Software systems are everywhere in our everyday life We find them in smartphones, (self-driving) cars, and supermarket checkouts, just to name a few examples. Many of these systems have in common that they are complex in the sense that they are built from many smaller, inter-dependent components and that they contain more and more intelligent parts in the sense that they make considerable usage of recent techniques for machine learning and artificial intelligence. Depending on the application domain and target customers of the software, the specific requirements, technologies used, and organizational frameworks can vary considerably. Nevertheless, taking a closer look, we can identify fundamental principles, practices and tools for efficiently developing almost any modern software system in an analytical, creative, and constructive manner.

In the study focus Complex and Intelligent Software Systems (CISS), we teach core competences for scientifically well-founded, yet practice-oriented, development and maintenance of modern software systems. The goal is to learn how to step from abstract software models to practical implementations and thereby to enjoy the power of analytical thinking. But teamwork and strong communication skills are also crucial. Students learn to understand problems and requirements and to describe them precisely. As a next step, they learn how to select and apply recent solution approaches, critically evaluate their suitability, and develop them further if necessary. In addition, also theoretical foundations are covered so that the students can acquire future concepts and techniques beyond current trends.

The two characteristics that give this study focus its name, i.e., complex and intelligent, are on the one hand drivers for innovations in modern software and at the same time the greatest challenges for their controllability. Any holistic approach to the complexity and intelligence of software systems is a cross-cutting issue that is reflected in all fundamental disciplines of computer science—from programming, algorithm design, and data structures to software engineering tools and machine learning methods. The specialization covers the relevant topics for acquiring the corresponding skills.

Student successfully passing this study focus have excellent job opportunities, ranging from software developers, over software architects and quality managers to data analysists and AI experts.