Mathematics

Mathematics plays a pivotal role in many scientific disciplines, including physics, engineering, computer science, or economics. It provides basic tools and algorithms for the modelling of climate systems, the simulation of complex fluids, or the optimisation of neural networks and power grids, to mention just a few examples. Many technological innovations that shape our everyday life, such as internet search engines, satnav, dynamic pricing, public-key cryptography, or Chat GPT are rooted in mathematical principles. The international MSc Mathematics programme in Cottbus has a strong focus on applied mathematics. While the teaching curriculum emphasises the typical abstract theoretical foundation of mathematical methods, the focus on applied maths prepares you to solve practical research problems in fields like science, engineering, data science, or finance. As a technical university in a region that is currently facing a transition from a coal-mining region to a renewables hub, targeting net-zero carbon emissions, BTU offers numerous interdisciplinary programmes in this direction that are close relatives of the Mathematics programme. The programme features close collaborations between different disciplines and a modern curriculum that includes courses in data science, optimisation, numerical methods, and stochastics. Since many courses are shared between different study programmes, as a maths student, you will benefit from getting in touch with your fellow students (e.g. from Computer Science, AI, Data Science, Engineering, or Physics) at a very early stage, for numerous opportunities to apply mathematical tools to cutting-edge research in energy systems, AI, or sustainable technologies. A special feature of the Mathematics programme at BTU is that you pick a certain number of courses from Economics or one of the science and engineering study programmes (e.g. Physics or Computer Science), which enables you to prepare for a future career in any of these branches. This also includes the possibility to take language courses to improve employability.