Ulm University has achieved top marks in the latest ranking by the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) for its master's programmes in computer science, mathematics and physics. In particular, students gave the organisation of the courses high marks, with 4.6 and 4.7 out of 5 stars respectively. The CHE ranking combines student assessments with facts about research and teaching, thus providing an overview of the conditions for master's programmes at German universities and colleges.
This year's master's ranking by CHE and the weekly newspaper "Die Zeit" examined the degree programmes in computer science, mathematics and physics. The master's students in computer science at Ulm University gave top marks for the organisation of the course, and Ulm University scored better than the German average in the criteria "support during studies" and "transition to master's studies". The current study also revealed that the duration of the master's programme in computer science is longer than the standard period of study of four semesters. At 53 percent of German universities, at least half of the students exceed the standard period of study and study for longer than six semesters. At Ulm University, 76.3 percent of students complete the master's programme in computer science in a reasonable time, i.e. the standard period of study plus two semesters.
In the master's programmes in Mathematics, the criteria "study organisation" (4.7) and "transition to the master's programme" (4.4) also achieved very good values. Master's students in Physics are also very satisfied with the study organisation at Ulm University (4.6). They also gave very positive feedback on the "support provided by teaching staff" (4.5) and "support during studies" and "research orientation" (4.4 each).
A total of around 7,500 master's students at German universities and colleges were surveyed nationwide between January and August 2020 for the ranking. In a comparison of master's programmes, students are asked to rate ten aspects, depending on the subject, including the "general study situation", the range of courses offered and the organisation of the programme. The educational institutions contribute data on characteristics such as "degrees completed in a reasonable time" or "doctorates per professor". Here, Ulm University performs very well with its master's programmes in computer science and mathematics and reaches the top group for doctorates.
The results of the facts are each assigned to a top, middle or bottom group. The detailed data can be viewed online. A selection of the results is also published in the magazine "Zeit Campus".
Text and media contact: Daniela Stang