Master of Science Mathematics

Short profile

• For Bachelor graduates in mathematics or equivalent study programmes
• Provides in-depth knowledge in several mathematical areas.
• Largely free choice of lectures and seminars. Examinations are oral examinations, student seminar presentations, and the Master's thesis.
• Languages: English (_until summer 2026: German and English)
• Start of programme: every semester

Application

Start in the winter term:
Application closes 15 July (for EU citizens: 15 September)
Start in the summer term:
Application closes 15 January (for EU citizens: 15 March)

Please apply via HISinOne. A detailed description of the application process can be found below.

Study specialisations

Depending on their own interests, students can specialise in one of our focus areas:

• Algebra and number theory,
• Analysis,
• Applied analysis and numerics,
• Geometry and Topology,
• Mathematical logic,
• Mathematical Probability Theory
• related areas (Medial Statistics, Optimisation).

Language

The languages of instruction is English. For enrolment, level B2 in English is required (until summer 26: B2 in German and B1 in English)

Freiburg

Freiburg is a green city close to the Black Forest with many opportunities for outdoor activities. The University of Freiburg has not only has a long tradition in all areas of the natural sciences and humanities, but is also very active in research, as its rankings show. The Mathematical Institute, which hosts the largest part of this programme, covers a broad spectrum of topics, from mathematical logic to machine learning.

(A) Admission requirements

Detailed regulations can be found in the legally binding Admission Regulations

• for M.Sc. Mathematics, from winter 2026/27 onwards
  
• for M.Sc. Mathematik, until summer 2026

We summarise the admission requirements here:

(1) A Bachelor's degree in mathematics recognised in Germany or an equivalent degree that fulfills the following conditions:

• at least 103 ECTS credits from university courses in Mathematics (including the mathematical Bachelor's thesis, if applicable)
• including at least 16 ECTS credits from each of the four areas: basic lectures in Analysis, in Linear Algebra, advanced courses from Pure and Applied mathematics.
  

(2) Language skills: Level B2 in English (accepted proofs) (until summer 2026: B2 in German and B1 in English)

(B) Application deadlines

for the winter semester 2026/27: 15 May to 15 July, for EU-citizens to 15 September
for winter semesters from 2027/28 onwards: 15 April to 15 July, for EU-citizens to 15 September
for summer semesters: 1 November to 15 January, for EU-citizens to 15 March

(C) Required documents

1. A transcript of records or alternative presentation of the previous study contents.
2. The certificate of the university degree which is the basis for admission to the Master's programme (typically Bachelor's degree in mathematics).
   If the degree programme has not yet been completed: Proof of grading, submission or registration of the Bachelor's thesis or, if this is not possible, confirmation from the university of the expected completion date of the degree programme.
   
3. For applicants from China, India, and Vietnam: the APS certificate.
4. Proof of English language proficiency: at least level B2 (accepted proofs).

Translation into German or English is required, if documents are not in German, English, or French.

(D) Application procedure

1. If you are not already studying at the University of Freiburg, you must first register as applicant in HISinOne.
2. Prepare all application documents as pdf or jpg files (maximum 5 MB per file). Please name the files with your surname and the type of document, e.g. Smith-Transcript.pdf .
3. From the start of the application period on, you can enter your application in HISinOne and upload the necessary documents. The originals (including the Bachelor's certificate) must be presented at enrolment.
4. Don't forget to submit your application! It is not enough just to upload the documents.
5. The Admissions Committee will check the mathematics part of the admission conditions, the legal documents are checked by the Team Application and Admission. We will try to inform you as soon as possible about the results via the application portal HISinOne.

(E) Enrolment

Enrolment is handled centrally by the Registration Office. Please contact them if you have any technical questions about enrolment. If you have questions about the course of study, please contact the Student counseling of the Mathematical Institute.

All legally binding documents can be found on the central degree programme websites:

• for M.Sc. Mathematics, from winter semester 2026/27 onwards
  
• for M.Sc. Mathematik

In particular, you will find:

• the admission regulations (Zulassungsordnung), which govern admission and enrolment at the University of Freiburg;
• the examination regulations (Prüfungsordnung), containing the general rules for all M.Sc. degree programmes;
• the mathematics-specific provisions (fachspezifische Bestimmungen) with the specific regulations for the M.Sc. Mathematics and the M.Sc. Mathematik;
• the module handbook, which describes all modules in detail for the M.Sc. Mathematics (not yet in English) and the M.Sc. Mathematik.

The supplements to the module handbooks specify for each semester the options available within the modules and the exact requirements for coursework, assessments, and examinations.

You can find forms, information sheets and similar documents here.

The programme comprises 120 ECTS credits (standard period of study 4 semesters) and is divided into into the following parts:

• Lecture modules with final oral examinations (54 ECTS)
• Student seminars (12 points)
• Electives (21 ECTS)
  • Elective modules in mathematics (9 to 21 ECTS)
  • Elective modules from other subjects (0 to 12 ECTS)
• Master's thesis with presentation (33 ECTS)

In the Financial Mathematics specialisation, the elective modules are replaced by 3 ECTS credits are replaced by specialisation modules in economics.

Example study programme

This plan is only a guide! There are no specifications for specific semesters and no requirements for the maths courses, apart from the admission criteria for the admission criteria for the Master's thesis (60 ECTS points acquired in the ECTS points). Of course, the content requirements of the selected courses courses must be observed.

The Financial Mathematics specialisation is shown separately on the certificate. It complements the mathematical specialisation with economics specialisation modules.
No separate application, enrolment or registration is required for the specialisation enrolment or registration is necessary. If all the requirements listed below are met at the end of the MSc programme, the specialisation will be noted on the degree certificate.

Contact and counselling

• Dr Ernst August Frhr. v. Hammerstein
  Ernst-Zermelo-Straße 1, Room 248
  Phone +49 761 203-5673
  e-mail: ernst.august.hammerstein@stochastik.uni-freiburg.de

Requirements

The MSc Mathematics curriculum applies with the following changes:

(1) In the modules Applied Mathematics, Mathematics and in the specialisation module at least three of the following areas must be completed:

Probability Theory II (Stochastic Processes), Probability Theory III (Stochastic Integration/Analysis), Financial Mathematics, Mathematical Statistics.

(2) The Master's thesis must be written on a topic from financial mathematics.

(3) The elective modules are replaced by economics modules totalling at least 18 ECTS credits. (The elective module in mathematics and the non-subject-specific elective modules are therefore reduced to 0-3 ECTS credits; the courses for these may be from Mathematics or from other subjects.) The economics modules are the compulsory or compulsory-elective modules designated for the Finance specialisation within the Master’s programme in Economics. At least 6 ECTS points must be allocated to special compulsory elective modules. These are the courses scheduled for the second year of study.
The business and economics modules are offered in English; participation requires knowledge of English com level B2.
Offered are e.g:

• General and special compulsory modules:
  (annual) Advanced Macroeconomics I, Advanced Macroeconomics II, Advanced Microeconomics I, Advanced Microeconomics II, Economic Policy and Public Choice, Computational Economics, Intermediate Econometrics, Principles of Finance
• Special compulsory elective modules:
  (annually) Futures and Options, seminars and topics courses from the field of Finance
  (irregularly) Computational Finance, Continuous Time Finance, Corporate Finance, Credit Risk, Financial Data Analysis, Interest Rate Theory, Portfolio Management, Risk Management, Time Series Analysis.