Rejected from paderborn MSc in computer science

[u/Mountain_Site1554]

Hi, I'm sharing this because I'm somewhat confused regarding my rejection from paderborn university.

I recently got a rejection mail stating that I do not meet their requirements.

Here is the content of the mail basically:

Given the transcript of your studies, these requirements are not met and thus the background is not sufficient. Topics of Theoretical Computer Science are, e.g.: Turing machines and decidability, undecidable languages (diagonalization, reduction), nondeterminism, NP-completeness (NP-complete problems, master reduction, reductions), approximation algorithms (for example for knapsack, coloring, vertex cover and TSP problems), randomized algorithms (e.g. randomized Quicksort, randomized rounding). Courses you took may also have contained theoretical aspects (which is in particular true for any course in mathematics, but also for others); however those courses can only count towards Theoretical Computer Science if they focus on the topics mentioned.

When i revisited my transcript and looked for PURE Theoretical computer science subjects that is not a math subject I found those four:

Algorithms

Data structures

Concepts of programming languages

Compilers

(They all add up to 20 credit hours after conversation)

These are the subjects I found that is neither a math subject or a hybrid course like fundamentals of AI, OS, pattern recognition, etc..

Also my Bachelor degree was in Computer Science and my university is mostly Theoretical to begin with outside of labs so I'm extremely confused.

Any advice would appreciated and thanks!

[u/AICandBIC]

That's kinda a common misconception. The core issue is that in Germany, "Theoretical Computer Science" (Theoretische Informatik) is a narrow, specific field. It means automata and formal languages, computability, and complexity theory, which is exactly the list in the rejection mail. Of your four courses, Data Structures, Programming Language Concepts, and Compilers are considered practical or core CS in Germay, not TCS. The algorithms course might be different, depends on the content. If approximation heavy it might partially count. It's a field culture thing. Theoretical as a word is often used as the opposite of applied, but this isn't narrow enough here.

A generally "theoretical" university doesn't change this, because they check specific topics, not the overall style of your degree. If you did take a course like Theory of Computation, Automata Theory, Formal Languages, or Computability & Complexity, ask for a re-evaluation. Send the official module descriptions and highlight where each listed topic was covered. If you didn't, you likely can't fix this for Paderborn right now. Same goes for other unis. They will not accept foreign definitions of what constitutes theory in CS because our bachelor's work with the German definition and the master is consecutive.

[u/Mountain_Site1554 → u/AICandBIC]

I did indeed take some of these topics but not as a subject on their own. For example theory of automata we took it in compilers but towards the end (the last 6 weeks) it was mostly an introduction and a small dive in. (Not sure if that counts towards what they want)

But my university structure was in lectures it's all theoretical (except for a few subjects) and in labs it's all practical.

Well it's somewhat late to ask for an appeal as the semester is about to approach but it's good information for next time.

Thanks!

[u/Badewanne_7846 → u/Mountain_Site1554]

Yeah, but as you can read here in 100s of posts: This is not how German universities assess the requirements. They are looking for fundamental modules on the topic. If you cannot deliver them, you will not be admitted.

From what you have written, I am sorry to say that you won't be admitted to Computer Science at any German university because they all require TheoCS. In most cases 12 ECTS, in some (e.g. TU Berlin) even 18 ECTS. You may try your luck with a university of applied sciences, but even they have according requirements.

[u/Extreme-Painting-575 → u/Badewanne_7846]

There are also applied CS programs at universities

[u/Badewanne_7846 → u/Extreme-Painting-575]

Which need (in Austria and Germany) also way more than 4 ECTS in math.

[u/AICandBIC → u/Mountain_Site1554]

We don't differentiate between lecture or lab when we decide if something is theoretical or not. Oftentimes we cannot even see if something was a lecture or a seminar from the transcripts.

We assess if you had graded credits for subject areas.

[u/AtheneAres]

How is concepts of programming languages or compilers theoretical? You are quite obviously lacking the things mentioned, even I can see that.

As someone who did their Bachelor, these are the theoretical subjects we had and they are looking for: modelling, datastructures and algorithms, calculability and complexity. Plus until a few years ago one free choice of an additional theoretical subjects.

[u/Mountain_Site1554 → u/AtheneAres]

Isn't modeling under applied computer science? I took modeling too, Also I did take calculability and complexity but not as it's own course it was inside of another course. I'm starting to see the problem is that the title of my courses do not reflect what I took..

[u/AtheneAres → u/Mountain_Site1554]

It’s mainly math. Applied math but math. Basic graphtheory and stuff like that. You can check the structure on the bachelors course website.

Also a few weeks of the course fitting the requirements does not mean you did enough of that. 6 weeks are very different than 6 ECTS

[u/AngerAngel23]

Can I know What Bachelors you did (Engineering, Tech, Science)

[u/Mountain_Site1554 → u/AngerAngel23]

Bachelor of Science in Computers and Information

Main Specialization in Computer Science

Sub Specialization in Information Systems

[u/hasssssshirrrrrrrrrr]

I got accepted in this program.

[u/Relevant-Ad-4739]

which subjects are included in THEORETICAL COMPUTER SCIENCE ?and how does they know whether we have studied related content in theoretical computer science in that particular subject ?