Focus areas

Focus areas

To compose the first part of your study program:

  • Choose one foundational course from the focus area Algorithms & Theory, one foundational course from the focus area Architecture & Systems, and one foundational course from the focus area Software & Analytics (15 credits in total).
  • Next to that, choose three extra courses (foundational or deepening) from one focus area (15 credits in total).

You will find your options to choose from in the lists of the focus area courses below

Focus Area Algorithms and Theory

A deep mathematical understanding of computation and semantics is indispensable for reasoning about the quality and efficiency of algorithms, data structures and (concurrent) systems. This focus area thus encompasses, for example, improving and understanding trade-offs between algorithm efficiency and quality, exploring and pushing the limits of computation, modelling and (manually, mechanically or fully automatically) verifying computational and/or concurrent systems.

Core Courses² (foundational (F) and deepening (D))

Quartile Code Study component Credits

F

1

2IMA10 

Advanced Algorithms 

5

F

1

2IMF25 

Automated Reasoning 

5

F

4

2IMF10 

Process Algebra 

5

D 1 2IMA50 Algorithms for collective decision making 5

D

2

2IMA15

Geometric Algorithms

5

D

2

2IMA35 

Massively Parallel Algorithms 

5

D 3 2IMA20 Algorithms for Geovisualization 5
D 3 2IMA25 Exact Algorithms for NP-Hard Problems 5

D

3

2IMF15 

Proving with Computer Assistance 

5

D

4

2IMA30 

Topological Data Analysis 

5

² The core of an individual program of examinations consists of: one foundational course from each of the Focus Areas plus three additional courses (foundational or deepening) from one specific focus area.

Focus Area Architecture and Systems

Modern digital systems involve complex interactions between various hardware and software components operating under functional and non-functional requirements. This focus area addresses the understanding and management of the architecture, interactions, behavior, and trade-offs in such systems. In particular, it focuses on the theory and practice for the modeling, design, implementation, analysis and verification of complex networked, embedded, large-scale and data-intensive systems.

Core Courses² (foundational (F) and deepening (D)) Quartile Code Study component Credits

F

1

2IMN10

Architecture of Distributed Systems

5

F

1

2IMF30 

System Validation 

5

F

2

2IMD10 

Engineering of Data Systems 

5

D

2

2IMF35 

Algorithms for Model Checking 

5

D

2

2IMN15

Internet of Things 

5

D

2

2IMN20 

Real-time Systems 

5

D

3

2IMN25 

Quantitative Evaluation of Cyber-Physical Systems

5

² The core of an individual program of examinations consists of: one foundational course from each of the Focus Areas plus three additional courses (foundational or deepening) from one specific focus area.

Focus Area Software and Analytics

Software is a key enabler in Computer Science. The development of software should be efficient and result in high-quality software. This focus area addresses the development of high-quality software in an efficient way. It does so by providing knowledge on developing correct software by construction and by combining principles and methodology of software development with analysis of information sources, specifically by mining software repositories to understand the effects of software evolution.

Core Courses² (foundational (F) and deepening (D)) Quartile Code Study component Credits

F

1

2AMI10 

Foundations in Process Mining

5

F

2

2IMP10 

Program Verification Techniques 

5

F

3

2IMP25 

Software Evolution 

5

D

1

2AMM20

Research Topics in Data Mining 

5

D

2

2IMP40 

Empirical Methods in Software Engineering 

5

D 2 2IMP60 Human-Computer Interaction 5
D 3 2IMN30  Machine Learning for Industry  5

D

3

2AMD15 

Big Data Management 

5

D

4

2IMP30 

System Design Engineering 

5

D

4

2IMP20 

Domain Specific Language Design 

5

² The core of an individual program of examinations consists of: one foundational course from each of the Focus Areas plus three additional courses (foundational or deepening) from one specific focus area.