Department of Computer Science

With twenty-four professors and junior professors, the Department of Computer Science may not be
among the largest computer science departments in Germany, but it is certainly one of the best, both
in research and education. The overall principle of the department is the belief in the mutual
interdependence of first-class education and research because outstanding education can only be
achieved in an excellent research environment; furthermore, the excellent research carried out in the
department would be impossible without the support of students and research assistants. For almost
30 years the work in the department has been well guided by this principle. Past and present success
is evidenced by a strong, international reputation and by high research and education rankings
regularly bestowed upon the department, especially those from the German Science Foundation
(DFG) and the CHE (Center of University Development, Bertelsmann Foundation). Department’s
researchers play a leading role in their scientific communities as editors for prestigious journals and
organizers of important conferences and workshops. The research is complemented and supported by
various well established, collaborative projects with industrial partners. Thanks to the researchers’
prominent status and a close collaboration with industry, the department is able to offer all students a
rich curriculum that always integrates state-of-the-art techniques and technologies and strikes a sound
balance between theory and practice. The department was the first in Germany to establish Bachelor
and Master programmes in computer science. On several occasions the education programmes have
been praised as being exemplary. Consequently, their graduates are highly sought after by companies
and other research institutes and enjoy an array of outstanding job opportunities.

The Computer Science programme in Paderborn is structured into the four areas "Software
Engineering and Information Systems," "Models and Algorithms," "Embedded Systems and System
Software," and "Human-Machine Interaction." The Bachelor programme provides students with sound
theoretical and practical foundations required in all these areas. The Master programme deepens this
knowledge and allows students to specialize in their area of interest. The skills acquired through these
programmes are highly valued by industry and provide a solid foundation for PhD-level research.