# Software Systems Engineering (MSc) at RWTH Aachen

English-taught software engineering master run by RWTH's Faculty 9, one of Germany's strongest computer science departments. The curriculum is unusually free-form - software-project management is the only compulsory module - and leans theoretical, with strong formal-methods and systems options alongside plentiful paid student-assistant roles.

University: RWTH Aachen University (Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen) (https://studygermany.dev/universities/rwth-aachen.md)
City: Aachen (https://studygermany.dev/cities/aachen.md)
HTML page: https://studygermany.dev/programmes/rwth-aachen-msc-software-systems-engineering/

## At a glance

- Degree: MSc
- Language of instruction: English
- English requirement: IELTS / TOEFL (RWTH working standard IELTS 6.5 / TOEFL iBT 90) or RWTH Language Center placement test at B2 (MK7). MOI certificates are not accepted; exemption only for degrees from UK/IE/US/CA/NZ/AU.
- German requirement: not required for admission
- ECTS: 120
- Duration: 4 semesters
- Intake: Winter semester
- Tuition: €0 per semester (public university)
- Semester contribution: not confirmed
- Semester ticket included: yes (Deutschland-Semesterticket)

Fee notes: €0 tuition for all students including non-EU/EEA - NRW public universities charge no tuition (contrast: TUM in Bavaria charges non-EU Master's students €4,000-6,000/semester). Semester contribution is approx. €330/semester: components are confirmed (ticket portion €208.80 from WS 2025/26) but the exact WS 2026/27 total is not yet verified on the AStA page, so no hard number is published here. It includes the Deutschlandsemesterticket, delivered digitally via the naveo app - valid Germany-wide on regional transport plus Zuid-Limburg in the Netherlands (Maastricht, Parkstad, Sittard-Geleen), with specific AVV cross-border lines into Belgium.

## Admission requirements

- Prior degree: Bachelor in Computer Science or a closely related field
- Minimum grade: Minimum bachelor GPA of 65% (RWTH conversion)
- Prerequisite credits: Substantial computer-science and mathematics background: calculus, discrete mathematics, linear algebra, probability, algorithms, automata theory, complexity, logic; Two advanced undergraduate computer-science courses
- Also required: Standard open admission (no NC) - meeting the module, ECTS and language requirements essentially guarantees a place; the real filter is RWTH's demanding first-semester exams. GRE is REQUIRED for applicants without EU/EEA citizenship or a German Abitur: Quantitative above the 75th percentile, Verbal above the 15th percentile, Analytical Writing 3.5 or above. Admission hinges on the Module Matching Form: you map your bachelor's ECTS and syllabus against RWTH's required modules - rejections are administrative and objective, and incomplete files can be discarded without notice. Master's applicants apply directly via RWTHonline - uni-assist is NOT used for RWTH master's applications. No application fee. APS certificate required for applicants from India, China and Vietnam.

## Application deadlines

- Non-EU applicants, winter semester: 2026-03-01 (PASSED as of the last site build; the window usually repeats next cycle). Final deadline for WS 2026/27 (winter intake only; portal opens ~January). Late or incomplete applications are not considered.
- EU / German-degree applicants, winter semester: 2026-07-15 (PASSED as of the last site build; the window usually repeats next cycle). EU/EEA citizens, current RWTH students and holders of a German degree (portal opens 4 May 2026).

## How to apply

- uni-assist required: no
- Application portal: https://online.rwth-aachen.de
- Official programme page: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/bnhr/lidx/1

## External resources

- [Official programme page](https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/bnhr/lidx/1)
- [Faculty admission page](https://sc.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/en/studium/master/sse/application-for-admission/)
- [StudyCheck reviews](https://www.studycheck.de/studium/software-engineering/rwth-aachen-10830)
- [Apply via RWTHonline](https://online.rwth-aachen.de)



## Provenance

Last checked: 2026-07-10

- RWTH Aachen - Software Systems Engineering M.Sc. official programme page: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/bnhr/lidx/1
- RWTH Faculty 9 - SSE application for admission (GRE percentiles, GPA floor, B2/MK7 route confirmed): https://sc.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/en/studium/master/sse/application-for-admission/
- AStA RWTH Aachen - semester contribution (€0 tuition; Deutschlandsemesterticket bundled): https://www.asta.rwth-aachen.de/en/semester-contribution/
- Inferred - ECTS/duration assumed RWTH-standard 120/4 (programme page not read for this field): https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/bnhr/lidx/1