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International Students

Master Data Science Double-Degree Program

Start your Double-Degree in Data Science

We are pleased to announce that first-year undergraduate students have the opportunity to take part in a double degree program "Master Data Science" in cooperation with the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences (Germany).

From the beginning of October to March students participate in the study program in Germany. They will attend the following courses:

  • Question Answering & Chatbots;
  • Modern Database Concepts;
  • Data protection and Data ethics;
  • Project Data Science;
  • Seminar Data Science;
  • 1 elective course.

In addition, at the end of the program (typically in June or September) students defend their master's thesis in English and receive a European standard diploma of the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences.

For details please contact the coordinator of the Double Degree program of your home university:

Coordinator for the Master Data Science Double-Degree program

Student's Lifetime Cycle in a Timeline

In this section you will find the timeline of the double-degree program. The information is prepared as a student's lifetime cycle within the program.
Here is the list of important dates that you have to keep in mind:

  • September - December: Preliminary stage
    1. Getting to know the Double Degree program -- get as much information as possible about the program. Ask professors and previous participants about their experience from past years, read information about Anhalt University of Applied Sciences as well as about its department Informatics and Languages where the program is taking place. Based on this, make a decision for yourself if you want to participate in the program.
    2. Prepare a talk about your current research work -- every year the ICAIIT conference that is hosted by Anhalt University in March has a special section for students where they can present their current work. It is important that you, as a candidate for the Double Degree program, take part in the conference, introduce yourself and your research work such that Professors and other staff of the University will get to know you in advance. Additionally, on site participation in the conference means that you’ll travel to Germany for several days and will take part in the Project Week (see Item 2). [For Perm Students]: if you are willing to take part in the Project Week (see Item 2) make sure that you have a valid “Foreign Passport” for the next year.

     

  • January - June: Preparation

    1. Project Week is an annual event for international students willing to take part in the Double Degree program hosted by the Informatics and Languages department of the Anhalt University. Project Week typically consists of the following events: welcome dinner, ICAIIT conference, workshops and tutorials by Professors, cultural activities and excursions, travelling around the Land Saxony-Anhalt.

    2. [For Perm students] If you made a decision to take part in the Project Week, you have to get a visa in order to travel to Germany. For this event you can get a typical German Schengen visa, which means you can apply for it in Perm (no need to travel to German consulate in Yekaterinburg). The application is made in the Perm office of VisaMetric. Additional details will be given by the responsible person at the Perm and Anhalt universities.

    3. Project Week typically takes place in the beginning of March, that means you have to buy tickets in advance in order to avoid overpayment. [For Perm students] It is recommended to buy tickets to Berlin (BER) via Moscow or Saint-Petersburg.

    4. Arrive in Germany and actively participate in Project Week! The program of this event is different for each year that is why you will be provided with the additional document containing the precise timeline. However, some things never change: transfer from Berlin or Köthen train station to the guest house (German -- Pension) where you will live, welcome dinner on the day of your arrival, ICAIIT conference.

  • June - July: Application to the Program

    1. Start to determine your master thesis topic and search for a supervisor on German side as early as possible. You can contact a professor that has similar research interests to yours during the Project Week or after by email. Keep in mind that your German master thesis content has to match the Russian one such that you are not doing two completely different theses. In this regard, you need to find a particular solution that satisfies both Russian and German supervisors. The deadline for determining the thesis topic is October (however, start as early as possible).

    2. In the middle of  June, a delegation from Anhalt University to present the program and make interviews with applicants on site. Be prepared to present yourself and answer questions about your background. Before the interviews, you have to prepare a short CV describing your education, skills, interests, academic achievements etc. You will also need other documents for an application, the complete list will be provided by the responsible person at the Perm and Anhalt universities.

    3. After the interviews, stay in contact with other applicants as well as with your scientific supervisors.

  • August - September: Acceptance, Arrival etc.

    1. Typically, the chances to get accepted are close to 100%, but don’t relax before the official announcement!

    2. If you are accepted, you have to get a visa in order to study in Germany. For this you should get a National German visa, which means you should apply for it at German consulate (e.g., for PNPRU students in Yekaterinburg; you will go there in a group, before that, you have to schedule an appointment online). The processing time takes approximately 2-3 weeks. Keep in mind that you need to get your visa in the middle of September in order to travel to Germany before the semester starts. Additional details will be given by the responsible person at the Perm and Anhalt universities. However, there are mandatory steps you should do before apply for a visa:

      1. Register yourself as a student at Student Service Center (SSC) portal. Use this guide to do it. There is a statement about health insurance. As you are not in Germany at the moment, buy online (e.g. here) an Incoming Health Insurance (German -- Incoming Krankenversicherung) for 2-3 weeks. After you enter Germany, you must get insurance as a student (see Item X).

      2. Reserve yourself a place in a Dormitory on this website.

      3. Rarely, German consulate requires a blocked bank account from you to get a visa. In this case, you can do a blocked account and health insurance together using this service: https://www.fintiba.com/.

    3. The winter semester (the one that you will study in) in Germany starts on 1st of October, that means you have to buy tickets in advance in order to avoid overpayment. Keep in mind that you must not attach tickets to your visa application. As the visa acceptance rate is close to 100% you can buy tickets before you get a visa acceptance -- beginning of September will be a perfect timing. [For Perm students] It is recommended to buy tickets to Berlin (BER) via Moscow or Saint-Petersburg.

    4. After you arrive at the airport, you have to take a train to Köthen. The train system in Germany is well-developed, thus you probably will not have any problems on this step. You can use either a ticket machine or an application “DB Navigator” to buy a ticket. Note that the ticket cost is ~30 Euro. Hence, if the price is significantly different (e.g. 7 Euro) -- you probably entered the destination wrong. Depending on the situation, the Anhalt University may arrange a transfer for you from Köthen main station to the Dormitory (4 km), is it’s not the case it is worth to take a taxi (+49 3496 557788) which will cost ~15 Euro per car. Then, the Anhalt University representatives will hand over the keys of your rooms in the Dorm.

    5. There are several formal things must be done after you arrive to Germany as soon as possible:

      1. If you are not using a blocked account (see Item X) -- Open a bank account. Suggestion: 0-Euro-Account in Commerzbank. Bring a passport with you. The card will be shipped to your address.

      2. Visit the Dormitory administration to pay a deposit (300 Euro -- will be returned after moving out) and to get a Housing Certificate (Wohnraumbescheinigung).

      3. Register in “Citizens Registration office” (German -- Einwohnermeldeamt). It will provide you a certificate of your place of residence (Meldebestätigung). To do this, come to the office with your passport and Housing Certificate (Wohnraumbescheinigung).

      4. If you are not using a blocked account + health insurance (see Item X) -- get health insurance. Suggestion: AOK. Bring passport, certificate of your place of residence (Meldebestätigung), and bank account information. The insurance card and other papers will be shipped to your address.

      5. You have to receive credentials for the University services (WiFi, E-Mail, Moodle, GitLab, Computers, Servers, etc.). You might ask representatives of Anhalt University for assistance.

  • October - March: Studying and Living

    1. The winter semester starts on 1st of October and ends on 31st of March next year. The study process contains lectures and practical exercises as well as the exams. Exams can be executed in several forms: oral exams, written exams, and project presentations. Typically, the intensive study process lasts from the beginning of October until the end of January. After that the first exam period starts (end of January - beginning of February). There is also a second exam session (end of March) exists. Professor decides when to execute the examination depending on the study plan.

    2. It is highly recommended to meet your scientific supervisor at least once in two weeks in order to discuss your progress on your master thesis. Use the time while you are in Germany to work intensively such that after you come back home the most of the work is done.

    3. The winter semester is interrupted by the Christmas holidays. There are no lectures since 23th of December until 06th of January. Hence, you can use this free time as you want.