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The new Computer Science Masters Degree of FCT/UNL “Course outline”

The new Computer Science Masters Degree of FCT/UNL “Course outline”. FCT/UNL’s MSc degree in the late 80’s. Since 30 years ago, FCT/UNL provides an engineering degree (BSc) in Computer Science with a 5 years duration By the late 80’s we started a MSc degree course:

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The new Computer Science Masters Degree of FCT/UNL “Course outline”

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  1. The new Computer Science Masters Degree of FCT/UNL “Course outline”

  2. FCT/UNL’s MSc degree in the late 80’s • Since 30 years ago, FCT/UNL provides an engineering degree (BSc) in Computer Science with a 5 years duration • By the late 80’s we started a MSc degree course: • Main initial goal: to provide a path for academic progress for young teaching assistants • During the first year the student should pick 6 or 7 different courses (40 ECTS) among a broad offer • and elaborate a MSc thesis during the 2nd year • Initially, the MSc course had a small number of students - in general already enrolled with the university

  3. FCT/UNL’s MSc degree in the late 90’s • By the late 90’s the MSc course degree attracted more students (coming with our own BSc degree as well as with similar degrees from other universities) • The number of offered course options was higher, and • There was a certain overlap between the contents of courses of the BSc fifth year and the ones of the MSc first year • We then started a major restructuring of the MSc degree

  4. The current Computer Science MSc degree • Type B courses - deepening courses (well grounded material, behind the fundamentals) • Type A courses - introduction to research • 4 different non overlapping tracks (specializations) - Artificial Intelligence, Computer and Network Systems, Software Technology, and Technology of Information Systems • The student is required to: • to take at least 4 type B courses and 2 type A courses, • to take at least 50% of the credits in the same track, • elaborate a Master Dissertation on its specialization

  5. Integration of the Computer Science BSc and MSc course degrees • Nowadays, type B courses are common to the 5th year of the engineering degree (BSc) • MSc students coming from our BSc (or similar Computer Science Engineering degrees) are exempt from type B courses • One good student, coming from a good 5 year BSc degree, can finish the Master in one year (2 type A courses plus the master thesis in one year) thus finishing a BSc and a MSc in 6 years

  6. The “Bolonha conformant” Computer Science (CS) MSc degree of FCT/UNL “Outline of the course proposal”

  7. Agenda • Approach and methodology • Skills and competences to be acquired by students • Curriculum structure • Offered courses and their structuring • The new concept of specialization • How we compare our degree proposal to similar ones

  8. Course positioning

  9. Methodology • Two years degree (second cycle) after a three year first cycle • At course entrance, students must already master the basics of Computer Science (ACM and IEEE curriculum) — this will be enforced by an admission exam if required • Flexibility is paramount - the course allows flexible curriculum tracks and emphasis; the course must allow the student: • to master state of the art engineering practices and • to get an introduction to computer science research • Students, helped by a tutor, are co-responsible for their course choices - almost no mandatory courses • Besides CS, students must improve their skills in several disciplines namely: mathematics, technical and scientific communication and economy and management • Optionally, students may become specialists in a branch of CS by following a concentrating of optional courses

  10. Course goals and students skills • To deepen parts of the ACM/IEEE Computer Science (CS) curriculum • State of the art engineering practices and introduction to research • Communication and management skills • System vision, ability to deal with complexity • Autonomy and self-learning skills

  11. Curriculum structure: scientific areas • Main area: Computer Science (Informatics) • Complementary areas: • Mathematics • Human and Social Sciences • Economy and Management • Electronics Engineering, • ...

  12. Scientific areas

  13. Mandatory courses • Introduction to Operations Research (MAT - 6 ECTS) • Economy and Management (EG - 6 ECTS) • Technical and Scientific Communication (CHS - 3 ECTS) • Masters Dissertation (INF - 42 ECTS)

  14. Optional courses • Optional courses in Computer Science (INF - from 51 to 63 ECTS ) • Optional courses in different scientific areas (from 0 to 12 ECTS)

  15. Structure of the Computer Science (INF) optional courses (from 51 to 63 credits) • Initial or basic set courses • Students must obtain at least 18 ECTS in this subset • Complementary courses • No other constraints besides “course pre-requirements” • Advanced topics courses • No other constraints besides “course pre-requirements”

  16. The initial or basic set • Knowledge Representation and Reasoning • Database Systems • Human Computer Interaction • Construction and Analysis of Software Systems • Software Architectures • Distributed Systems

  17. The advanced topics set • Advanced Topics on Decision Support and Artificial Intelligence • Advanced Topics on Parallel and Distributed Computing • Tópicos Avançados em Linguagens e Modelos de Programação • Advanced Topics on Constraint Programming • Advanced Topics on Distributed Systems • Advanced Topics on Information Systems • Advanced Topics on Software Engineering • Advanced Topics on Visualization

  18. Other Computer Science courses • Several different courses • Some deepen the initial set • Some introducing new topics • Please see table

  19. Other optional courses (from 0 to 12 credits) • Applied Statistics • Stochastic Methods • Wireless communications • Digital Systems Synthesis • Computing and Cognitive Sciences • Ethics and Computer Systems • Project Management • .....

  20. Specializations • The course allows the student to optionallyconcentrate the credits obtained in CS in a specialization • Each CS course can contribute to 0, 1 or more specialization • If the student concentrates up to 30 ECTS in a concentration (chooses courses contributing to that specialization), and presents a dissertation in the same area, it will get a Masters degree with the suffix, “Specialized in ....” • The specialist concentrates 72 in 93 credits in a special course track

  21. Available Specializations • Decision Support and Artificial Intelligence • Graphical and Multimedia Systems • Information Systems Technology • Computer Systems and Networks • Software Construction and Analysis • Software Engineering • See the course table

  22. What is a specialization ? • A specialization is not necessarily a sub scientific area • It can be presented by a menu metaphor — besides the “menu a la carte” there are several pre-composed menus or pre-defined tracks • These menus have different “budgets” and focus

  23. Student tutor • Supports the student in her choices; explains the course structure and the future implications of her choices • Freely chosen by the student or appointed by the degree coordinator • The thesis advisor becomes the student tutor in the second year

  24. How does this course compares to similar ones ? • Very flexible set of curriculum tracks • Several specializations providing from state of the art engineering practices up to introductions to research • ( 15 + 12 ) / 120 = 22.5% credits can be obtained in areas complementary to the main course area

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