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Faculty of Sciences MA-INFO

Master in Computer science

Master in Computer science

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  • Programme title
    Master in Computer science
  • Programme mnemonic
    MA-INFO
  • Programme organised by
    • Faculty of Sciences
  • Degree type
    Master 120 credits
  • Tier
    2nd cycle
  • Field and branch of study
    Sciences and technics/Sciences
  • Schedule type
    Daytime
  • Languages of instruction
    english
  • Theoretical programme duration
    2 years
  • Campus
    Plaine
  • Category / Topic
    Sciences and technics - Sciences
  • Jury President
    Jean-François RASKIN
  • Jury Secretary
    Joël GOOSSENS

Presentation

Details

General information

Degree type

Master 120 credits

Theoretical programme duration

2 years

Learning language(s)

english

Schedule type

Daytime

Campus

Plaine

Category(ies) - Topic(s)

Sciences and technics - Sciences

Organising faculty(s) and university(ies)
Infor-études

Contacts

+32 2 650 56 14

ma-info@ulb.be

https://sciences.ulb.be/departement-d-informatique

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Presentation

The Master program aims to train students to become high-level computer scientists in the IT industry and/or research. The program wishes to form a new generation of IT executives, managers and researchers who are autonomous, aware of their role in society, and can efficiently acquire new knowledge all along with their career. In particular the students are expected to
● be able to gather information and acquire new knowledge autonomously and with scientific rigour, and adopt a critical attitude in this process.
● master the main mathematical and formal tools needed in computer science.
● be able to read technical literature in English and engage in a technical conversation in English
● master the main concepts and skills related to programming, programming languages, algorithms, software engineering, operating systems, computational intelligence and theoretical results in computer science.
● be able to design—alone or within a group—a computer application of significant complexity, efficiently using the tools of software engineering.

Courses are typically structured in two parts: a theoretical part, in which concepts and theories are developed, and a more practical part, where those concepts are applied to examples and case studies. Courses are complemented by medium- to large-size projects, often inspired by recent and challenging applications of Computer Science.
Teaching assistants are always present during the many practical sessions to offer help and are often available to answer student questions.
Computer rooms, equipped with state-of-the-art hardware and operating systems, are available to students for practicals and projects.

The Master program offers a mandatory common core of 30 ECTS and five optional modules covering major advanced topics in Computer Science:
● Software and critical systems,
● Computational intelligence,
● Optimization,
● Algorithms,
● Web and information systems.
Other optional courses are made available by other related MA programs (e.g. in Applied Sciences).
The advanced classes benefit from the excellence of the research conducted in the Computer Science Department of the Faculty of Science, as witnessed by the publications record and the several awarded prizes, and collaboration with researchers from ULB Applied Sciences and VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel).
In the second year of the Master, students can take a three-month full-time internship in either a private company or a research centre.
The program is completed by a MA thesis intended to prepare the student to enter the labour market or to pursue a research career (e.g. by enrolling in doctoral studies).

Students can participate in international exchange programs (e.g. Erasmus) to attend classes abroad during one semester. The Computer Science department has several ongoing agreements with other departments around Europe and North America. More specifically, students who follow the specialisation on Optimization may complete one or two semesters at the Université de Nantes (France) and earn a joint degree from the two institutions.

Access conditions

Programme

The master programme includes three main types of courses: computer science lectures, an introduction to research through the writing of a Master's dissertation, and courses intended to prepare students to enter the job market.

The programme is designed for students who have general skills in computer science, which they can have acquired during the Bachelor in Computer Science at ULB:

  • they are able to gather information and acquire new knowledge autonomously and with scientific rigour, and are able to adopt a critical attitude in this process.

  • they master the main mathematical and formal tools needed in computer science.

  • they can read technical literature in English and engage in a technical conversation in English, as most of the courses in the programme are taught in English (with a few exceptions for electives).

  • They master the main concepts and skills related to programming, programming languages, algorithms, software engineering, operating systems, and fundamental theoretical results in computer science.

  • they are able to design—alone or within a group—a computer application of significant complexity, efficiently using the tools of software engineering.

Students who have not acquired the appropriate background during their Bachelor may, in some cases, have the opportunity to compensate for deficiencies with a tailored curriculum.

What's next ?

Prospects

Graduates find work in various sectors: banks, insurance companies, software industry, consulting, hospitals, schools, universities, national and international administrations. They can work as project leaders, IT specialists, data scientists, network architects, security experts, teachers, or researchers. Some conduct their businesses, and others are high-level executives in administrations.
In summary, the main occupations that the program provides access to are:
● IT Project Manager
● IT Consultant
● IT Manager
● Computer security architect
● Teacher
● Data scientist
● Researcher