M.Sc. Computer Science Information about the degree programme

Transcription

1 Academic Advice Service Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics M.Sc. Computer Science Information about the degree programme For more information, visit Last revised December 2014 Information subject to change

2 About the programme Computer Science is one of the drivers of technological progress in all economic and social spheres. Those graduating from this M.Sc. Computer Science programme are specialists in at least one field of computer science with a wide-ranging science-based methodological expertise. They are able to define autonomously and comprehensively computer science problems and their applications, structure them and build abstract models. Moreover, they are able to define and implement solutions that are at the state of the art of technology and science. Students enrolled in this programme can complete a double degree programme with Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) in Lyon, France. The degree programme may be studied entirely in English or German or in a mix of the two, as each course forming part of the programme is offered in one of the two languages. However, restricting oneself to a single language limits the available courses somewhat, whereas proficiency in both English and German allows students to choose from the full range of courses offered. Programme start Standard and maximum length of programme Application procedure and aptitude test The programme starts in April (summer semester) and in October (winter semester) each year. Standard duration: four semesters (two years) Maximum duration: six semesters (three years) The coursework of the programme amounts to 120 ECTS credits. For your application to succeed, you need: 1) to have an undergraduate/first university degree (Bachelor's, Magister, Diplom, state examination or equivalent) in computer science or a related discipline with a computer science component of at least 110 ECTS credits, earned over a course of study of a standard length of three years, with an average mark of 3.0 under the German marking system or the relevant equivalent average mark in a foreign marking system. If you have not attained a minimum mark of 3.0 or equivalent, you may still apply if you are among the best 33% of your cohort. 2) to demonstrate your aptitude for the programme: the University carries out a selection interview for the M.Sc. Computer Science programme as part of the application procedure. This interview can be conducted on campus or using telecommunications services such as Skype. It will take about 15 minutes of your time and be held under exam conditions. The interview date and other details will be announced at least two weeks ahead of time. Your application should be accompanied by a number of documents, depending on your personal background. For the detailed application method and list of documents, go to answer the questions using the drop-down menus and then follow the link indicated after you press Submit. All applicants must submit certified copies of their previous degree certificate, as well as additional documents. If you are unable to submit your degree certificate, because it has not yet been issued or for another valid reason, you may send a written request to the board of examiners, asking for an extension of the deadline for submission of your first degree certificate. The board of examiners will then decide whether to grant you an extension, and if granted, you will still need to submit your degree certificate (and list of marks or grades) by no later than the second week of lectures of the new semester. Furthermore, your request will only be granted if you have already completed all coursework and assessments for your first degree at the time of application and have submitted a transcript of records showing a minimum average mark of 3.0 (German marking system) or the relevant equivalent. 2

3 The deadline for applications for a place on the programme is 30 June for October entry, or 15 January for April entry. These are strict deadlines: any applications received after the relevant date will not be considered for the relevant period. Please send an to registry@uni-passau.de or telephone if you have any further questions about the application procedure and documents to be sent. International prospective students Students who speak little or no German may complete the entire programme in English. For information on how to apply, please visit answer the questions and then follow the link. You will be directed to a page listing all required documents for your application. To be offered a place on this degree programme you need to provide evidence of proficiency at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in either German or English not both! The University recognises the following certificates: For German: Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang ausländischer Studierender at level DSH-2 TestDaF TDN 4 4 Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz Stufe II (DSD II) or the following Goethe Institute certificates: o Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung (ZOP) o Kleines Deutsches Sprachdiplom o Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom For English: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 580 (paper-based), 237 (computer-based) or 92 (internet-based) International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS) with a minimum score of 6.5 Cambridge English Language Assessment at Advanced (CAE) or Proficiency (CPE) level Degree awarded Career prospects Areas of specialisation Master of Science (M.Sc.) Continuous technological change and innovations create new exciting lines of work in trade and industry, the service, financial services and consulting sectors, in public administration, and in the field of research. The M.Sc. Computer Science from the University of Passau qualifies you for the job market or to proceed with an academic career. As a computer science specialist, you are qualified to take up IT-related executive positions or undertake independent research, e.g. as part of doctoral study. Students choose one of five offered specialisations (four if you are studying the degree course exclusively in English please read the appendix for further details): Algorithmics and Mathematical Modelling Programming and Software Systems Information and Communication Systems Intelligent Technical Systems (this is not offered as a full specialisation in English at the time of writing; however, individual Englishtaught courses from this module group can be chosen as part of the 'freely selectable' options, see appendix) IT Security and Reliability 3

4 Assessments, examinations and deadlines You will sit all written and oral examinations in the relevant semester of study. The mode and duration of assessment is described in the module catalogue, which is made accessible when teaching starts at the beginning of each semester. You should ensure you have completed all requisite assessments for admission to the final examinations by the end of the fourth semester. If you have not completed all assessments by the end of the sixth semester, your will receive a fail on your final examinations. You may then re-sit the exam if you have completed all necessary assessments by the end of the eighth semester. Master's thesis To be permitted to commence writing the Master's thesis, you need to meet the thesis requirements and need to have accumulated a minimum of 40 ECTS credits while on the degree programme. You will write your Master's thesis on a subject treated in your chosen specialisation. Students are given six months to write the thesis, which should be written in German or English. If you achieve a pass mark for your thesis you are awarded 30 ECTS credits. Attaining a pass mark in the examination Examinations and credit transfers In order to successfully complete the programme, you need to accumulate a minimum of 120 ECTS credits, of which 90 must stem from successfully completed elective modules and compulsory elective modules; additionally you must attain a mark of 4.0 or better on your Master's thesis. The Examinations Office is your primary contact for all examination-related matters. It also issues your final degree certificate once it has received your request. For enquiries, please contact: Ms Gerlinde Lang Examinations Office 1 Innstrasse Passau Phone: gerlinde.lang@uni-passau.de For information and forms, visit (please note that this page is only available in German). Upon request, previous coursework and assessments completed elsewhere as part of a related course of study may be counted towards the Master's degree. Please send any credit transfer request, complete with all relevant documents, to the Examinations Office. Study and examination regulations and module catalogue The study and examination regulations for the M.Sc. Computer Science programme can be found at the following URL (please note that the study and examination regulations are only available in German): For the module descriptions and other important information in English, visit: and Module catalogue Additional qualifications The module catalogue will be made accessible at the start of the lecture period early on in the semester. Please note that the module catalogue is only available in German. If you complete additional assessments in modules that do not form part of 4

5 the required modules under the degree programme, you may request that a separate report/certificate be issued. The marks completed for these additional modules do not count towards the final average mark of your degree. Double Master's degree Students enrolled in this programme can complete a double degree programme with Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) de Lyon. If you choose to complete this double degree programme, you will earn the M.Sc. from Passau and the Diplôme d ingénieur INSA from the Département d'informatique at INSA in Lyon, France. The following link provides more details about the double degree option (in German or French): Course catalogue and Stud.IP The course catalogue is available at: Stud.IP is a system that provides Internet support for offline courses taught face to face (i.e. not distance education). As a so-called 'learning management system', it allows you to: search and register for individual courses set up your personal timetable view news and learning materials for your courses More information is available in German on the InteLeC website: (German only). You will be given a University network username and password at matriculation, which gives you access to Stud.IP and other computer services. Please remember that it is your responsibility to find out when and how to register for the seminars and tutorials you need to attend, and we recommend that you do so at the earliest opportunity. Language placement tests If you are planning to register for a foreign language course and have existing language skills, you will have to take a placement test. The results will determine at which level you will join the relevant language course. If you have existing language skills for a language for which no placement tests are offered, you should arrange a face-to-face consultation with the relevant language lecturer well in advance of the course start. The placement test dates are published on the Language Centre website: Please note that many placement tests are conducted online and that you can take these even before the Orientation Week. Those with little or no German language skills are strongly encouraged to make use of our German language courses offered free of charge to international students enrolled on one of our degree programmes. Doing so will widen your course options on the programme. Orientation Week ('O-Woche') Orientation Week for international students An Orientation Week, organised by the Computer Science Student Committee ('Fachschaft Info'), will take place in the week before the start of lectures. The O-Woche, as it is also called in German, will help you as a new student with drawing up your timetable, as well as providing a guided tour of the library and the University facilities, including a tour of the computer facilities available to you as Computer Science students. New students are strongly encouraged to make use of this orientation offer. For more information on the O-Woche, visit The International Office organises special Orientation Weeks for international students. Visit for more information. 5

6 Academic Advice Service The Academic Advice Service provides information on the M.Sc. Computer Science programme and answers general questions about studying and enrolment at the University of Passau. Academic Advice Service, Innstrasse 41, Passau ext. 1150, 1151, 1152 and 1153 Office hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Please make an appointment or come by during our drop-in hours. Drop-in hours: Wednesdays 9 a.m. 12 noon advice@uni-passau.de Master's Open Day Course advisor Studying or working abroad Every year in spring the University holds a Master's Open Day for those interested in studying one of the Master's degrees offered by the University of Passau: If you have more in-depth questions about the degree programme, e.g. about credit transfers or concerning the curriculum, particularly at the advanced stages of study, you should contact the course advisor: Professor Sven Apel Room 122, Innstrasse Passau Phone: sven.apel@uni-passau.de If you need help preparing for your studying or working abroad, you should get in touch with: The International Office Innstrasse 41, Passau, Germany ext. 1160, 1162, 1163, 1165 or Careers Service Centre for Key Skills (ZfS) The Careers Service is a central point of contact for students, institutions and companies. For you as a student, it is a valuable resource informing you about internships and other placements, temporary jobs and how to start your career in Germany or abroad. Every semester, the Centre for Key Skills offers courses on self-awareness and life planning, social and communication skills, methods, as well as computer courses. These are free of charge for students and are usually held on weekends as block seminars. 6

7 Accommodation The Student Services Association manages the refectory, cafeterias, halls of residence, BAföG grants and so on. If you are an international student and wish to arrange accommodation for the first semester through the University, get in touch with Ms Alexandra Winterkorn of the International Office: Administration building Room 106 Innstrasse Passau Phone: Fax: For information about hotels, B&Bs and guest houses, contact: Tourist Information Passau Rathausplatz Passau Phone: tourist-info@passau.de More information: Academic Advice Service, December

8 Programme structure Appendix The curriculum is divided into elective modules and compulsory elective modules: you are awarded a predefined number of ECTS credits when you achieve a pass mark in these. Five specialisations are available (four of which can be wholly studied in English): Algorithmics and Mathematical Modelling Programming and Software Systems Information and Communication Systems Intelligent Technical Systems (this is not fully offered in English at the time of writing; however, individual English-taught courses from this module group can be chosen as part of the 'freely selectable' options, see below) IT Security and Reliability You will choose one of these as your main specialisation, and write your Master's thesis on a subject from this specialisation. The module catalogue lists the modules offered by the individual specialisations, their assessment details as well as their ECTS credit load. In your chosen main specialisation you will complete elective modules or compulsory elective modules amounting to a total minimum of 30 ECTS credits; these must include at least one seminar and compulsory electives of a combined credit load of 18 ECTS credits. In two of the remaining four specialisations you will complete compulsory electives amounting to at least 12 ECTS credits. To top up the remaining ECTS credits you need to accumulate 90 ECTS credits to be admitted to the final examinations you can choose from the electives and compulsory electives for the other specialisations and the freely selectable courses from the Intelligent Technical Systems specialisation, which is not currently offered in the English track of the programme but does offer a good number of English-taught courses. Finally, your Master's thesis will contribute 30 ECTS credits if you achieve a pass mark. Algorithms and Mathematical Modelling This specialisation comprises: algorithms algorithmic algebra computational stochastics This module deals with deterministic and stochastic algorithms and how they are implemented, evaluated and optimised, as well as modelling and complexity analysis of discrete and continuous problems. 8

9 Programming and Software Systems This specialisation comprises: concepts and engineering programming quality and reliability This specialisation imparts knowledge of current methods for the creation of large-scale software systems as well as the creation and use of software production, analysis and optimisation tools. Information and Communication Systems This specialisation comprises: databases and information systems multimedia information systems communication systems You will study the interactions of information systems and computer networks classic areas of computer science. This specialisation presents an answer to the problem of increasing volume and complexity of worldwide information flows, their distribution and interdependencies, as well as the growing requirements with regard to computer communication quality and performance. 9

10 Intelligent Technical Systems This specialisation comprises: digital image and signal processing embedded systems applications of intelligent technical systems in industry and assistance systems This module imparts knowledge of image reconstruction, camera calibration, sensor data fusion and multi-sensor systems, optical measuring technology as well as computer-assisted geometric design for applications, as used in production automation and process control, in traffic control as well as medical and building technology. This specialisation is not offered in the English track of the programme, however students wishing to complete the entire programme in English can select individual English-taught courses from this specialisation as freely selectable courses to top up their accumulated ECTS credits. IT Security and Reliability This specialisations is concerned with the security and reliability of information systems from hardware circuitry and communication protocols to complex networked application systems and their secure operation. This involves an analysis of design methods, security architectures and the technical realisation of the underlying components. Academic Advice Service, December