high-performance institution in the Black Forest, a German economic powerhouse. We are among the top five in applied research in the south-west and an active member of the European University Association. Offenburg is a highly-ranked university according to the CHE ranking, forming a thriving community with 4,000 students on two campuses.
The university is widely recognised for its international reach and was one of the first German universities with international Master's programmes.
International students account for 12% of the student body. They benefit from the advantages of a smaller institution with an excellent student-teacher ratio and personal attention from instructors. State-of-the-art media, electronic, and mechanical laboratories and facilities help students put their ideas into practice. Wi-Fi access is provided throughout the campus.
The university is known for its emphasis on practical skills and applied research. Its close ties to the regional business community include many world-renowned companies. It is also strongly committed to providing an internationally oriented education. In particular, the English-taught Master's programmes of the Graduate School have won a number of awards, including the DAAD's quality label "TOP 10 International Master's Degree Courses Made in Germany".
The Graduate School's staff offers ongoing support throughout the programme:
International students from all five continents choose to study at Offenburg knowing that their cultures will be respected and appreciated.
The friendly and safe town of Offenburg, population 60,000, is at the centre of the beautiful Ortenau region, situated between the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest and characterised by a comfortable climate with warm and pleasant summers and winter temperatures rarely dropping below zero.
With almost 900 years of history, Offenburg offers a historical centre with a baroque scenery, a variety of cultural events, hiking and cycling trails along the Kinzig River and the surrounding vineyards, and typical Baden gastronomy.
Although Offenburg is relatively small, it offers great cultural and recreational possibilities. There are various festivals and festivities throughout the year, including the famous German carnival season, wine festivals in autumn, and very popular Christmas markets.
Offenburg's city centre offers a variety of department stores and speciality shops as well as a farmers' market on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. Inexpensive groceries can be found at the major supermarket chains around town.
Nearby cities include Strasbourg (France), 25 km, capital of the European Union and seat of the European Parliament; Freiburg, 65 km; Karlsruhe, 75 km; Heidelberg, 110 km; Basel (Switzerland), 120 km; Stuttgart, 140 km; and Frankfurt, 200 km.
Offenburg is close (35/50/130 km) to the international airports of Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, and Basel-Mulhouse, which are mainly served by low-cost carriers (easyJet and Ryanair, among others). The main German airport hub in Frankfurt can be reached by high-speed train in around 90 minutes.
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