Language
  • English
Format
  • Full time
Start date
  • September
Location
  • Maastricht
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Computer Science

Study computer science to shape tomorrow's tech. Enhance supercomputers, power smart devices, and explore robotics and quantum computing. Create secure, efficient, scalable and user-friendly software. Begin coding today and make technology smarter!

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Courses & curriculum

The bachelor’s programme in Computer Science focuses on software development and on building real-life skills like documenting, planning, and teamwork. This three-year programme gradually increases the freedom you have to pursue your own interests and talents in the field.

The curriculum consists of courses, projects and modules. In the first two years, you can expect to spend around 16 hours a week on courses, 4 hours a week on projects and another 20 weekly hours on studying independently. Year 3 of the programme follows a different structure. It starts with an elective semester and concludes with the bachelor’s thesis. 

You can find a detailed breakdown of each study year below.

Project-centred learning

Group projects play a big role in our Computer Science curriculum. These projects provide meaning and context to your courses. They also train valuable real-life skills like teamwork, writing, presenting, and documenting your work. Read more about the how and why of project-centred learning here.

Curriculum overview

Year 1

The first year of the programme teaches you the basics of Computer Science. You will learn how to program and how computer systems work. Additional mathematics courses complete your first year of training as a computer scientist. If you are wondering why, consider that ‘to compute’ means ‘to calculate’. Computers follow the rules of mathematics and logic, so these topics shape the way you program one.

During year 1, you follow the same mandatory courses (‘core courses’) as everyone else in your year. You also participate in two semester-long group projects. These projects build upon the knowledge you obtain from the courses. Such a project initially runs alongside your courses, and ends with a course-free period that is fully dedicated to wrapping up the project.

Year 2

Year 2 continues your training with a number of mandatory core courses. These courses deepen your Computer Science knowledge and provide basic understanding of related fields, such as Human-Computer Interaction.

With year 1 under your belt, you now know enough about Computer Science to start customizing your curriculum through choice modules. Modules consist of one elective course with a corresponding project. You can choose between modules that explore the following topics:

  • Intelligent Interaction, or Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning in Semester 3
  • High Performance Computing, or Cybersecurity & Internet of Things in Semester 4
     
  • If the student has obtained at least 45 credits in the first year courses, they may register for the second year courses.
  • Second year students choose one out of two electives modules in semester 1 and choose one out of two electives modules in semester 2.
Year 3

Year 3 is the most flexible year of the programme. It’s up to you to either deepen or broaden your knowledge, including with topics from other fields.

Semester 5 is a so-called elective semester, where you can choose between one of three options:

  • 6 elective courses with a Brightlands Campus Project
    If you want to deepen your knowledge, we offer an elaborate list of Computer Science courses for you to choose from. In addition, the Faculty of Science and Engineering offers various courses in related fields, like physics, that you can select. If you go for elective courses in Semester 5, we offer you a special project in collaboration with the Brightlands Smart Services Campus. A local company or organization will put forward a real business case for you to crack during this semester’s group project.
     
  • Minor
    Minors are carefully crafted mixes of courses, assignments and other experiences. They allow you to gain experience in a completely different field of study.
     
  • Semester abroad
    We offer a limited number of places to study abroad at one of our European partner universities. Options for instance include Denmark, Italy, and Iceland. 
     

Semester 6 offers core courses that match your knowledge level as a nearly graduated computer scientist. The rest of this semester is reserved for your bachelor’s thesis. You choose the topic and supervisor for this final achievement, for which you carry out a research project and write up the results. The bachelor’s thesis is an individual assignment.

  • If the student has obtained at least 60 credits in the first year courses and at least 40 credits in the second year courses, they may register for the third year courses.
  • Third year students choose three electives per period out of the optional courses during period 1 and 2.

Study guide

This study guide provides information on the educational programme of the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences, part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE).


 

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