Annual Report 2007/2008 - Fachgruppe Informatik an der RWTH ...

Description of the Contents and Curriculum of the
Computer Science- program
(Bachelor and Master of Science RWTH Aachen University)
Short Description:
at RWTH Aachen University
Computer science is the research field dealing with the analysis, the conceptual planning,
the implementation, and the application of information processing systems. This requires
the study of the basic ideas and fundamental terms like algorithm, process, language, knowledge,
complexity, simulation, and communication. Theoretical computer science clarifies
these terms, investigates the limits between the possible and the impossible and studies the
complexity of algorithms.
Applied computer science is a problem-oriented engineering science – just like other engineering
disciplines. The only difference is that a computer engineer’s tools are algorithms
and the material is information instead of metal or silicon. Applied computer science offers
and develops a variety of methods and techniques for programming languages, software development,
information systems, communication systems, language- and image processing,
computer graphics, and high performance computing. Many applications involve complex
systems which consist of agents, communicating with each other and with the environment.
Those “agents” can be software modules, but also machines. Other applications focus on
finding efficient, scalable, and robust algorithmic solutions for a given problem with welldefined
input and output data. As a consequence, computer science techniques enter almost
all natural and engineering sciences as well as many areas of everyday life. So, computer
science is a highly interdisciplinary science cooperating with various fields of application.
Degree: Bachelor/Master of Science RWTH Aachen University
(B.Sc. RWTH/M.Sc. RWTH)
Standard period of study: 6/4 semester
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