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The Central State Office for Distance Learning (ZFU) has approved the course AI & Software Engineering under the number 1176525c. Who is suitable for the Bachelor's in AI & Software Engineering – and what are the entry requirements?
The degree programme is aimed at professionals who want to shape their future in the development of intelligent software. You are suitable if you already work in IT, engineering, or in data-intensive areas and are planning your next career step – for example, from a developer to a role with more architecture or project responsibility. The course is also suitable for motivated career changers from technical or analytical professions who want to learn in a structured way and are willing to systematically learn programming, data analysis, and AI methods. If you have to juggle family, work, and studies, you benefit from the high flexibility in terms of starting, exams, and extension options.
Admission Requirements
For the Bachelor's degree (B.Sc., 180 credits), the following access routes apply – without NC and with flexible start dates:
- With a general or subject-specific university entrance qualification.
- Without a high school diploma, with a subject-specific further education examination.
- Without a high school diploma, with vocational training.
Formal conditions that make planning easier for you:
- Standard period of study: 36 or 48 months; free extension by 18 or 24 months possible.
- Flexibility: Exams online or monthly at 10 nationwide exam locations; a few compact seminars, mostly online.
Recognizing previous academic achievements saves time and fees:
- Flat-rate and individual recognition possible – up to 90 credits can be recognized.
- For each recognized credit, €40 is credited towards the tuition fees.
Personal Requirements
You will be successful if you can learn in a structured and persistent way. Important are self-organization, realistic time planning over weeks and months, and the willingness to continuously work on exercises, code, and projects. Schedule fixed study windows and keep buffers for project phases and the few seminar dates free – this way, the course remains manageable even alongside work and family.
- Affinity for logic, mathematics, and programming – you regularly work with data, algorithms, and software architectures.
- Analytical thinking and meticulousness to develop, test, and document models.
- Communication skills and teamwork: The curriculum also includes change management, ethics, and law.
- Staying focused rather than pursuing perfection: Small, regular learning steps lead more reliably to the goal than sporadic intensive phases.
Tip for balancing: Establish a weekly rhythm with recurring study times, minimize distractions, and work with clear milestones per module. Use the flexible exam planning strategically to stagger peak periods in your job or family commitments – this way, your study progress remains stable.
What do you learn in the Bachelor's Programme in AI & Software Engineering at Euro-FH?
You combine solid computer science and programming skills with applied artificial intelligence. The programme covers software development, data processing, and machine learning techniques, complemented by aspects of law, ethics, IT security, and change management for implementation in companies.
Software Engineering and Programming: Object-oriented development, software architectures, testing, and quality assurance. You plan, build, and operate scalable systems - from design to operation.
Data & AI Fundamentals: Data modeling, statistics, and data analytics lead you to Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and MLOps. You learn to develop, evaluate, and deploy data pipelines and ML models.
Infrastructure & Security: Cloud concepts, APIs, DevOps practices, as well as information security and data protection. The goal is to implement AI and software solutions in a robust, secure, and compliance-compliant manner.
Organization, Law, and Ethics: Digital transformation, project communication, IT law, AI ethics, and responsible data use - to ensure that AI applications are accepted and effective in operation.
Hands-on learning: In the AI Labs, you work on projects involving neural networks, language models, and data storytelling. This promotes application competence and results orientation. The programme is accredited (Accreditation Council) and comprises 180 ECTS.
Specializations: You choose two specializations, such as app development, usability & requirements engineering, IT & business transformation, or innovation management. This helps you sharpen your profile - technically, product-oriented, or entrepreneurially.
How does the distance learning programme in Bachelor KI & Software Engineering work?
You can start anytime and study flexibly over 36 or 48 months – with a free extension of 18 or 24 months. Examinations can be taken monthly, online or at one of 10 examination centres.
Digital learning with a mix of materials and AI support
You learn with digital study guides, audio guides, webinars, learning apps, and virtual tools. An AI learning assistant supports you around the clock with technical questions, making self-study easier and reducing search times - particularly important alongside your job.
Flexible exams: online or on-site
You can take exams either online or monthly at one of 10 exam locations in Germany. If a date is missed, you can make it up the following month. This reduces planning pressure and makes the exam workload manageable.
Face-to-face sessions: few, mostly online
A few compact seminars are planned to take place "mostly online". Mandatory in-person sessions are rare. Face-to-face interactions mainly occur if you voluntarily use an exam centre, or in exceptional cases when individual events are held in person.
Time models and realistic weekly hours
Over 36 months, a workload of around 30-35 hours per week (full-time standard) is typical for an 180-ECTS bachelor's degree. In the 48-month model, the weekly commitment usually decreases to about 20-25 hours. With the free extension, you can balance periods of high job or family commitments and reduce pressure.
Organize your study sessions in blocks of 30-90 minutes and schedule regular breaks - this way, you maintain a rhythm and remain capable of action even during exam months.
How much does the Bachelor's Programme in AI & Software Engineering at Euro-FH cost?
Tuition fees start at 259 euros per month. This includes a free extension of 18 or 24 months - with no additional fees. Exams are possible monthly; travel and accommodation costs only arise if you use an on-site examination centre.
Additional potential expenses: specialist literature, optional hardware/cloud resources for projects, as well as travel to occasional events if they are not held online. Further education or pre-study achievements can be credited; a monetary amount is credited per recognised credit - reducing total costs and study duration.
Tax tip: Expenses for a job-related initial degree program can be considered as business expenses or special expenses. Employers often contribute to tuition fees if the content is directly applicable to the job - discuss sponsorship early and present module plans.
What careers and salaries are possible after the Bachelor's Programme in AI & Software Engineering?
Typical entry and career paths are in software development, data & AI, cloud engineering, IT security, as well as IT project and transformation management. The following salary ranges refer to gross annual salaries in Germany and vary according to experience, industry, and location.
- Software developer, web or app developer: approx. 50,000-75,000 euros; with broad full-stack expertise and responsibilities up to 85,000 euros.
- Machine Learning Engineer or AI developer: approx. 60,000-90,000 euros; with product experience and MLOps up to 100,000 euros.
- Data Scientist or Data Analyst (advanced): approx. 55,000-85,000 euros; higher in regulated industries or corporations.
- Cloud Engineer or DevOps Engineer: approx. 60,000-95,000 euros; often higher with a focus on architecture and security.
- IT Project Manager or Digital Transformation Manager: approx. 60,000-90,000 euros; higher with budget and team responsibilities.
A Master's degree is useful for technical specializations or leadership roles, e.g. in informatics, data science, artificial intelligence, software engineering, or IT management. Certificates (Cloud, Security, Data/ML) additionally enhance marketability.
Who benefits from the Bachelor's Programme in AI & Software Engineering - and who does not?
The programme is suitable if you want to not only design AI applications but also implement them into operational, secure software - considering data, operations, and change. It is suited to professionals who want to study flexibly with a clear practical focus.
- You work in IT, engineering, data, or product-related roles and want to systematically enhance your AI and software competence.
- You are looking for a flexible distance learning programme with monthly exams and few, mostly online seminars.
- You want to apply theory directly in projects - e.g. in AI Labs, with ML models, APIs, Cloud & MLOps.
- You want to specifically sharpen your profile - e.g. towards app development, usability/requirements, or business transformation.
- You are planning future roles such as software developer, ML engineer, data scientist, cloud or IT project management.
This distance learning programme is not the best choice for every situation. The following points will help you avoid making the wrong decision.
- You expect a very lightweight programme without solid maths, statistics, and programming components - here, methodological fundamentals are essential.
- You cannot dedicate 20-25 hours per week long-term alongside a full-time job; the workload is significantly higher in the 36-month model.
- You are looking for a programme with a practical phase on-site or an industry internship - this is not included here.
- You are interested solely in management or strategy topics without deeper technical content - the focus here is clearly on engineering and AI.
- You prefer the very low fees of state presence universities - private tuition fees here are noticeably higher.
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