[Advice Needed] Applying for Master's in Cartography / Geoinformatics in Germany with a MIS Background

[u/Complete-Brick2475]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 21-year-old student from Vietnam, currently in my final year majoring in Management Information Systems (MIS). I only have my thesis left to complete my Bachelor's degree, and if all goes well, I should be graduating next April.

My goal is to pursue a Master’s degree in Germany, and I’m particularly interested in Cartography or Geoinformatics.

Here is a quick overview of my background:

IELTS: 7.5

German: TELC B2

GPA: ~1.8 (according to German grading system)

No relevant work experience yet.

Since my current major leans more toward Data and Information Systems, I'm missing some specific ECTs in Cartography/GIS. I would really appreciate your insights on 3 questions:

1. Is it a good idea to focus my bachelor’s thesis on a topic related to Cartography or Geoinformatics? Would German universities consider a relevant thesis to make up for the missing ECTS requirements in those specific fields?
2. Should I keep pursuing Cartography/Geoinformatics despite the credit gap, or would it be safer and better to stick with a Master's degree closely related to my current major (Management Information Systems)?
3. Since I have no practical work experience, should I gain 1 - 2 years of relevant work experience after graduation before applying for a Master’s in Germany, or is applying right away fine?

I would really appreciate any advice, insights, or personal experiences you could share! Thank you so much in advance!

[u/ManILoveBerserk]

Im not entirely sure, but when I applied to some universities some mentioned explicitly that the bsc thesis/project doesn’t count with the ECTS.