Medical Systems Engineering

For industrial society, the 21st century is a time of change. Sciences that until now have been divided into classical areas are changing into symbiotically acting interdisciplinary research groups, the manufacturing industry is increasingly giving way to system and service providers, the health and achievement oriented society as well as demographical trends have led to an increase in the health care market.

Medical systems as a main player within this market are a prime example for this development: novel diagnostic and therapeutic solutions arise from research and development in the merged fields of the engineering and natural sciences as well as medicine. The main part of the added value in this sector is achieved in Research & Development as well as in services.

In Germany, as a result of the excellent health care system, medical engineering has an outstanding market position. Furthermore, established and worldwide renowned industrial companies for medical technology prosper in this country. These branches of industry are expanding above average and are providing new, highly qualified jobs. Securing qualified job offers as well as sponsoring research have received political backing and are financially supported aims (German Federal Report: BMBF 2005).

The Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg recognised these developments at an early stage, comprising as it does closely cooperating departments for engineering and computer sciences as well as for medicine and brain science. The university, in collaboration with three renowned research establishments on site (the Max Planck, Fraunhofer, and Leibniz Institutes) form a main research cluster and a centre of knowledge of international reputation, representing an ideal base for medical systems. A key element of medical engineering-related research at the OVGU is the Forschungscampus STIMULATE, focusing on image-guided minimally-invasive methods for therapy and diagnosis. Training and research within the scope of the study course will be carried out by six departments, the Leibniz Neurobiology Institute, and major industrial partners like Siemens and Philips.

The main driving forces of our Master's programme are:

• How can we visualise the inside of the human body up to molecular level?
• What do the future minimally-invasive and image guided interventions look like?
• What do interfaces between the brain and electronics look like?
• Are intelligent systems capable of helping physicians recognise pathologies within the large amount of data?
• Which type of information processing is required for the development of personalised medicine?

The interdisciplinary study course Master of Science Medical Systems represents an ideal blend of teaching, PhD positions, research and contacts to the industry.

The focus areas of the Master's programme are:

• Medical imaging and image processing
• Healthcare systems
• Interventional surgery
• Biomedical engineering
• Infrastructure for medical information technology
• Clinical Decision Support Systems
• Intelligent and Cognitive Systems
• Applications to neurobiology and neurology.

We are glad to welcome you as students and researchers.

Educational organisation

The programme has a modular structure consisting of technical compulsory modules, methodical/social compulsory modules and elective modules.

Compulsory technical and methodical/social modules:

• Anatomy for Engineers
• Statistical Data Analysis
• Medical Physics and Diagnostics
• Medical Measurement Technology
• Medical Physics
• Microsystems- and Nano-Technologies for Medical Solutions
• Human Computer Interfaces in Medicine
• Mathematical Foundations
• Digital Information Processing

Optional compulsory modules:

• Scientific Working
• MedTec Innovation Generation and Entrepreneurship

Elective modules (students pick two out of six deepening with at least three modules):

• Imaging (Computed Tomography; Methods of MRI; Nuclear Medicine)
• Interventions (Instruments for Image Guided Procedures; Computer Assisted Surgery)
• Biomedical Signals (Digital Information Processing Lab; EMC of Medical Systems; Tomographic Imaging in Medicine; Functional Safety for Medical and Technical System)
• Medical Microsystems (Development of Bio-MEMS for Medical Engineering; MEMS-Packaging for Medical Solutions)
• Biomechanics and Hemodynamics (Simulation and Numerical Methods in Biomechanics and Medical Engineering; Rheology and Rheometry; Computational Fluid Dynamics)
• Medical Computer Science (Advanced Security Issued in Medical Systems; Bayesian Networks; Image Coding; Machine Learning for Medical Systems; Medical Visualisation; Selected Topics in Image Understanding)
• Neuro-Biology (Theoretical Neuroscience I; Theoretical Neuroscience II; Analysis and modeling of Physiological Systems)

Students with outstanding academic achievements (undergraduate degree/GPA better than 1.5 in the German academic grading system) and a long-term commitment to the medical engineering-related research at the OVGU can receive a scholarship of around 750 EUR per month. Further details can be found on the course website.

Forms of assessment

Master's thesis with colloquium (30 credit points)

Course objectives

Occupational fields:

• Development engineer in the medical engineering industry
• Computer scientist in a hospital, in the healthcare system, in the medical industry
• Developer of intelligent human-machine interfaces, amongst others multimodal device handling, user-adaptive control
• Scientist in industrial, academic and clinical research in the field of medicine and brain science
• Consultant for embedded medical systems and machines
• Product management and sales of medical systems and machines
• Freelance work in the field of medical engineering and medical informatics

Language requirements

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): 80 (Internet-based)
IELTS (International English Language Testing System): minimum overall band score: 6.0
Cambridge Proficiency in English (A, B and C)
UNIcert II (European level B2)

Academic requirements

University Bachelor's degree or German Diploma ("Diplom") of at least "good" in the German academic grading system in the following fields: electrical engineering, information technology, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, or other relevant areas

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Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Enrolment fees

Currently 94.50 EUR per semester
The semester fee covers services offered by the "Studentenwerk" (Student Union) and the student representatives. Enrolled students receive a semester ticket for free use of public transport, student discounts in the campus cafeteria, etc.

Costs of living

A minimum of 700 EUR per month must be budgeted for accommodation, costs of living, health insurance, books, and miscellaneous expenses.

Job opportunities

Part-time research/student assistant (maximum: 80 hours per month)

Funding opportunities within the university

Scholarships cannot be provided for new students. The university provides a limited number of excellence scholarships. Eligible candidates are students in advanced semesters who clearly show above-average results.
http://www.studentenwerk-magdeburg.de/en/finances/

Arrival support

Before arrival, a welcome package with relevant information will be sent to prospective students.
There is a pick-up service if desired. Please inform the student group IKUS (http://www.ikus.ovgu.de) of your arrival in advance. IKUS will meet you at the station in Magdeburg.
Furthermore, there is a "Welcome & Orientation Week" at the beginning of the semester.

Services and support for international students

The International Office and the programme coordinators assist students in any way possible. To integrate new students into the university and into the student community, both the university and the faculty offer a "Welcome & Orientation Week" right before studies start in October. The university offers German language courses and lots of social and cultural events organised by the IKUS or by other student initiatives at the faculty or on campus.

Accommodation

The "Studentenwerk" (Student Union) Magdeburg manages the on-campus halls of residence (mostly one- to four-room apartments). Currently, the monthly rent ranges from 220-350 EUR per room (approx. 12-35 square meters), depending on size and furnishing. Rooms in the halls of residence are limited in number. The accommodation request can be found here: http://www.studentenwerk-magdeburg.de/en/accommodation/accommodation-request/.
The Student Union assists all new students in finding adequate accommodation, either on or off campus. Private accommodation is available on the Magdeburg accommodation market. However, fully furnished units are in relatively short supply.