FAU is not only strong in research in the many facets of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Teaching in the field of AI is also well established at the university and has been for many years.
General information
FAU offers a wide range of courses in the field of AI in various degree programs. The degree programs include B.Sc./M.Sc. Autonomy Technologies, B.Sc./M.Sc. Electromobility-ACES, B.Sc./M.Sc. Artificial Intelligence, M.Sc. Applied Data Science and Business Analytics, B.Sc./M.Sc. Data Science, B.Sc./M.Sc. Medical Engineering, B.Sc. KI Materialtechnologie.
All of these degree programs are internationally oriented and almost all courses are taught in English, except for the B.Sc. KI Materialtechnologie.
The leading departments are the Department of Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering (AIBE) and the Department of Computer Science. The range of courses is enriched by other departments of the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine. Philosophical and ethical aspects of AI are also addressed. Teaching in this area is offered, for example, by the Center for Philosophy and AI Research (PAIR).
Bachelor of Science Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The new international Bachelor’s degree program Artificial Intelligence (B.Sc.) will be introduced in the winter semester 2024/25. It is one of the first English-taught B.Sc. AI in Germany and the ideal complement to the Master’s degree program Artificial Intelligence, which was already established in the summer of 2021. The Bachelor’s degree program Artificial Intelligence is an undergraduate engineering degree program. It combines a broad, fundamental-oriented basic knowledge with a professional qualification. It provides students with initial knowledge of scientific methodology and practice.
At the end of their studies, graduates know and understand the fundamentals of engineering sciences, in particular mathematics and computer science, with an initial specialization in artificial intelligence. The basic knowledge and methods acquired in the first semesters are applied in the further course of the degree program. They are deepened in the areas of data analysis, signal processing, biomedical sciences and image processing. Students supplement and/or deepen their specialist knowledge in elective modules.
The aims of the B.Sc. AI program are:
- To impart basic knowledge in the fields of information science, mathematics and ethical-philosophical contextualization of AI
- Interest-based, research-based specialization and application-oriented focus in the field of AI through compulsory elective modules
The structure of the B.Sc. AI roughly looks as follows:
Core Modules (Basics):
- Computer Science (courses include Data Engineering, Applied Programming, Software Engineering, …)
- Mathematics (courses include Mathematics for Data Science or Probability and Stochastic Processes)
- Artificial Intelligence (courses include AI Perspectives, AI Fundamentals, Ethics and Philosophy of AI, …)
Elective areas: In the elective areas, AI topics are explored in greater depth and the basics of application areas are taught. Practical experience can be gained through projects and the Bachelor’s thesis. The elective areas consist of:
- Application Domain Fundamentals
- AI Electives
- AI Seminar
- AI Project
- Free Choice
- Bachelor-Thesis
For the admission, a Qualification Assessment Process (“Eignungsfeststellungsverfahren”) will be implemented.
If you have any questions about the B.Sc. AI, have a look at the website (https://www.ai.study.fau.eu/) or feel free to contact the Study Advisor Nora Manz, M.A. (study-ai-bachelor@fau.de) or the Degree Program Manager Prof. Dr. David B. Blumenthal (david.b.blumenthal@fau.de).
Master of Science Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The international Master’s degree program on AI has been available at FAU since the summer semester 2021. In contrast to Data Science oriented programs, AI focuses on the constructive modelling and implementation of algorithms, data structures, neural networks and their respective applications. The program currently has over 500 students and receives over 5000 applications per year.
It consists of three main components:
- Symbolic AI (AI working with human-understandable symbols)
- Subsymbolic AI (AI working below the threshold of what is human-readable)
- AI systems and applications (Applying AI knowledge and techniques to solve problems across different industries and disciplines)
The structure of the M.Sc. AI roughly looks as follows:
- Electives: introducing students to academic research around artificial intelligence and its methodologies + offering every student the opportunity to sharpen their profile specifically towards their talents and interests. The electives are centered around the three aforementioned central pillars of the AI master’s program.
- Projects: are intended to hone and put to test the students’ acquired technical knowledge, research merit and self-organization skills. They will typically be completed in the context of a work group related to artificial intelligence. They will also require the students to independently tackle a more complex problem or question.
- Seminar: will allow students to connect with a topic complex of their choice and research and interact with academic information and present their findings to a relevant audience.
- Minor: students choose courses that have a practical or topical connection to artificial intelligence (but are not already included in the electives discussed above).
- Master’s Thesis: The topic of the thesis must be related to subjects studied by the student during the program. It needs to be written in English. An oral presentation of the results of about 30 minutes as well as a consecutive discussion are obligatory.
For the M.Sc. AI program, a minor from a pre-approved list needs to be selected and completed. These are supposed to give students an opportunity to broaden their perspective and gain experience for future employment in a related field. The list ranges from Robotics and Automation or Computer Graphics to English Linguistics or Philosophy. The list of the approved minors can be found here (https://www.ai.study.fau.eu/students/module-catalogue/approved-minors/).
The central qualification factor for admission to the master’s program AI is a bachelor’s degree in informatics or computer science. Applicants with degrees in related fields may also be considered. But they have to demonstrate familiarity with the material necessary to successfully participate in the master’s-level courses of this program. This includes participating in an online test during the application process.
If you have any questions about the M.Sc. AI, have a look at the website (https://www.ai.study.fau.eu/) or feel free to contact the study advisor Dr. Felix Schmutterer (study-ai-master@fau.de).
