PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

Computer Science - master

120 ECTS credits

Campus Tromsø

The program description has been approved by the

Studieutvalget at the Faculty of Science and Technology on
05.09.2018
Study programme name Computer Science - master
Obtained degree Master of Science in Computer Science

Target group Computer Science Master is suitable for those interested in computers,
computer systems and programming. The candidates want to develop new
technology for the benefit of society and business industry, and preferably in
cooperation with people who have their competence in other disciplines such
as health science, science, engineering, economics, education/pedagogy, etc.

The master candidates are well prepared to act as a reliable computer science
experts and are able to develop computer solutions for relevant and complex
problems in the private or public sector. They are also prepared for teaching
and consultancy tasks, and for further studies up to the doctorate in computer
science. The education, together with the interest in maintaining and further
developing of their own academic insight and competence, will form an
important basis for their professional career. Most of our graduates go to
engineering positions in the private or public sector. During the career there
are many who gradually get management positions with different
combinations of management and technical tasks.
Admission requirements, Admission to the Master’s programme in Computer Science requires a
required prerequisite Bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS) or equivalent qualification, with a major in
Computer Science of minimum 80 ECTS.
knowledge, recommended
prerequisite knowledge Applicants must have a minimum grade average comparable to a Norwegian
C (2,5) in the ECTS scale, see the UiT webpage for International admissions
for more information on how the point average is calculated.

Applicants with education from non-Nordic countries must document

English language proficiency. You will find more information on English
language requirements on the UiT webpage for International admissions.

Excellent programming skills, (preferably in C, Python) at systems level, and

knowledge of operating systems is strongly required. Students are expected
to have skills equivalent to the prerequisites the courses in the study
programme are build upon.

Applicants from Norway or Nordic countries:

• The application deadline for Norwegian and other Nordic applicants

is April 15th for admission to the autumn semester
• Online application, study code 4008.
• Programming task: Applicants must enclose source code for a
solution of this programming task [URL to programming task].
The source code must be uploaded in the application web as a .zip
file named in the form surname.zip (where you change surname with
your name). Applications without enclosed source code for a
solution of this programming task will not be considered.

Applicants from outside the Nordic countries:

• The application deadline for international applicants is November

15th for admission to the autumn semester.
• Online application, study code 2017.

2
 • Programming task: Applicants must enclose source code for a
solution of this programming task [URL to programming task].
The source code must be uploaded in the application web as a .zip
file named in the form surname.zip (where you change surname with
your name). Applications without enclosed source code for a
solution of this programming task will not be considered.

Academic content and Computer Science Master is a full-time study programme offered at UiT’s
description of the study campus in Tromsø.
programme The study programme supply you with a solid foundation in computer
science, combined with deeper and more detailed understanding and skills
within your chosen area of specialization in the master thesis.

The study programme consists of four mandatory courses in computer

science, a total of 40 ECTS credits, and 20 ECTS credits of elective courses.
The elective courses may be within topics such as economics, management,
psychology and entrepreneurship. The programme concludes with a master
thesis of 60 ECTS credits.

Since the study programme is very experimental with a lot of practical

programming exercises and laboratory work emphasis is placed on that the
students are acquiring computer science and engineering skills. The
computer science courses are directly connected to the on-going research
carried out by the academic staff at the department.

For the master thesis you will apply broad skills in computer science,
combined with deeper insights in your selected specialty to solve difficult
problems within the particular area you are pursuing. The theme of your
master’s thesis will reflect and shall contribute to ongoing research activities
at the department within the broad areas of computer systems research and/or
medical informatics and applications. Current topics include software
architectures, distributed systems, parallel systems, exascale computing,
computer security, programming methodologies, dependable systems, real-
time systems, operating systems, performance measurements and evaluation,
large scale visualization, feature-rich large-scale search, computer networks
and communication, handling of massive data, web-services and -
architectures, collaborative editing, bioinformatics, social media, analysis of
social data, medical informatics and technological issues in health sciences.
The student may also specify the master thesis based on his/her own interests
or write a thesis for a company.
Table: programme Semester 10 credits 10 credits 10 credits
structure
Semester 1 INF-3200 INF-3201 Optional course
Distributed Parallel
Systems Programming
Fundamentals
Semester 2 INF-3203 INF-3701 Optional Course
Advanced Advanced
Distributed Databases
Systems
Semester 3 INF-3990 Master's Thesis in Computer Science
Semester 4
Knowledge – The candidate has…

• a broad solid foundation in computer science

3
The study programme’s • considerable depth of understanding of a selected area of
Learning Outcome specialization
• a deep understanding on state of the art distributed and parallel
software architectures
• a solid knowledge about risks and threats in computer systems and
their related security measures
• a solid understanding of system and application development
relevant to the chosen specialty

Skills – The candidate can…

• work independently on a significant non-trivial problem over a

longer time-period
• analyze a problem and plan how to work towards a solution
• plan, organize and execute the work required to solve the problem.
Adapt to changes and limitations.
• demonstrate the feasibility of the solution by implementing key parts
• collect and analyze relevant metrics characterizing the problem and
the solution
• write a well-structured and clearly formulated report describing the
thesis work and reflecting on its results

General competence – The candidate …

• has an interest for the continued development of computer science as

a dynamic field under the influences of advances in the discipline,
changes in technology, and in application areas, business models,
and businesses.
• can communicate effectively, orally and in writing, within the field,
and with the public as well as experts in other fields
• can pursue life-long learning and development
• is aware of relevant social and ethical issues and apply this
awareness to their professional conduct

The study programme’s Computer science is today’s most expansive, innovative and applied
relevance dicipline and technology. Knowledge of computer science methods and tools
is currently included in most areas of knowledge production and other value
creation in today’s society. Application in other diciplines also concerns
because computer science is an important factor for the further development
of these.

The study programme leads to a degree as a Master of Science in Computer

Science and qualifies for admission to the PhD programme in Science,
assuming satisfactory grade level.
Work scope and learning To complete the study programme until the master’s degree requires
activities motivation and targeted work effort. To achieve the learning outcomes for
the study programme, students must expect to spend more than 40 hours a
week in the study from the study start, including lectures, group hours,
laboratory work and self-taught self-study.

The study programme offers a varied teaching programme while most

courses are intensive and project oriented. In lectures, theory and academic
theme are examined. In the group work, students are expected to be active in
discussions of issues in the subject matter. Students work in laboratories
where compulsory assignments are solved to acquire practical skills in

4
 designing, building and maintaining computer systems, either individually or
in teams with other students.

In addition to collaborating with other informatics students, the students will

also work with people who have knowledge in other areas. In order to train
this, it is important that the student takes an active role, is present and
contributes to the learning environment, both in organized teaching and
otherwise during the weeks where the students cooperate and largely learn
from each other.

All academic staff who teach the study programme are active researchers in
various research projects. The courses are based on relevant research and are
related to the departments research activity. As a student, you will be able to
engage in projects in the research laboratories along the way. Special
curriculum and master theses are often part of a larger project context, in a
working community in a research group. In the work on these assignments,
individual guidance is provided from the department's academic staff. The
Master’s thesis may by agreement also be conducted in, or in cooperation
with, a company.
Examination and Mandatory coursework is given to each course. Approved assignments give
assessment access to the exam. The examination structure differs between the courses;
from written examination to project work reports, presentation of scientific
work or oral examination. And often a combination of these methods. Details
on assessment methods and access to any types of exams in the teaching free
semester are stated in course descriptions.
For master’s theses/ The master’s degree thesis consists of an independent scientific work of two
independent work in semesters, equivalent to 60 ECTS credits. The thesis must be done
individually, as group collaboration usually is not permitted. A supervision
master’s degrees contract for the thesis is set up before the start-up, which regulates rights,
obligations and resource use and resource access for the parties involved.
Assessment form is submission of a master thesis and final oral exam.
Language of instruction The language of instruction is English and all of the syllabus material is in
and examination English. Examination questions will be given in English, but may be
answered either in English or a Scandinavian language.

Also the Master’s thesis may be written either in English or a Scandinavian

language.
Internationalisation and Exchange stays at other educational institutions in Norway or abroad can by
student exchange agreement be included in the programme. The Department of computer
science has subject-specific exchange agreements (Erasmus +) with several
universities in Europe where the agreements with the Technical University of
Munich, Germany and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands are
recommended. An overview of the departments exchange agreements can be
found at the Department of Computer Science’s web pages.

Students can carry out an exchange stay in the second semester of the study.
The courses scheduled for completion during the exchange period must be
pre-approved in consultation with the department. The department will in
each case assess how and to what extent external courses can replace
mandatory subjects in the student's education plan at UiT.

Students wishing to carry out an exchange stay as part of the study

programme must contact the department administration in good time before
leaving, no later than the semester start of the semester before departure. The
pre-approved courses are included as part of the study at UiT. If the student

5
 do not accomplish the pre-approved arrangemnent this may lead to extended
study time.

The amount of work should be representative of the period during which the
student is on exchange stays.

Since the study is English-thought, there will be international students from

different parts of the world.

The academic staff at the department associated with the study programme
has active cooperation with leading research communities internationally,
and this also benefits the students in the form of guest lectures.
Administrative Programme management with the academic responsibility of the Computer
responsibility and Science - Master has been added to the department board at the Department
of Computer Science. The Department of Computer Science at the Faculty of
academic responsibility Science and Technology is administratively responsible for the study
programme.
Quality assurance The study programme is evaluated annually. The courses included in the
study programmes are evaluated at least every third time they are given.
Course evaluation is normally conducted as a dialogue between the students
and the teacher, combined with the assessment of available data. An
overview of the courses to be evaluated each semester can be found on the
faculty’s web pages.

Annually, each class on the study programme elects a representative who can
be spokesperson towards the academic community in various study-related
cases.

The courses of the study programme change as a result of the development of

computer science as a dicipline, the relevant technologies available and the
department academic staffs evaluation in dialogue with the business industry.

For good quality assurance of learning outcomes, exam questions are

evaluated against national quality standards in computer science as practiced
at the universities of Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø. Well-qualified
external examiner are used in accordance with UiT regulations.
Other regulations Faculty of Science and Technology has prepared Supplementary provisions
for the two years master's degree programme (120 credits).