Empowering Master’s Students with Artificial Intelligence Skills

The TUM AI Competence Program is a study-accompanying certificate program at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). It enables Master’s students from all disciplines – including non-technical fields – to systematically build competencies in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Drawing on TUM’s leading expertise in AI, the program combines technological, applied, and societal perspectives to prepare students for the responsible and reflective use of AI technologies across academic fields.

Who can participate?

Participation is open to students enrolled in a Master’s program at TUM. Applications must be submitted within five weeks after the start of the lecture period, together with proof of enrollment.

The program explicitly encourages participation from non-technical disciplines to foster interdisciplinary exchange.

Students may start the program in either the winter or summer semester. The standard duration is four semesters.

Program Overview and Goals

• Comprehensive AI Competence:
  The program conveys fundamental, applied, and ethical competencies in AI, empowering students to use AI technologies responsibly and reflectively.
• Interdisciplinary Access:
  It aims to make AI education accessible to students from all academic backgrounds and promotes exchange between technical and non-technical fields.
• Systematic and Transferable Learning Structures:
  Building on TUM’s experience in digital and interdisciplinary teaching, the program has a modular structure that can be continuously updated and expanded.

Curriculum and Structure

Participants must complete at least 25 credits (ECTS) across three module blocks, as defined in the official regulation (§5):

• Block A1.1: Computer Science and AI Fundamentals
• Block A1.2: Application Domains of AI
• Block A1.3: Ethical, Social, Legal, Cultural, and Societal Aspects of AI

Students must obtain at least 6 credits from the basic modules of each block, plus at least 7 additional elective credits from any two of the three blocks.

Modules are offered in German and English, and participants should have a good command of both languages.

The module catalog will be updated every semester by the examination board.

Example Modules

Block A1.1: Computer Science and AI Fundamentals

FUNDAMENTALS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
BASIC • 6 ECTS: IN2406 • English • Prof. Dr. Matthias Althoff (Cyber Physical Systems)   

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY
ELECTIVE • 6 ECTS: ED150028 • English • Prof. Dr. Klaus Bogenberger (Traffic Engineering and Control)   

Block A1.2: Application Domains of AI

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION
BASIC • 4 ECTS: SOT10044 • German • Prof. Dr. Claudia Nerdel (Didactics of life sciences)   

MACHINE INTELLIGENCE AND SOCIETY (PYTHON)
BASIC • 6 ECTS: EI04017 • German • Prof. Dr. Klaus Diepold (Data Processing)   

REMOTE MACHINE INTELLIGENCE LAB
BASIC • 6 ECTS: CIT4310005 • English • Prof. Dr. Alexander König (Robotics and Systems Intelligence)   

SEMINAR ON ROBOTICS SCIENCE AND SYSTEMS INTELLIGENCE
ELECTIVE • 5 ECTS: EI77007 • English • Prof. Dr. Alexander König (Robotics and Systems Intelligence)   

PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN OF AI-BASED SYSTEMS
ELECTIVE• 6 ECTS: SOT10057 • English • Prof. Dr. Tina Seidel (Educational Psychology)   
 

Block A1.3: Ethical, Social, Legal, Cultural, and Societal Aspects of AI

LEGAL BASICS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
BASIC • 6 ECTS: SOT82531 • German • Prof. Dr. Dirk Heckmann (Law and Security in Digital Transformation)   

AI REGULATION & LAW
ELECTIVE • 3 ECTS: SOT86062 • English • Prof. Dr. Boris Paal (Law and Regulation of the Digital Transformation)   

Certificates and Recognition

Students who successfully complete at least 25 ECTS and pass all required module examinations are eligible to apply for the official TUM AI Competence Certificate.

A Transcript of Records documents all completed modules and is signed by the chairperson of the examination board.

Grades and the final grade are calculated according to §13 of the program regulations in connection with the APSO. For detailed regulations, please refer to the official program statute (Spezielle Zertifikatsordnung für das Zertifikatsprogramm AI Competence Program), which can be downloaded here.

 

Contact

For further information and individual advising, please contact: contact.padas.stm(at)sot.tum.de