M.Sc. in Computer Science – University of Copenhagen

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Department of Computer Science DIKU > Study programmes > M.Sc. in Computer Science

M.Sc. in Computer Science

    

 

What is special about the computer science study at DIKU? 

The Master's Programme in Computer Science provides demanding and innovative teaching approaches in a learning environment characterized by high student participation and independent, critical reasoning among students through a number of extensive projects.

DIKU is proud of its quality mark emphasizing in particular the high level of skills of our students and the extent of project work allowing for in-depth studies as well as the comprehensive research training - skills that are central to our students' future careers as software developers and team workers. 

Copenhagen Master of Excellence Programme (COME)

The Master's Programme in computer science has been updated in 2009 to welcome students who are admitted under a new and improved Master's Programme developed under the COME framwork.

The Master Programme emphasizes:

  • High quality in teaching
  • Broad recruitment nationally and internationally, to ensure a balanced study environment
  • High efficiency of education
  • Clear profiles of the various specializations

As a new possibility, students with a background in a field other than computer science or with a bachelor's degree in software development and mathematical and mathematics-based science and engineering science may be admitted.

Course Content

The Master's Programme in Computer Science contains 4 compulsory courses common to all competence profiles as well as a number of optional courses and elements. The compulsory course elements are:

  1. Advanced Programming - Language-centric overview of programming techniques and concepts (declarative, concurrent, distributed,...)
  2. Principles of Computer Systems Design - Technical approaches to managing complexity in large systems (modularity, abstraction, layering,...) 
  3. Statistical Methods for Machine Learning - Introduction to probabilistic data modeling and machine learning (pattern recognition, data mining,...)
  4. Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures - Advanced course in algorithmics (linear programming, randomized algorithms, amortized analysis,...)

Read more about how to apply - admission requirements and deadlines. 

Career prospects and competence profiles

To facilitate the students' choice of specializations within the Master's Programme and to match their career expectations, the concept of competence profiles has been introduced in the new MSc in Computer Science.

The programme is composed of 1 general and 6 specialized profiles:

General Computer Science (GCS) (For all students)

Graduates in general computer science can combine relevant knowledge of computer science to analyze a problem and evaluate previous attempts of solving the specific problem and related problems.

Moreover, they can critically assess, select and possibly combine newly developed theories and methods, and use them to make significant contributions to solving computer science problems or promoting understanding of the problems.

The student can demonstrate his og her findings and discoveries in accordance with the requirements for publications in international scientific literature and will have an enhanced knowledge of the original literature within his/her area of specialization, and is educated in several other areas of computer science.

Read more about General Computer Science

Specialized profiles : 

1. Computational and Mathematical Modelling (CMM)

This specialissation is focused on problems and applications with a foundation in measured observations or laws of Nature. For instance, measurements obtained from images, movies, medical data, satellites, motion capture data and models such as Newtonian mechanics etc. Mathematical and computational modelling of natural phenomena are most often data driven or method driven work processes. The students should master both.

Read more about Computational and Mathematical Modelling

2. Programming Languages and Systems (PLS)

Graduates with a PLS competence profile have knowledge of fundamental models of computing, their expressiveness and limitations, and how to capture them as (fundamental) programming languages.  They understand both programs and whole programming languages as objects of study that can be designed, analyzed and manipulated so as to guarantee correctness, efficiency and language-based security.  They know how to implement programming languages efficiently on modern computer architectures, how to express their semantics with mathematical precision, and how to operationalize logical and mathematical methods to process programs for various purposes with safe and predictable results.

Read more about Programming Languages and Systems (PLS)

3. Software Development (SD)

Graduates with a competence profile in SD will have fundamental competences in respect to software development, i.e. the various activities involved in preparing the production of software and information systems that are effective, useful and satisfactory for its users - both in the context of an organization and in the context of day-to-day life.

Software development covers investigation of new needs in collaboration with users, software development, modification and reuse of software components, maintenance of systems and the technical and, especially, the organisational implementation of new software products and information systems. Focus is on programming including the initial problem formulation, the realisation of programmes and systems, integration of systems, tests of systems solutions in the relevant IT and user context.

Read more about Software Development (SD)

4. Digital Interactive Entertainment (DIE)

Digital interactive entertainment is about creating interactive applications for end-users or creating the tools (middle-ware/engines) for creating the interactive applications. Good programming skills, good ability to work together, and the ability to find creative solutions that work are at the core of the specialization.

Read more about Digital Interactive Entertainment

5. Computer Science Innovation (CSI) 

Candidates with a CSI profile will have the ability to combine theory with practice / business (from research to invoice), will have practical experience with entrepreneurship achieved through accomplishment or business project.

Examples of practical courses:

  • IPR rights
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Microeconomics
  • Marketing
  • Sales
  • "Pitching" project presentation technique
  • Understanding of funding
  • Innovation Process

Read more about Computer Science Innovation

6. Algorithms and data structures

Graduates with this profile will have extensive and in-depth knowledge of fundamental algorithms, approximation algorithms, heuristics and data structures applicable to a wide range of computational problems. They will be able to argue about the correctness and complexity of algorithms. They will become familiar with general algorithmic paradigms and they will be able to apply various types of data structures to new problems.

Graduates with this profile will be able to participate in software development projects. They will be able to present their results in accordance with requirements for publications in international journals.

Read more about Algorithms and data structures