Applied Research (M.Sc.)

The Master of Applied Research in Engineering Sciences (MAPR) is offered in cooperation with the Bavarian universities of Amberg-Weiden, Ansbach, Deggendorf, Ingolstadt, Landshut, Munich, Nuremberg, and Regensburg. A joint steering committee comprising representatives from the participating universities continues to develop the inter-university module offerings and the joint program concept. All Bavarian MAPR students meet once a year for academic exchange at the Applied Research Conference (ARC).

A disproportionately large portion of the coursework in the Master of Applied Research (MAPR) consists of project-based, application-oriented research. It is therefore also referred to as a research master’s or a project master’s. The program is structured into research modules, required-elective modules, and inter-university block courses, which are described in more detail below.

Upon admission, first-year students are assigned a research topic that serves as the foundation for the entire program. To develop this research topic, students must complete three academic papers that build upon one another in terms of content, one of which must be written in English:

There are two platforms for academic exchange among MAPR students:

1. Our MAPR seminar takes place annually toward the end of the winter semester. All MAPR students at THA participate
2. The Applied Research Conference (ARC) takes place annually toward the end of the summer semester. Participants include all MAPR students from the partner universities, which take turns hosting the ARC. The former Augsburg University of Applied Sciences (HSA) hosted the ARC in 2016 with 220 participants. The ARC in 2025, which took place at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg, was attended by 123 MAPR students

Consequently, for students starting in the winter semester, 2 MAPR seminars and one ARC are included in the standard period of study, while for students starting in the summer semester, one MAPR seminar and 2 ARCs are included. Participation is credited toward the following modules in the order in which they occur:

As part of the ARC program, students must submit one research article in English during their studies, which will be published in the ARC conference proceedings. This is due in the second semester for students who begin their studies in the winter semester, or in the third semester for students who begin their studies in the summer semester.

MAPR students generally have access to all courses offered by other master programs (both within the university and externally). The selection is based on the research topic, is determined upon admission to the program, and is then binding. Students must earn a total of 15 ECTS credits in the subject-specific category and 5 ECTS credits in the interdisciplinary category:

The assignment to academic semesters is flexible. If the course offerings require it, all required-elective modules, for example, can be taken in a single academic semester. To balance this out, the research modules PA 1 and PA 2 could then be moved to the other academic semester.

Inter-university courses expand the course offerings to include content from partner universities. The courses are offered as block sessions consisting of 2 days of in-person instruction (2 ECTS) or, in some cases, 4 days of in-person instruction (4 ECTS). Assessment is typically based on a seminar paper to be submitted. A total of 6 ECTS must be earned in each of the subject-specific and interdisciplinary categories:

The assignment to academic semesters is flexible. The statewide course offerings for each semester are emailed to all MAPR students at the end of the previous semester. The Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg contributes the following courses to the overall offerings:

Finding a Research Topic

A prerequisite for an interesting and successful MAPR program is the availability of a suitable research project. Finding a research topic is therefore the first and perhaps most important step and should be done before you apply—otherwise, all research topics in your area of interest might already be taken by the time the program begins.

Research topics are assigned and supervised by active research professors at THA. These professors secure external funding from industry partnerships and public funding programs, within which MAPR students conduct their research. For their work as research assistants on these projects, MAPR students generally receive financial compensation funded by these third-party grants.

• Inquire early (e.g., 1 year before the start of your MAPR program) with professors at THA (or at other MAPR universities) who cover subject areas of interest to you to find out whether they offer MAPR projects
• Check the MAPR info board (3rd floor in the South Stairwell, Building A) for available opportunities
• Attend the MAPR information session at the start of each semester. Open projects are usually presented there
• Inquire at the MAPR academic advising office, specifying your faculty and areas of interest

Admission Requirements

• Overall GPA of 2.5 (or higher) in your bachelor’s degree,
• 210 ECTS (equivalent to a 7-semester bachelor’s degree) or
• 180 ECTS (equivalent to a 6-semester bachelor’s degree) + additional coursework

Application Deadlines

For the summer semester of 2027: December 1, 2026 – January 16, 2027

For the winter semester: May 2 – June 15

Application Materials

• Cover letter including the following information:
  • Your name
  • Address
  • Phone number (cell phone, if available)
  • Email address (@tha.de, if available)
  • Details about your qualifying degree (university, degree program, BSc/BEng/BA, 180 or 210 ECTS)
  • Topic of your bachelor’s thesis
  • Name of the research project for which you are applying
  • Supervising professor for this research project
• Statement of purpose (1 page)
• Copy of your bachelor’s degree certificate (if available) OR:
• Certificate of your current grade point average (weighted or unweighted)
• Current transcript

Please do not submit any additional transcripts or letters of recommendation!
These are irrelevant for your admission to the selection interview.
The final bachelor’s degree certificate may be requested after admission, if necessary.

Please submit the documents (no online applications) in writing to:

Augsburg
University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Electrical Engineering – Master of Applied Research
, An der Hochschule 1
, 86161 Augsburg

Selection Interview

You will receive an invitation to the selection interview via email approximately 2 weeks in advance, specifying a presentation topic. For the selection interview, you must prepare

• the presentation,
• your choice of subjects

The selection interview consists of your presentation (15 min) and questions from the selection committee regarding it (15 min). You will be informed of the result immediately following the selection interview. Admission is granted if the selection interview is graded at least a 4 and if the arithmetic mean of this grade and your overall bachelor’s degree GPA is at least 2.5. The selection interviews take place:

• in early February, at the start of the summer semester
• Mid-July for the start of the winter semester

Form

For the admissions interview, you must prepare your course selection for the elective modules using the form below. Upon admission to the program, this course selection becomes binding and can only be changed if you provide a valid reason. The courses specified on the form will be activated at the start of the semester on the university’s online administrative server, allowing you to register for exams and submit grades online.

MAPR-LastName-CourseSelection.pdf (131.8 KB)

PDF Form for Selecting Elective-Compulsory Modules FWPF 1-3 and IWPF 1

Alternatively:

MAPR-Last Name-Course Selection.docx (34.8 KB)

Word form for selecting the elective modules FWPF 1-3 and IWPF 1

Send the electronically completed form via email to the Program Committee Chair 7 days before the selection interview. The FWPF 1–3 modules must total at least 15 ECTS credits. The IWPF 1 module must be worth at least 5 ECTS credits. All modules must be at the master’s level. We will not verify whether the courses are actually offered in the specified semester, and for some courses, registration at the beginning of the semester is required due to limited enrollment. Therefore, in your own best interest, please ensure that you are able to participate—for example, by checking the course catalogs for the relevant master’s programs.

Incomplete forms will not be accepted. The information is either available online or can be obtained from the respective faculties. We therefore recommend that you carefully review the selection of required elective courses.

Course Offerings

In principle, all courses from master programs are open for selection. For courses offered in both master’s and bachelor’s degree programs, it must be documented that master’s students are subject to more advanced examination requirements.

¹ The modules in this master’s program consist, in part, of a lecture component (5 ECTS) and a project component (2.5 ECTS). MAPR students take only the lecture component, worth 5 ECTS per module.
2 The School of Business (SoB) offers a range of courses in the field of logistics specifically tailored to the MAPR program.

Specialized Track

This addition to the MAPR title will appear on your diploma, e.g., “Master of Applied Research in Computer Science,” if you primarily take courses from the Master’s in Computer Science program. The subject-specific specialization cannot be chosen freely but is always based on the name of the degree program that constitutes the majority of the courses in your subject selection. In case of doubt, the examination board will correct your entry accordingly.

Changing Your Course Selection

A change to the course selection may be requested by resubmitting the (unlocked) PDF form to the chair of the Examination Board, stating the reasons for the change. The change must be coordinated with your academic advisors (CC).

Module Handbook

The module descriptions and examination requirements for the HÜ modules FWPF4 and IWPF2 (=FM&S) are published shortly after approval, as well as toward the end of each semester for the following semester. You can find the module handbooks for the current and previous semesters here:

HÜ Module Handbook Winter Semester 2026/27

HÜ Module Handbook Spring Semester 2026

Please refer to the websites of the respective master programs for the module descriptions and examination requirements for modules FWPF1–3 and IWPF1.

Study Plan (Coursework and Exams)

Study Plan-MAPR-SoSe26-SPO-2023-akt.pdf (253.0 KB)

syllabus and examination regulations

Applied Research in Engineering Sciences, enrollment starting in the Winter Semester WS2023/24 (SPO 20232)

Go to the SPO for Applied Research in Engineering Sciences