Word
Ein Master in Informatik ist sehr schwierig.
Meaning
A master's degree in computer science is very difficult.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Ein Master in Informatik ist sehr schwierig.
Why is the word for computer science Informatik instead of something with 'Computer'?
Informatik is the standard German term for computer science. Although it looks like the less common English word 'informatics', it covers the entire field of computer science and software engineering.
Is Master treated as a normal German noun here?
Yes! German adopted Master from English when European universities standardized their degrees. Since it is a noun, it is capitalized, and it takes the masculine gender (der Master).
Why is there no article after the preposition in? Shouldn't it be in der Informatik?
When naming a specific university degree or academic subject, German usually drops the article, just like English does. You simply say in Informatik or in Biologie.
Could I use schwer instead of schwierig in this sentence?
Yes, you could! Schwer translates to both 'heavy' and 'difficult', whereas schwierig strictly means 'difficult' or 'complicated'. When talking about tests or degrees, both words are completely interchangeable.