English courses offered by the department

At the Department of Computer and Information Science you have a large choice of English courses. On this page we present you the different options.

B.Sc. Computer Science: courses from the basic studies (1st - 4th semester)

The basic study period of the B.Sc. Computer Science consists of compulsory courses, most of which are taught in German. As part of an excellence project initiative, the Department of Computer Science is working on offering the German-language courses in English as well by providing additional study and examination material and subtitled recordings. Starting in the winter semester 2023/24, it should gradually be possible to study all courses from the first four semesters in English or with a low level of German.

1st semester (1st year) - compulsory courses from B.Sc Computer Science

Module Computer Science 1: Concepts of Computer Science + Programming Course I – Imperative Programming languages  (12 ECTS)

Module Systems 1: Computer Systems and Networks (6 ECTS)

Module Mathematics 1: Discrete Mathematics and Logic (9 ECTS)

2nd semester (1st year) - compulsory courses from B.Sc Computer Science

Module Computer Science 2: Algorithms and Data Structures + Programming Course II - Advanced Imperative languages (12 ECTS)

Module Systems 2: Database Systems (9 ECTS)

Module Mathematics 2: Analysis and Linear Algebra (9 ECTS)

3rd semester (2nd year) - compulsory courses from B.Sc Computer Science

Module Computer Science 3: Programming Concepts + Programming Course III - Declarative languages (12 ECTS)

Module Systems 3: Operating Systems (9 ECTS)

Module Mathematics 3: Mathematics for Data Science (9 ECTS)

4th semester (2nd year) - compulsory courses from B.Sc Computer Science

Module Computer Science 4: Software Engineering (The course is offered entirely in English. Study and exam materials are available in English. (3./4. semester module, 6 ECTS)

Module Theoretical Computer Science (9 ECTS)

Important information about participation in the courses in English

For details on each course and examination, please refer to the ZEuS course catalog.

All lecture recordings with subtitles can be viewed in the Ilias Forum of the department in the section "additional offers".

English study and, if applicable, examination material can be found in the assigned Ilias courses of the individual courses - you are automatically signed in to the Ilias course with the course registration in ZEuS. Further, please make sure to come to the first course unit meeting, as this is where all study organizational questions are clarified and passwords and course accesses are assigned!

We also ask you to contact the respective course instructor* (see ZEuS) and the project coordinator and (only applicable if you are an exchange student!) the Erasmus coordinator if you would like to study a course from the basic studies in English.

Language requirements

The additional English study- examination material is provided to enable the English study of courses from the basic study period of the B.Sc. Computer Science. However, we still recommend an intermediate knowledge of German (level B1-B2) and a good to very good knowledge of English (min. level B2).

Target group
The course offer is addressed to enrolled students at the University of Konstanz (degree-seeking and exchange students) who want and need to take introductory computer science courses as part of their (exchange) studies or out of subject-related interest, but who have very little or no knowledge of German.

B.Sc. Computer Science: courses from the advanced study period  (4th - 6th semester) and M.Sc. course offers

Language requirements

All bachelor's advanced courses (from the 4th/5th semester) and all master's courses are offered in English. Good to very good English skills (at least level B2) are strongly recommended for successful completion of the courses.

Subject-specific requirements

With a few exceptions (please be sure to read the checklist below!), exchange students and students from other disciplines can access a wide range of subject-specific courses. For information on course prerequisites, please refer directly to the ZEuS course catalog.

Checklist for course selection at the Department of Computer Science

What should you take into consideration:

  1. Preferentially choose your computer science courses from the pool: courses taught in English.
  2. Choose mainly lectures /lectures + tutorials
  3. You can take a maximum of 2 seminars at the department! Seminars are offered as part of the final part of studies of our degree programs and are designed to prepare students for their final thesis, so full-time students are prioritized in the allocation of places. If you still wish to attend a seminar at the department, contact the course instructor in advance and obtain permission.
  4. If you would like to take the SQ course "Scientific Practices for Students " at the department, please choose a subject-related seminar in parallel, as the SQ course is designed to accompany a seminar.
  5. BSc projects and MSc projects are the practical basis for the final thesis and are only available for exchange students in exceptional cases. Please inform yourself in advance about the regulations and requirements.
  6. Be sure to set the correct semester in the ZEuS course catalog. Use the previous winter or summer semester as a reference for your preliminary course selection at your home university. 
  7. When choosing your courses, please take into account the respective course language. Information on the language of instruction can be found in the ZEuS course catalog under the tab: Dates and Rooms.

In general:

  • Read the course prerequisites and requirements in the course catalog carefully and familiarize yourself with the forms of examination.
  • ECTS credits, forms of examination and examination dates are fixed and therefore cannot be modified. Attendance exams can only be taken on site in Konstanz.

Important information on course selection of advanced courses

The Department of Computer Science does not offer compulsory modules or fixed module structures in the Bachelor's advanced studies (from the 4/5th semester) and in the master's studies. Instead, students can choose introductory and advanced specialization courses from various bachelor's and master's specializations (profiles). Our students can also choose an individual focus and study courses from the different profiles:

Specializations in the Bachelor's program

Specializations in the Master's program

Exchange students and students from other disciplines are not bound to the specializations and can, with a few exceptions, choose from almost the entire pool of specialization courses. Please refer to the department's recommendations for course selection (see checklist).

The profile structure is a result of the strong research orientation of our professorships - i.e. current research of the working groups is incorporated into the annual course planning, which means that there may always be slight changes in the content or structure of the courses offered. Usually there are only minor changes, but we cannot guarantee continuity of the course structure. Please note, the course offerings of past semesters should serve as a guideline for you to organize your studies.

Subject courses at the HTWG (University of Applied Sciences Konstanz Technik, Wirtschaft und Gestaltung)


As part of your studies abroad, you can also attend subject courses at the HTWG, as both institutions of higher education have signed a cooperation agreement. Please note that the lecture period at the HTWG differs from that at the University of Konstanz. Please mind: HTWG courses usually start earlier!

 

Registration of courses in ZEuS

To find out how to register for your courses, please visit the ZEuS portal or attend the first meeting of class. Additional a video introduction to ZEuS for students can be found here. Some aspects of the registration process may vary as it is up to the individual lecturers to organise the registration formalities.

Please note that you must also register for all examinations and also for non-graded courses. Further information on exam registration can be found here.