Master's degree in mathematics

• International Master's Program in English
  All classes of the Master's programme are offered in English.
• Small Groups and High-Quality Teaching
  Students work in small groups and are individually supervised by professors and their assistants. In the national CHE university rankings Saarbrücken is rated in the top group in the categories “overall” and “supervision”. The mathematics students' council, a representative body of the mathematics students in Saarbrücken, provides help and support with questions around the studies of mathematics.

• High Scientific Quality
  Our Department of Mathematics is home to an outstanding group of faculty researchers who represent a wide variety of areas covering both pure and applied mathematics. Our faculty's reputation and high international visibility is documented by many prestigeous awards and honours, including invited talks at the International Congress of Mathematicians, ERC advanced grants, and a Leibniz prize; you can find a  list of such accomplishments here.

• Many Collaborations with Computer Science
  The Department of Mathematics has strong ties with the Department of Computer Science, one of the leading departments in Germany, as documented by three joint professorships in the fields of applied algebra, mathematical image analysis, and mathematical data analysis. Moreover, the highly renowed Max-Planck-Institutes for Computer Science and Software Systems as well as the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence are next door.

• No Tuition Fees
  There is only a semester fee of 288 Euros which includes free rides on buses and trains within the Saarland region and subsidized food in the university canteen.

• Low Living Costs
  Compared to other cities in Germany, Saarbrücken is inexpensive in regard to rents and living costs in general.

• High Quality of Life
  Saarbrücken has around 180,000 inhabitants, and the university has around 18,000 students. The quality of life is high, and there are plenty of opportunities in regard to cultural activities, nightlife, and nature.

The Department of Mathematics of Saarland University currently has 20 professors, including 3 joint professorships with the Department of Computer Science (indicated by a * in the list below). In alphabetical order, our research areas are:

Algebra, Geometry, and Number Theory

• Prof. Dr. Simon Brandhorst:  Algebraic Surfaces, Quadratic Forms
• Prof. Dr. Vladimir Lazić: Algebraic and Complex Geometry
• Prof. Dr. Frank-Olaf Schreyer*: Algebraic Geometry and Computer Algebra
• Prof. Dr. Gabriela Weitze-Schmithüsen: Number Theory and Algebra

Applied Analysis

• Prof. Dr. Michael Bildhauer: Partial Differential Equations, Calculus of Variations, Geometric Analysis
• Prof. Dr. Martin Fuchs: Partial Differential Equations, Calculus of Variations, Mathematical Physics
• Prof. Dr. Mark Groves: Partial Differential Equations, Water Waves

Functional Analysis

• Prof. Dr. Jörg Eschmeier: Operator Theory, Fredholm and Index Theory
• Prof. Dr. Michael Hartz : Operator Theory, Operator Algebras and Complex Analysis
• Prof. Dr. Roland Speicher: Free Probability Theory, Random Matrices
• Prof. Dr. Moritz Weber: Quantum Groups, Free Probability Theory, Operator Algebras

Mathematical Data Analysis

• Prof. Dr. Joachim Weickert*: Mathematical Image Analysis
• (currently vacant)*: Mathematical Data Analysis

Numerics

• Prof. Dr. Sergej Rjasanow: Numerics of Partial Differential Equations, Boltzmann Equations, Boundary Element Methods
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Schuster: Inverse Problems

Stochastics

• Prof. Dr. Christian Bender: Stochastic Processes, Financial Mathematics, Monte-Carlo Methods
• Prof. Dr. Henryk Zähle: Mathematical Statistics, Stochastic Processes, Insurance Mathematics

There are strong collaborations with the Department of Computer Science and the Max Planck Institute for Informatics in the areas of discrete mathematics, complexity theory, and computational geometry.

You can find some more information about the research profile of the department here .

Furthermore, we also offer

Mathematics and Didactics

• Prof. Dr. Bernhard Burgeth: Didactics of Mathematics: Secondary Level 1
• Prof. Dr. Anselm Lambert : Didactics of Mathematics: Secondary Level 1 and 2
• (currently vacant): Primary Education

Successful completion our Master's programme requires a total of 120 credit points (CP). Students are normally required to attain 30 CP each semester.

Compulsory modules make up 42 CP, from which 30 CP are allocated to the Master's thesis and 12 CP to the Master's seminar. Six months are reserved for writing the thesis, before completion of which students must take a Master's seminar of direct relevance.

Optional modules with a total of at least 78 CP must be taken. These modules include Master's placements, freely choosable courses from our range of core modules, advanced lectures and seminars in mathematics, tutoring, language courses, soft skill workshops, industrial placements or work in academic administration. Details can be found in the programme regulations.

Prerequisites

The prerequisites for our Master's programme are:

• A Bachelor’s degree from a German university or an equivalent qualification from a foreign university in a programme in mathematics or a related subject.
• Evidence of English language skills (normally C1): For applicants from abroad we require a TOEFL TEST with at least 95/120 or an IELTS with at least 7.0/9.0. The result can be filed subsequently if the test is scheduled no longer than three weeks after the admission deadline. Native speakers or applicants, who have studied in a country, where English is the mother tongue are excluded from this rule. Applicants from India and Pakistan need to present an English test (TOEFL or IELTS).
• Evidence of technical skills equivalent to those acquired by students in the Bachelor's programme “Mathematics” at Saarland University
• A dossier and two letters of recommendation to document your interest in our Master's programme.

Application

Students may join the programme in the winter or summer semester. The deadlines are 15 May for the winter semester and 15 November for the summer semester. Applications should be made through the online application portal of the Faculty for Mathematics and Computer Science (in English).

Regulations

Examination regulations for the Master's programme

Planning

Module handbook

List of core lectures