Cybersecurity Bachelor of Science

Cybersecurity
Bachelor of Science

Solving the challenges of today

and providing security for tomorrow.

Cybersecurity Bachelor of Science

Cybersecurity Bachelor of Science

Solving the challenges of today and providing security for tomorrow.

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Cybersecurity (B.Sc.) at Saarland University
- taught in English

New!
Taught entirely in English. Starting in the 2021/2022 winter semester. Apply until July 31, 2021!

  • Young field of crucial importance with a bright future
  • Close collaboration with leading research institutions in the local area
  • Unique degree course taught entirely in English from the very first semester
  • Opportunities for language courses and internships that complement the academic syllabus
  • Choose your specialization from among a broad variety lectures and seminars on IT Security
  • Stay on at Saarland University after graduating and study for a master's degree in Cybersecurity or Entrepreneurial Cybersecurity or enroll on a PhD preparation program at the Graduate School for Computer Science and embark on an academic career at CISPA.
Why Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity threats have become prevalent in our daily lives. Vulnerabilites in computer systems are exploited to spy on users and sabotage even the most security-critical infrastructure (e.g. energy and water supplies, healthcare systems or transport networks). The abundance of readily available, large-scale, privacy-sensitive datasets poses unprecedented risks to user privacy. Consequently, there is an almost unlimited demand for cybersecurity professionals, both from the academic sector and from industry.

This is why Saarland University has teamed up with the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security to offer a unique B.Sc. course in Cybersecurity that teaches the essentials from the very start. CISPA is the world's no. 1 research institute for Cybersecurity, which attests to its high scientific standards and the broad range of topics investigated in CISPA's cutting-edge research. And best of all: courses in this program are taught entirely in English, making them accessible to international students.

Solving the challenges of today
and providing security for tomorrow.
What our lecturers say
Course details

Cybersecurity:

a field of study with a (secure) future

The course lasts six semesters and you will graduate with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)”. Lectures and seminars fueled by pioneering research in Cybersecurity are complemented by elements of a regular Computer Science course. Students will be able to specialize early on by choosing their elective subjects from a broad range of topics, driven by state-of-the-art research in Cybersecurity at CISPA. Additionally, students attend language courses and Computer Science courses taught in cooperation with other excellent local Computer Science institutions.

Prof. Dr. Christian Rossow: 3 reasons for your Bachelor studies in Cybersecurity:

Course details and examples of curriculum
Take a look at some example schedules for your Cybersecurity Course providing you with the opportunity to choose your elective courses according to your preferred focus: Cryptography, Software Security, or Human-Centric Security.

Example Schedules

Admission Requirements
Our course aims to train the next generation of elite cybersecurity experts and is therefore competitve. We select the best of the best, which also creates a great atmosphere for learning once you start your studies here. Since our course is taught in English, good proficiency in English (level C1) is required.
Students have to submit their application documents via Saarland University's online appication system. The best candidates will then be selected by our admissions panel. Please find detailed information about requirements on the bachelor's website of Saarland University:

opened November 1, 2021

Application Portal at Saarland University
Admission Process
Cybersecurity studying application in 3 steps

Application documents*:
Curriculum Vitae, High-School diploma/school-leaving certificate, aptitude test, certificate of proficiency in English.

Your application consists of 2 parts:

  1. your school-leaving certificate qualifying you for entrance to a German university, and
  2. The results of both an aptitude test (SAT or TestAS) and an English proficiency test (IELTS or TOEFL), the latter is not required if you are a native speaker of English. There are two exceptional alternatives to these tests:
    1. you can either provide a certificate proving that you have taken part in the (semi-)finals of an international Computer Science competition (such as IOI), or
    2. you can apply for an on-site interview in Saarbruecken. Note, however, that we only have a limited number of on-site interview slots, thus being invited to the interview on its own will be competitive. Note further that we cannot refund your travel expenses.
    All applications will be ranked according to the final grade obtained in the school-leaving certificate and any grades achieved in the second component (if applicable). Places will be allocated to ranking from highest to lowest.

As part of the admissions process, you will be sent further information on how to prepare your time in Saarbruecken and (if applicable) details of your scholarship and accommodation. After your arrival, we will provide you with assistance during your first few days as part of our Welcome Week.

Application Deadlines
Early
Admission
from November 1
until January 15
Regular
Admission
from May 1
until July 15

The Cybersecurity Course starts every winter semester. Students are admitted twice per year: early admission (in January) and regular admission (July). We accept applications for regular admission from May 1, 2021. Please apply via Saarland University's online application portal. Our admissions panel will then select the best- qualified students. Successful candidates will be notified during the month following the application deadline.

 Current Application Deadlines

Saarland University

More Details on the Study Program Cybersecurity at Saarland University

Prepare your stay at Saarland University
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Why Saarbruecken?
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Financial support
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Coping with Corona!
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Services & Assistance
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Arrival & Settling In
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Useful links & Info
In Strategic Collaboration with CISPA

CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security is a German national Big Science Institution within the Helmholtz Association. Our research encompasses all aspects of Information Security.
Research at CISPA feeds into the curriculum of the degree programs in Cybersecurity at Saarland University, ensuring that seminars and lectures will cover the very latest research topics. Cybersecurity is a young and fast-developing field. As a Helmholtz Center for Information Security, CISPA is dedicated to cutting-edge foundational research combined with innovative application-oriented research in the fields of Cybersecurity and Privacy. We are committed to the highest international academic standards. Our world-class research environment offers extensive resources to a wide range of researchers, thus providing an attractive destination for talented academics and top scientists from around the globe.

CISPA − Helmholtz Center for Information Security

 https://www.cispa.de

FAQ
No, you don't require any previous knowledge of German. Our courses are taught entirely in English. At Saarland University and CISPA we are used to working with with international students and staff on a daily basis. We are providing the best conditions to make you feel welcome at Saarland University. Additionally, we offer German courses for beginners and intermediate students if you are interested in improving your every-day language skills.
All rooms are rooms in shared apartments, which means you will have your own private bedroom and share the kitchen and bathroom with other students. Usually 3 or 4 students will share one apartment. The rooms are located in a good distance to the university and you can reach the university campus by bus. The rooms are fully furnished and vary in size, but range between 14m² and 23m². The rental prices range between 300€ and 400€ per month, including utilities. Rental costs are not included in the program and have to be paid by the students themselves. In addition, a refundable security deposit of around 500€ will have to be paid. Details on the specific room that can be offered to you will be made available to you after acceptance.
The decisive source for this is the ANABIN database issued by the German federal government. Anabin classifies foreign school-leaving diplomas as either to be equivalent to a German university entrance qualification or specifies addition requirements. Unfortunately, ANABIN is available in German only. Below, you find instructions on how to use Anabin to check if your diploma is eligible. Additionally, here is a list of the most common cases per country.
  1. Goto ANABIN and select your country.
  2. You're presented with a list of all certificates that are relevant for admission in German universities.
  3. Select your certificate and a window opens that shows the eligibility with this certificate:
    the relevant statement here is “Direkter Zugang (für alle Fächer) zu allen Hochschulen”. This means that your certificate equals a German university entrance qualification. Any other statement there means that additional restrictions apply that you unfortunately need to translate using an online translation service. Some Examples Most common school-leaving diplomas of EU countries are accepted without restrictions.
    In doubt, please check Anabin as described above. Here are some examples for non-EU countries:
    • United Kingdom: Scottish Qualifications Certificate (SQC) - Higher/Advanced Higher, General Certificate of Education - Advanced Level / Advanced Subsidiary Level, Cambridge Pre-U, AICE, International Advanced Level,
    • Switzerland: Matura (other special cases in Anabin)
    • Albania: Deftese pjekurie with Certificate Matura Shteterore
    • Turkey: Lise Diplomasi 11 years in conjunction with Turkish university admission exam documented by code card with more than 180000 points (in SAY, SÖZ, EA or DIL).
    • Israel: Te'udat bagrut
    • India: IIT Joint Entrance Exam (Main and Advanced)
    • China: DSD-II School and gaokao
    • USA: High-School Diploma with advanced placement test (required grades specified in Anabin)
No, you don't need to have programming skills. We'll teach you all you need to know during your course!
There are two lectures in maths (MFI 1 & 2). However, mathematical reasoning will be required in many other lectures and seminars.
Within the first two semesters, changing between study courses in the area of Computer Science and Cybersecurity is not difficult. Apart from a strong focus on Cybersecurity topics, the course also teaches foundations of Computer Science, programming I and II, algorithms, theoretical Computer Science, etc offering you sufficien flexibility during your studies and plenty of career paths to choose from. If you start out with Computer Science and realize that you want to change your specialization, you can still switch to Cybersecurity. A large part of your course work (e.g. all courses listed above) will be recognized - vice versa.
Your are considered a native speaker of English, if you obtained your high-school diploma in one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, USA.
We will test your mathematical and language skills required for our program.
We highly recommend that you provide results of the above-mentioned study entrance tests as part of your application. If you choose to apply for an on-site interview, we will announce in July/August if interviews will be carried out remotely because of the pandemic.
We will send out notifications of acceptance or rejection within the month following the application deadline. Please be aware that we cannot inform you before the end of the application period. Thus, even if you apply by May 31 e.g., your notification will be in August. We are encouraging you to apply for early admission (your notification will then be in the month of January).
We apply the same admission criteria to all students. By graduating from VSi+MINT, you acquire a German university entrance qualification. However, the international BSc programs for Computer Science and Cybersecurity require additional qualifications that you have to provide. Please check the relevant section on Admission requirements.
Uni assist documents are not necessary. However, appropriate uni-assist documents are one way of proving your German university entrance qualification (HZB). So, if in doubt, submit them if you have them.
No, that won't be necessary.
There is no specific cut-off for test results, as they also vary with each application round. Furthermore, the number of admitted students is limited. We rank candidates according to their test results giving preference to better test results.
No, application via our online form is mandatory. We cannot accept applications via e-mail or any hard-copy applications.
Since June 2021, it is no longer possible to take SAT subject tests. Therefore the standard test (evidence-based reading/writing, maths) is sufficient. An essay is not required.
Your scores must not be older than 2 years.
No. However, some high-school diplomas of other countries are considered to be equivalent to a German university entrance qualification. See question “How can I check if I have a German University Entrance Qualification”.
You can apply using the interview track.
There is no NC (numerus clausus). However, since the program is highly competitive and has a limited number of seats, admittance is based on a ranking of applicants.
SAT, ACT, TestAS, Gaokao (China), JEE Advanced (India), Suneung (South Korea).
There is no need to attend a preparatory school or such. If you are admitted, you can start your studies right away.
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