Research School "Systems Design"

The HPI Research School Systems Design focuses on the design and implementation of modern software systems. It combines software engineering, system modelling, human-computer interaction, security, and sustainability in a doctoral research environment.

Academic requirements

Supervision agreement, Report of intent to pursue doctoral studies, Copies of university transcripts, Curriculum vitae in tabular form

Minimum GPA

None stated.

English requirements

The official HPI research-school pages do not require a specific language certificate, but they state that applicants should have a decent level of English to conduct research and communicate with supervisors, fellow researchers, and project partners.

Accepted bachelor fields

Applicants need a relevant master's degree, for example in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Data Science, or a closely related technical field.

APS Certificate

Yes

Tuition fee

None

Semester contribution

354.80 EUR per semester if enrolled as a doctoral candidate at the University of Potsdam (current Summer Semester 2026 semester fee).

Funding info

Tuition: None Semester contribution: 354.80 EUR per semester if enrolled as a doctoral candidate at the University of Potsdam (current Summer Semester 2026 semester fee).

The programme prepares doctoral researchers for research and advanced engineering careers in software systems, systems modelling, human-computer interaction, secure systems, and related digital-engineering fields.

• 1

  Computational Modelling and Simulation

  Dresden University of Technology

  Dresden · Master of Science · English

• 2

  Human Computer Interaction (HCI)

  University of Siegen

  Siegen · Master of Science · English

• 3

  Saarbrücken Graduate School of Computer Science

  Saarland University

  Saarbrücken · PhD · English

• 4

  Computer Science (MSc)

  Philipps-Universität Marburg

  Marburg · Master of Science · English

• 5

  Information Systems – Master of Science

  University of Cologne

  Köln · Master of Science · German, English