Computer Science

Master's
Author:
Andero Kalju

2 January

Application system opens

15 March

Application deadline

30 April

Admission results

2 September

Academic year starts
Level of study
Master's
Study language
English
Duration and credits
2 years , 120 ECTS
Form of study
Regular study
Location
Tartu
Student places
63
Tuition fee
6,000 EUR/year
Tuition waivers
31 for citizens of EU/EEA/Switzerland, 10 for all citizenships
  • UT is ranked in the top 200 universities globally in computer science (see Rankings and Surveys). 
  • An opportunity to spend half of your studies at a partner company and follow a personalised study plan.
  • Our alumni run their successful businesses (Bolt, Nortal, Wise) or work for international companies (Meta, Microsoft, Spotify).
  • Study at the University of Tartu Delta Centre, which brings together a vibrant community of students, researchers and innovators in computer science, business and economics, mathematics and statistics.
  • Estonia is known as e-Estonia: the first country to vote online and offer e-residency.

 

The international master’s programme in Computer Science prepares students to become leading specialists in public and private organisations and for further studies at the doctoral level in Computer Science.

After passing the curriculum, the student:

  • has acquired core knowledge in the field of computer science and can use it to analyse and resolve practical problems;
  • has a deeper understanding of one narrower subfield of computer science and its surrounding disciplines;
  • can do independent research on a problem posed by the supervisor and present their results coherently and understandably.

Why study Computer Science at the University of Tartu?

  • UT is among the top 200 best universities in the world in computer science. It is one of the top two universities in Central and Eastern Europe in computer science (see Rankings and Surveys)
  • International study environment - more than 50% of students are international students from all over the world
  • An opportunity to complete 50% of the studies at a company through the Industrial Master’s Programme
  • From the beginning of 2020, the studies will take place in Estonia’s most modern study building - University of Tartu Delta Centre

The University of Tartu was a perfect professional development platform for a motivated student studying computer science. Any questions outside the scope of the subject were gladly answered. The initiative was never dismissed but encouraged and supported.

Mark Fišel, alumnus of the programme

Scholarships

Up to 50% of students will receive a tuition waiver for full-time studies.

Once admitted, you can apply for a number of additional monthly scholarships, including the Industrial Master’s Programme in IT scholarship.

Information about scholarships is available on the webpage of the Institute of Computer Science.

Programme highlights in video

You can find a thorough description of the curriculum on the Institute of Computer Science website.

First-year students of the programme can apply to the Industrial Master's Programme in IT during the spring semester. Participants of the programme spend most of the second year of their studies at partner companies. There they will be involved in the development processes. The programme culminates with writing a master's thesis on a topic that is important to the partner in cooperation with a supervisor from the partner company. The programme provides an opportunity to challenge your technical skills and kick-start your career without jeopardising your graduation from the university. Participants in the programme receive a monthly scholarship of 1000 euros per month.


Course and module details

This programme structure is the latest one confirmed by the university. Next year's modules will be updated by 15 April. Significant changes to the programme will be announced in advance on this website. Check the Study Information System for the latest updates.

University of Tartu Delta Centre

The studies take place in the University of Tartu Delta Centre. Opened in 2020, the Delta Centre comprises academic and research and entrepreneurship buildings and brings together more than 3000 students, lecturers, researchers, and company development employees. 

The academic and research building accommodates the Institute of Computer Sciences, the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and some laboratories of the Institute of Technology. 

The Computer Science master's programme prepares students for a career path leading to high-end technical and managerial roles (e.g. project/team leader or technology officer). Graduates of this programme are well equipped to join the highly dynamic software industry in all European countries.

Admission requirements for Computer Science
 

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification (must be obtained by the end of July) in computer science, information technology, software engineering, computer engineering, information systems or a related field – please see our country-specific document requirements.

    Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in other specialisations are eligible if they have completed at least 24 ECTS of courses in computer science, including courses in programming, algorithms and data structures.
     
  • English language proficiency – please see our acceptable tests and exempt categories


NB! Citizens of the Russian Federation who, under the legislation of the Republic of Estonia, cannot apply for a long-stay visa or residence permit to study or do not have a valid legal basis to stay in the Republic of Estonia until the end of the curriculum’s standard period of study are not eligible to apply to the University of Tartu in the 2024/2025 academic year. 

According to the current legislation, citizens of Belarus can apply for Estonian long-term visa and temporary residence permit for studies and are  therefore eligible to apply to the University of Tartu.

Applications are evaluated based on:
 

  • the score of the motivation letter (yields 50% of the final score)
  • average grade of the previous study level (yields 50% of the final score)

The motivation letter is a part of the online application form. Guidelines and evaluation criteria for the motivation letter are also included in the online application form.

Please write a brief motivation letter (in English, maximum of 6000 characters with spaces) based on the following points:

1) Why are you interested in this Master's programme?
2) Which of the three specializations of the Master's programme would you like to choose? Explain your choice. You can choose one of the three:
2.1. Cryptography and Security;
2.2. Distributed Systems;
2.3. Artificial Intelligence.
4) What programming languages and tools are you most familiar with, and how do you assess your level of mastery in these programming languages and tools?
5) What is/are the most complex programming, engineering or scientific task(s) or project(s) that you have completed? If the output of these task(s)/project(s) is available as open‐source software (or it can be made open‐source), please provide
the link(s) to the public code repository.
6) How do you assess your skills and capability in the fields of algorithms and mathematics in general? In addition ‐ especially considered for specialization 2.1: would you be interested in and do you have experience in analysing the efficiency and correctness of different algorithms, constructing new algorithms, implementing non‐trivial algorithms?
7) In which field would you like to write your Master's thesis? Explain your choice.
8) How do you plan to implement the skills to be gained from the programme in your future career?

Evaluation criteria:

  • fit between the student's background and goals, and the study programme (75 %)
  • clarity, logical structure, writing skills and fluency in written English (25 %)

The maximum score for motivation letter is 100 points and the result is positive only if the applicant gains 51 points or more.

For further information on assessing candidates´ academic performance and calculating admissions´ score see here

How to apply
 

The following information applies to international students and Estonian students who graduated abroad:

Application system opens on 2 January and closes on 15 March. The following electronic documents must be submitted via DreamApply by 15 March:

  1. online application
  2. motivation letter
  3. official certified copy of the bachelor's diploma or its equivalent and Diploma Supplement (transcript) in the original language (must include description of the grading scale).
    NB! Applicants graduating in the upcoming spring/summer and having their diploma and final transcript issued later than the application deadline should electronically submit their most recent official transcript by the application deadline. The transcript should be supplemented by an official statement from the issuing institution indicating current enrollment and expected graduation date. Admitted candidates are required to post certified copies of their graduation documents as soon as these have been issued (no later than by the end of July).
  4. official translation of the bachelor’s diploma and Diploma Supplement (transcript) into English, translation certified
  5. proof of English language proficiency
  6. copy of the passport page stating the applicant’s personal particulars
  7. confirmation/receipt of application fee payment (if applicable). All international applicants are required to pay the application fee EUR 100, unless they have completed the previous study level in Estonia. An application will only be processed after the fee has been received by the UT.

 

Submitted applications can not be edited. It is only possible to upload new documents (e.g. graduation certificates). Applicants will receive feedback and notifications through the DreamApply system to their e-mail. Incomplete applications or those submitted by e-mail will not be considered for admission.

Guide to submitting electonic application on DreamApply.

The evaluation of applications will be made based on the electronic copies added to DreamApply. A general ranking list will be formed based on the electronically submitted applications and admission results (including offers) will be announced to all applicants personally via DreamApply by May 15 at the latest. Admitted candidates are expected to accept or decline the offer in DreamApply in 7 days. If the decision is not communicated to UT via DreamApply by the stipulated deadline, UT reserves the right to withdraw the admission offer.

NB! It is not possible to postpone the beginning of studies to the next academic year.


Terms and conditions of the admission offer

Admission offers are conditional. This means that there are conditions in the offer which the applicant needs to fulfil in order to be admitted (e.g. sending application documents by post; obtaining the required level of education). If the conditions are not met, UT has the right to withdraw the offer. Also, UT reserves the right to withdraw or amend any offer or revoke the matriculation of a student, if it becomes evident that the application contains fraudulent information, the qualification does not provide access to the chosen study programme or the student is found to have omitted key information from the application. Should such circumstances occur, UT will not be liable for any material or immaterial loss which the student may suffer as a result.

Once the admission results have been announced, all admitted students are required to send the application documents by post to: Student Admissions, University of Tartu, Ülikooli 18-132, Tartu 50090, ESTONIA.

The documents are expected to be mailed only by those receiving the admission offer (unless instructed otherwise by the admissions staff). The documents must reach the university within 3 weeks from the announcement of the offer. If the application documents do not reach the us by the deadline, the university has the right to withdraw the admission offer. Applicants will be informed when their documents have arrived.

Requirements for educational documents

All copies of educational documents (diplomas and Diploma Supplements/transcripts) must be officially certified. By certified we mean that the copies should bear an original signature and seal of the authority certifying that these are true copies of the original document(s). The copies can be certified either 1) by an authorised official of the issuing institution, or 2) by a notary, or 3) with an Apostille attached. NB! Country-specific requirements may also specify the way documents from certain countries must be certified.

Please note that UT does not accept simple copies made on the basis of already certified copies (primary copies are needed).

All admitted students are required to present their original qualification certificates upon arrival (unless these were sent directly from the issuing institution).

Paying the tuition fee (applicable to applicants who receive a fee-based study place offer)

• EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are required to pay the fee for the first semester once they arrive in Tartu (by 20 September at the latest after signing the fee contract, please read more here).

• Admitted students from other countries are required to pre-pay half of the first semester's tuition fee. The invoice along with the pre-payment deadline and payment details will be sent to applicants via DreamApply after they have accepted the admissions offer and the University has received the hard copies of the application documents. Second part of the fee is due on 20 September. NB! The official admission letter (necessary for visa application) will only be issued once the University of Tartu has received the pre-payment.

NB! Once you have been offered a fee-based study place, be aware that it will not be changed into a fee waiver study place. By transferring the pre-payment to the university, you confirm that you have informed yourself about the process of the visa and temporary residence permit application and you are able to arrive in Estonia by the start of the academic year. If you have any questions please contact studentvisasupport@ut.ee.

The official admission letter will be sent to admitted students electronically via DreamApply only after the admissions office has received and reviewed hard copies of the application documents, and received the tuition fee pre-payment (if a pre-payment was required, please see step 3 for more details).

NB! The electronic admission letter is also sufficient for non-EU students for applying for visa/residence permit in Estonian embassies.

Once the admission letter is issued, accepted students may proceed further with arranging their arrival. All non-EU students should first consult information on the process of visa and temporary residence permit application to be sure, as where and when the relevant documents need to be applied. Note that housing at the UT dormitories can be applied during a limited period of time, unless specified otherwise on the website. For housing alternatives please find further information on Tartu Welcome Centre website

NB! Admitted students who are not citizens of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland need to make sure they obtain the Estonian long-term visa on time in order to be able to participate in the orientation programme for international students held in the last week of August. They are also required to visit the Admissions Office in person to complete their arrival registration by September 2, 2024, at the latest. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of their admission decision and visa.

Travel information can be found here.

Based upon common queries, the most important information has been summarised into a pre-arrival information website UT Getting Started.

Estonian applicants should apply via National Admission Information Systems (SAIS). Further information in Estonian is available here.

Tuition fee and scholarships

Practical info for new students

International Student Ambassadors

Ask about the programme and admission
Eero Vainikko
Institute of Computer Science
Chair of Distributed Systems
Professor of Distributed Systems, Programme Director, Programme Director for Computer Science master
r 3038
+372 737 5454

Student Admissions

Contact form

 

Student shadowing

Live one day as a University of Tartu student by shadowing a current student. Register here.

Image
Student Shadowing
Application deadline
#studies #admissions
Restrictions on studying tuition-free for the second or more time
08.03.2024
#admissions
Pay attention to common mistakes when applying to the University of Tartu: submit documents on time, meet English language requirements, and choose the right programme to ensure smooth admission.
01.03.2024
#students #admissions #alumni
The programme celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022. Many students have graduated from the programme.
30.11.2023
#students #admissions
Master's in Software Engineering
30.11.2023