Prospectus

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Computer Science: Foundations of Computing

Master

The Foundations of Computing specialisation consists of a full-time, two-year master’s programme (120 EC).

Curriculum

Year 1&2

  1. The required Core component Foundations of Computing (36 EC)

  2. A selection of Specialisation courses and seminars (42 EC)

Year 2

  1. The Master’s Thesis Research Project (42 EC) (including Master Class, Written Master's Thesis and Master's Thesis Presentation)

See also

For more information on the specific requirements of this specialisation, see the appendix of the Course and Examination Regulations.

More information

For specific questions about programme content, curriculum choices and/or study planning, please contact the Computer Science study advisor/education coordinator.

Core component Foundations of Computing (36 EC)

Important notes for students who started before 1 September 2020:

  • As former student Computer Science and Advanced Data Analytics with core component Foundations of Computing, you may replace each of Computational Models and Semantics and Concurrency and Causality by either 1) Coordination and Component Composition or 2) Modern Game AI Algorithms or Reinforcement Learning if you previously completed those. Note that you may not use both Modern Game AI Algorithms and Reinforcement Learning as part of your core component.

  • You can only take the new course Software Verification if you have not previously passed Advances in Model Checking.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Core component Foundations of Computing (36 EC)
Computational Models and Semantics 6
Foundations of Software Testing 6
Quantum Algorithms 6
Concurrency and Causality 6
Seminar Combinatorial Algorithms 6
Software Verification 6

Specialisation courses and seminars (42 EC)

Important notes for students who started before 1 September 2020:

  • The Introductory Research Project (18EC) is removed from the curriculum. Instead, you are encouraged to take specialisation courses worth 18 EC in total (e.g., three courses of 6 EC each). As a student who started before 1 September 2020, doing an Introductory Research Project (instead of taking courses) will be allowed if you choose to.

  • You can only take the new course Introduction to Deep Learning if you have not previously passed Neural Networks or Deep Learning and Neural Networks.

Other announcements:

  • Due to Covid-19 the following courses are cancelled:

    • Better Science for Computer Scientists (3 EC)
    • Competitive Programming (6 EC)
    • Information Retrieval and Text Analytics (6 EC)
    • Information Theoretic Data Mining (6 EC)

  • Students can choose an alternative course from the Foundations of Computing list of specialisation courses and seminars (see below).

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Fall semester
Advanced Data Management for Data Analysis 6
Advances in Data Mining 6
Automated Machine Learning 6
Better Science for Computer Scientists - CANCELLED 3
Computational Creativity 6
Complex Networks (BM) 6
Computational Models and Semantics 6
Computational Molecular Biology 6
Distributed Data Processing Systems 6
Evolutionary Algorithms 6
Foundations of Software Testing 6
High Performance Computing I 6
Information Theoretic Data Mining - CANCELLED 6
Introduction to Deep Learning 6
Introduction to Machine Learning 6
Multimedia Systems 6
Quantum Algorithms 6
Seminar Advanced Deep Reinforcement Learning 6
Seminar Swarm-based Computation with Applications in Bioinformatics 6
Social Network Analysis for Computer Scientists 6
Software Development and Product Management 6
Text Mining 6
Urban Computing 6

Spring semester
Advances in Deep Learning 6
Applied Quantum Algorithms 6
Audio Processing and Indexing 6
Bio-Modeling 6
Cloud Computing 6
Competitive Programming - CANCELLED 6
Concurrency and Causality 6
Embedded Systems and Software 6
High Performance Computing II 6
Image Analysis with Applications in Microscopy 6
Information Retrieval and Text Analytics - CANCELLED 6
Modern Game AI Algorithms 6
Multicriteria Optimization and Decision Analysis 6
Multimedia Information Retrieval 6
Psychology of Programming 6
Quantum Computing 3
Reinforcement Learning 6
Robotics 6
Seminar Combinatorial Algorithms 6
Sports Data Science 6

Research components

Important notes for students who started before 1 September 2020:

  • The Introductory Research Project (18EC) is removed from the curriculum. Instead, you are encouraged to take specialisation courses worth 18 EC in total (e.g., three courses of 6 EC each). As a student who started before 1 September 2020, doing an Introductory Research Project (instead of taking courses) will be allowed if you choose to.
Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2
Master Class 0
Master's Thesis Research Project (CS) 42

Course levels

  • Level 100
    Introductory course, builds upon the level of the final pre-university education examination.
    Characteristics: teaching based on material in textbook or syllabus, pedagogically structured, with
    practice material and mock examinations; supervised workgroups; emphasis on study material and
    examples in lectures.

  • Level 200
    Course of an introductory nature, no specific prior knowledge but experience of independent
    study expected.
    Characteristics: textbooks or other study material of a more or less introductory nature; lectures, e.g. in
    the form of capita selecta; independent study of the material is expected.

  • Level 300
    Advanced course (entry requirement level 100 or 200).
    Characteristics: textbooks that have not necessarily been written for educational purposes; independent
    study of the examination material; in examinations independent application of the study material to
    new problems.

  • Level 400
    Specialised course (entry requirement level 200 or 300).
    Characteristics: alongside a textbook, use of specialist literature (scientific articles); assessment in the
    form of limited research, a lecture or a written paper. Courses at this level can, to a certain extent, also
    be on the master’s curriculum.

  • Level 500 Course with an academic focus (entry requirement: the student has been admitted to a
    master’s programme; preparatory course at level 300 or 400 has been followed).
    Characteristics: study of advanced specialised scientific literature intended for researchers; focus of the
    examination is solving a problem in a lecture and/or paper or own research, following independent
    critical assessment of the material.

  • Level 600
    Very specialised course (entry requirement level 400 or 500)
    Characteristics: current scientific articles; latest scientific developments; independent contribution (dissertation research) dealing with an as yet unsolved problem, with verbal presentation.

The classification is based on the Framework Document Leiden Register of Study Programmes.

Career Perspective