Informatik/Computational Scienсе

The Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Computational Science at the University of Potsdam is a computer science degree with a focus on mathematical and scientific applications. The term "Computational Science", which encompasses the two meanings of the science of information processing and computer science-based methods in the natural sciences, illustrates this focus.

Content of the course

Computer science is the science of systematic processing of information.

Computer science is still young as an independent science; nevertheless, it has produced several results that have fundamentally changed economic and social life and other branches of science. The development of the Internet has created universal access to information. New communication media and social networks are changing how people interact with each other. Computer graphics and image processing technologies have revolutionized entertainment media. In business, business processes are mapped using abstract models and then supported or automated by adapted software. Cryptography has produced secure methods of information transmission and methods for attacking insecure information channels. Computer simulations have taken on key roles in many branches of science, for example in geosciences, meteorology, physics, chemistry, and mechanical engineering.

Theoretical computer science has formalized the concepts of computation and computability and proved that there are classes of unsolvable problems and classes of problems that cannot be solved efficiently. Programming languages, communication and operating systems, and software engineering methods simplify the development of software, enable the development of even more complex program systems, and make computer science accessible for many other areas of application. Methods of machine learning and artificial intelligence enable the automation of problems that are very difficult to solve with computers: for example, understanding speech, recognizing people in images, driving a car in traffic, and winning games such as Poker and Go.

The bachelor's degree program gives you a broad and integrated understanding of computer science, including the theoretical and methodological principles and practical applications. In addition, you will acquire a basic understanding of two scientific disciplines as well as interdisciplinary knowledge at the interfaces between computer science and scientific disciplines. By choosing your scientific specializations from the options of physics, chemistry, biology, geosciences, and cognitive neuroscience, you can acquire a special profile.