Swiss Joint Master in Computer Science of the universities of Bern ...
Swiss Joint Master in Computer Science of the universities of Bern ...
Swiss Joint Master in Computer Science of the universities of Bern ...
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<strong>Swiss</strong> <strong>Jo<strong>in</strong>t</strong> <strong>Master</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Computer</strong><strong>Science</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>universities</strong> <strong>of</strong><strong>Bern</strong>, Neuchâtel and Fribourg
1The MSc program <strong>in</strong> computer scienceWorldwide, computer scientists are <strong>in</strong> highdemand. To cater for this demand, <strong>the</strong> computerscience <strong>in</strong>stitutes <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> three <strong>universities</strong> <strong>of</strong><strong>Bern</strong>, Neuchâtel and Fribourg <strong>of</strong>fer a <strong>Master</strong> <strong>of</strong><strong>Science</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong>. With this program,it is possible to benefit from a large, wellstructured<strong>of</strong>fer<strong>in</strong>g that comb<strong>in</strong>es <strong>the</strong> strengths<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>universities</strong>. Graduates from thisprogram have excellent career opportunities,after an excit<strong>in</strong>g time at <strong>the</strong> three <strong>universities</strong>form<strong>in</strong>g one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> biggest <strong>Swiss</strong> universitycampuses <strong>of</strong>fer<strong>in</strong>g just about everyth<strong>in</strong>g that istypical for Switzerland.The <strong>Swiss</strong> <strong>Jo<strong>in</strong>t</strong> <strong>Master</strong> program <strong>of</strong>fers candidateswith a Bachelor <strong>in</strong> <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong> (or relateddoma<strong>in</strong>s) <strong>the</strong> opportunity to advance <strong>the</strong>irknowledge <strong>of</strong> computer science. Students cooperateclosely with one or more <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> researchgroups <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> three <strong>in</strong>stitutes to obta<strong>in</strong> a solidknowledge <strong>in</strong> computer science. This degreeenables <strong>the</strong>m to fill advanced positions <strong>in</strong>various economic sectors, or cont<strong>in</strong>ue <strong>the</strong>irstudies towards a PhD degree, <strong>of</strong>fer<strong>in</strong>g fur<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g employment opportunities <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustryand academia.
2Structure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> masters programThe masters program consists <strong>of</strong> lectures withassignments, sem<strong>in</strong>ars, <strong>in</strong>ternships or o<strong>the</strong>rforms <strong>of</strong> teach<strong>in</strong>g, and a masters <strong>the</strong>sis. Theprogram comprises 90 ECTS credits (ECTSstands for “European Credit Transfer andAccumulation System”). These 90 ECTS creditsconsist <strong>of</strong> 60 ECTS credits <strong>of</strong> teach<strong>in</strong>g units and30 ECTS credits <strong>of</strong> an <strong>in</strong>dividual masters <strong>the</strong>sis.Teach<strong>in</strong>g units 60 ECTS creditsStudents can choose 12 teach<strong>in</strong>g units (worth 5ECTS credits each) out <strong>of</strong> more than 60 units <strong>of</strong>fered.Teach<strong>in</strong>g units are grouped <strong>in</strong>to 6 tracksreflect<strong>in</strong>g different pr<strong>of</strong>iles <strong>in</strong> computer science.In order to ensure sufficient diversification, studentschoose teach<strong>in</strong>g units from at least 3 differenttracks. Students who want to specialize<strong>in</strong> a particular track complete at least 5 teach<strong>in</strong>gunits from that track and write <strong>the</strong>ir masters <strong>the</strong>sison a topic related to <strong>the</strong> chosen track.<strong>Master</strong>s <strong>the</strong>sis 30 ECTS creditsStudents submit a masters <strong>the</strong>sis related to one<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> topics <strong>the</strong>y have studied. The <strong>the</strong>sis is supervisedby a pr<strong>of</strong>essor.
3 TracksThe <strong>Swiss</strong> <strong>Jo<strong>in</strong>t</strong> <strong>Master</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong> <strong>of</strong>fers an extensive choice <strong>of</strong> over60 teach<strong>in</strong>g units (courses, sem<strong>in</strong>ars, <strong>in</strong>ternships or o<strong>the</strong>r forms <strong>of</strong> teach<strong>in</strong>g),which are grouped <strong>in</strong>to 6 tracks reflect<strong>in</strong>g different pr<strong>of</strong>iles <strong>in</strong> computer science.T0 GeneralA collection <strong>of</strong> teach<strong>in</strong>g units from a variety <strong>of</strong>subject areas which supplement <strong>the</strong> teach<strong>in</strong>gunits <strong>of</strong>fered <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r 5 tracks.T1 Distributed SystemsDistributed systems, peer-to-peer networks,grid and cloud comput<strong>in</strong>g, mobile communications,concurrency, foundations and algorithms,verification and model check<strong>in</strong>g, bio-<strong>in</strong>spiredand parallel architectures, network security,pervasive and context-aware comput<strong>in</strong>g.T2 Advanced S<strong>of</strong>tware Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>gAdvanced methods for <strong>the</strong> analysis, developmentand test<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> modern and reliable s<strong>of</strong>twaresystems <strong>in</strong> heterogeneous, service-orientedand closely connected system topologies.T3 Advanced Information Process<strong>in</strong>gSignal process<strong>in</strong>g for pattern recognition, documentanalysis, computational l<strong>in</strong>guistics, multimodal<strong>in</strong>terfaces, (re)acquisition <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>formationand computer graphics, as well as exposure toartificial <strong>in</strong>telligence.T4 LogicComputability and complexity, pro<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ory,lambda calculus, logic programm<strong>in</strong>g and pro<strong>of</strong>search, classical and non-classical logics, universalalgebra, automata, verification, knowledgerepresentation, data privacy, data m<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g,ontologies, formal methods.T5 Information Systems and Decision SupporteBus<strong>in</strong>ess, eGovernment, <strong>in</strong>formation management,database management systems anddata warehous<strong>in</strong>g, fuzzy classification, decisionsupport, quantitative models and methods <strong>of</strong>Operations Research, applied to logistics, supplycha<strong>in</strong> management, and decision supportfor difficult managerial decisions.
4 SpecializationIf students wish to focus <strong>the</strong>ir studies on aparticular area <strong>of</strong> computer science, <strong>the</strong>y canchoose to specialize <strong>in</strong> one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se five tracks:T1 Distributed SystemsT2 Advanced S<strong>of</strong>tware Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>gT3 Advanced Information Process<strong>in</strong>gT4 LogicT5 Information Systems and Decision SupportThe requirements for a specialization are:at least 25 out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 60 ECTS credits forteach<strong>in</strong>g units must come from teach<strong>in</strong>gunits <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> specialization track<strong>the</strong> masters <strong>the</strong>sis must be on a topicwith<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> specialization track.If all requirements are met, <strong>the</strong> specialization ismentioned <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> diploma supplement that <strong>the</strong>students receive toge<strong>the</strong>r with <strong>the</strong>ir diploma.5 ECTS 5 ECTS 5 ECTS 5 ECTS5 ECTS 5 ECTS 5 ECTS 5 ECTS5 ECTS 5 ECTS 5 ECTS 5 ECTS12 teach<strong>in</strong>g units60 ECTS creditsT1T2T330 ECTS<strong>Master</strong> <strong>the</strong>sis30 ECTS creditsT4T0T5
5Duration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Swiss</strong> <strong>Jo<strong>in</strong>t</strong> <strong>Master</strong> programThe regular duration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Swiss</strong> <strong>Jo<strong>in</strong>t</strong> <strong>Master</strong> programis three semesters, i.e. one and a half years<strong>of</strong> full-time study. Students are expected to followa program <strong>of</strong> 30 ECTS credits <strong>in</strong> each semester:<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> first two semesters, students attend teach<strong>in</strong>gunits <strong>of</strong> 60 ECTS credits, and <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> thirdsemester, <strong>the</strong>y work on <strong>the</strong>ir masters <strong>the</strong>sis <strong>of</strong>30 ECTS credits. Students earn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir liv<strong>in</strong>g bywork<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> parallel have <strong>the</strong> opportunity to extend<strong>the</strong>ir masters study.6 Language <strong>of</strong> studyThree different languages are used: English,French, and German. Usually, courses are taught<strong>in</strong> English and sometimes <strong>in</strong> French or German(depend<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essor), but l<strong>in</strong>guistic preferences<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> students are taken <strong>in</strong>to accountwhenever possible. Students who only knowEnglish can follow <strong>the</strong> program withoutproblems.7Career prospectsCurrently many more computer scientists areleav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> <strong>Swiss</strong> job market (e.g, due to retirement)than all <strong>Swiss</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitutions <strong>of</strong> higher educationare releas<strong>in</strong>g. This leads to a tremendousdemand for computer scientists with a universitydegree <strong>in</strong> Switzerland. The same is occurr<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> entire western world. Therefore, job prospectsfor computer scientists are absolutely excellent.S<strong>in</strong>ce IT plays an important role <strong>in</strong> most economicsectors, computer scientists with a universitydegree will have <strong>the</strong> choice <strong>in</strong> which sector <strong>the</strong>ywant to work, rang<strong>in</strong>g from f<strong>in</strong>ancial <strong>in</strong>dustries tohigh-tech companies, from journalism and enterta<strong>in</strong>mentto public adm<strong>in</strong>istration, from teach<strong>in</strong>gand cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g education to research, from automationto gam<strong>in</strong>g and sports, from communicationtechnology to eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g and knowledgemanagement.
8 Admission and RegistrationAdmission conditionsThe <strong>Swiss</strong> <strong>Jo<strong>in</strong>t</strong> <strong>Master</strong> program is open to studentshold<strong>in</strong>g a Bachelor <strong>in</strong> <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong>from a <strong>Swiss</strong> university or from any one <strong>of</strong> a largenumber <strong>of</strong> foreign <strong>universities</strong>. Degree holderswith similar qualifications are welcome to applyand can be accepted under tailored conditions.In such cases, <strong>the</strong> applications are considered on acase by case basis and <strong>the</strong> branch committee mayrequire <strong>the</strong> applicant to earn additional ECTS credits(a maximum <strong>of</strong> 60) from courses at <strong>the</strong> bachelor’slevel.Admission procedureChoose your home university, i.e. <strong>Bern</strong>,Neuchâtel, or Fribourg.Submit your application material to <strong>the</strong> admissionservice <strong>of</strong> your home university.Application Deadl<strong>in</strong>eStudents can start <strong>the</strong> <strong>Jo<strong>in</strong>t</strong> <strong>Master</strong> program <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> autumn or spr<strong>in</strong>g semester. Submit your applicationto <strong>the</strong> admission service <strong>of</strong> your homeuniversity. Related <strong>in</strong>structions can be found atmcs.unibnf.ch under “Admission”. The deadl<strong>in</strong>esfor application are:Autumn semester: April 30thSpr<strong>in</strong>g semester:November 30thRegistrationOnce admitted, you will receive <strong>in</strong>structions howto register at your home university.
9 Student lifeThe <strong>Swiss</strong> <strong>Jo<strong>in</strong>t</strong> <strong>Master</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong> is<strong>of</strong>fered collectively by three <strong>universities</strong>: <strong>Bern</strong>,Neuchâtel, and Fribourg. This collaboration givesstudents not only a high-quality and diversifiedacademic program, but also <strong>the</strong> opportunityto study <strong>in</strong> a large, dynamic, multicultural andmultil<strong>in</strong>gual environment with many advantagessuch as:Attractive accommodation: <strong>Bern</strong>, Neuchâteland Fribourg <strong>of</strong>fer a larger number and variety<strong>of</strong> affordable accommodation than o<strong>the</strong>rmajor cities <strong>in</strong> Switzerland.L<strong>in</strong>guistic and cultural diversity: S<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong>three <strong>universities</strong> are located <strong>in</strong> an area <strong>of</strong>Switzerland that is at <strong>the</strong> meet<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong>German and French cultures, students <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>program have <strong>the</strong> opportunity to experienceboth cultures, and to acquire or improve <strong>the</strong>irlanguage skills ei<strong>the</strong>r through immersion orby tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> many language courses providedfor students by <strong>the</strong> <strong>universities</strong>.A wide variety <strong>of</strong> cultural attractions: The<strong>universities</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Bern</strong>, Neuchâtel, and Fribourgare located <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> heart <strong>of</strong> Switzerland, onlya stone’s throw away from <strong>the</strong> three lakes <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> region, a number <strong>of</strong> UNESCO world heritagesites, and <strong>the</strong> magnificent <strong>Swiss</strong> Alps.Students can participate <strong>in</strong> a wide range <strong>of</strong>summer and w<strong>in</strong>ter activities, ei<strong>the</strong>r throughorganized excursions <strong>of</strong>fered by varioussports and cultural clubs at <strong>the</strong> <strong>universities</strong>,or by explor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> area on <strong>the</strong>ir own.
ContactsAdmission andUniversity <strong>of</strong> <strong>Bern</strong>University <strong>of</strong> NeuchâtelUniversity <strong>of</strong> FribourgRegistration ServicesAdmissions OfficeHochschulstrasse 4CH-3012 <strong>Bern</strong>Registration and Mobility ServicesAvenue du 1 er Mars 26CH-2000 NeuchâtelOffice for Admissions and RegistrationAvenue de l‘Europe 20CH-1700 Fribourgwww.imd.unibe.ch/<strong>in</strong>dex_e.htmlwww.un<strong>in</strong>e.ch/prospectivestudentwww.unifr.ch/admission/enStudent advisorsUniversity <strong>of</strong> <strong>Bern</strong>University <strong>of</strong> NeuchâtelUniversity <strong>of</strong> FribourgBett<strong>in</strong>a Ch<strong>of</strong>fatPr<strong>of</strong>. Dr Jacques SavoyPr<strong>of</strong>. Dr Béat HirsbrunnerInstitute <strong>of</strong> CS and Applied Ma<strong>the</strong>matics<strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong> DepartmentDepartment <strong>of</strong> InformaticsNeubrückstrasse 10Rue Emile-Argand 11Boulevard de Pérolles 90CH-3012 <strong>Bern</strong>CH-2000 NeuchâtelCH-1700 Fribourgch<strong>of</strong>fat@iam.unibe.chjacques.savoy@un<strong>in</strong>e.chbeat.hirsbrunner@unifr.chProgram coord<strong>in</strong>atorUniversity <strong>of</strong> FribourgDr Andreas HummDepartment <strong>of</strong> InformaticsBoulevard de Pérolles 90CH-1700 Fribourgandreas.humm@unifr.chmcs.unibnf.ch
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