Computer Science Guide
What a first semester of Informatik covers, beyond just learning to code.
Computer science in Germany is usually its own degree, separate from the broader engineering faculties, and its first semester leans more on abstract, structured thinking than on writing code itself. Students who assume it's just "more programming" are often surprised by how much of it is closer to applied mathematics.
What a First Semester Covers
Alongside an introductory programming course, most Informatik programs open with discrete mathematics (logic, sets, proofs) and an introduction to algorithms and data structures. The programming course teaches you to write code; these other two teach you to reason about whether that code is correct and efficient, which is a different skill entirely.
Core Concepts Worth Knowing Before You Arrive
- Basic logic and proof techniques: direct proof, proof by contradiction, and induction, which show up constantly once algorithms get more complex.
- Sets, relations and functions: the mathematical vocabulary nearly every later course assumes you already speak.
- Fundamental data structures: arrays, lists, stacks and queues, and the trade-offs between how they store and retrieve information.
- Algorithmic thinking: breaking a problem into precise, unambiguous steps before worrying about how to code them.
Why This Feels Different From "Just Learning to Code"
Writing a program that runs is one skill; proving that it's correct, and reasoning about why one approach is faster than another, is a separate one that most self-taught programmers never had to develop. German Informatik programs test both from the first semester, which is why strong hobbyist coders sometimes struggle more than expected early on, not because they can't code, but because they haven't had to formally reason about code before.
A Practical Way to Prepare
Practice writing short, formal proofs, even simple ones, and work through basic exercises on sets and logic, alongside whatever programming practice you're already doing. The goal is getting comfortable with precise, step-by-step reasoning, since that habit matters more in the first semester than knowing an extra programming language.
GSA Engineering Prep™ covers the mathematics and programming foundations this guide points to, module by module, whether your track is Informatik or a more traditional engineering degree.