Master in IT Product Development

Master in IT Product Development is one of 10 English-taught Development Studies programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 5 institutions. 10 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 4,250 to EUR 17,300; this programme lists EUR 16,300 a year. 7 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

The Master's in IT Product Development at Aarhus University is a two-year, full-time programme taught in English. It sits at the Department of Computer Science and is run with the Department of Engineering, so you take courses from both and work across computer science and industrial design.

What you study

In the first year you take several required courses in the programme's research priority areas: physical and spatial design, IoT and cloud computing, and augmented reality. Those are followed by an innovation project. In the second year you write your master's thesis, which some students do in collaboration with a company.

Elective courses let you specialise in areas such as advanced data management, multimodal interaction, interactivity, and computer mediation. Your individual study programme is put together with the programme coordinator, based on what you want to focus on.

How the programme is organised

The two years are divided into four semesters. Teaching mixes lectures and classes, with preparatory work in study groups. The third semester is where you can go on exchange. The fourth semester is dedicated entirely to the thesis.

The programme is based in IT City Katrinebjerg, where Aarhus University has gathered its IT programmes and research. The department has spaces for students to meet outside class, a Friday bar, and the annual hackathon AUHack. Student associations and the department organise events and tech talks with local and international companies.

Who it suits

This programme is for you if you want to build IT products that combine software with physical and digital interfaces. You should come in with a bachelor's background that includes programming, systems and system development, physical design, basic electronics, and some experience combining these disciplines.

The admission requirements are specific. You need at least 40 ECTS in Computer Science (for example programming such as object-oriented programming and software architecture, or computer systems such as computer architecture, databases and distributed systems). You also need at least 40 ECTS in Human-Computer Interaction (for example HCI foundations and theory such as cognition, perception, user interface design, usability and user experience, or physical design such as sketching, prototyping and design theory). And you need at least 10 ECTS in basic mathematics, probability theory and statistics. That adds up to 90 ECTS.

If you hold the Bachelor's in IT Product Development from Aarhus University, you have a legal right of admission, provided you apply within three years of finishing. Certain other Danish bachelor's degrees give direct admission, including IT Product Development from Aarhus University and IT under study regulations 2017 or later from Aarhus University.

Admission, language and next steps

All applicants must document English proficiency. The one exception is students with a legal right of admission from a bachelor's degree at Aarhus University. If your bachelor's is from outside Denmark, you complete an appendix listing the courses that meet the subject area requirements; the link appears in the confirmation message in the application portal (DANS) after you submit your application.

Intake is limited, so meeting the entry requirements does not guarantee a place. Applicants are ranked on grades from the qualifying degree, grades in relevant subject fields (programming, computer systems, human-computer interaction theory, physical design), and the share of your bachelor's diploma that falls within those fields. Grades earned after the application deadline are not included.

Applications from international qualifications go through the institution's own portal. The university cannot assess your qualifications in advance; you have to apply to be assessed. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland study free of charge, while other students pay a fee set by the institution.

Master’s applications go straight to Aarhus University, not through optagelse.dk, and the institution sets its own deadline. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, residence permits and housing.