This two-year master’s programme Computer Science offers stimulating, significant and innovative research at an internationally renowned institute and combines theoretical, experimental and applied approaches.
The two-year master’s programme in Computer Science offers six specialisations which combine excellent theoretical teaching with possibilities for applied work with industrial relevance. This is achieved by intensive collaboration with companies at the Leiden Centre of Data Science. Course themes include topics such as Evolutionary Algorithms, Neural Networks, Databases and Data Mining, Swarm-Based Computation, Bayesian Networks, Multimedia Systems, Embedded Systems and Software, Advanced Compilers and Architectures, Bio-Modeling and Petri Nets.
Read more about our Computer Science programme.
Find more reasons to choose Computer Science at Leiden University.
The programme is open for students with an internationally recognized bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent. You will be trained as an independent researcher, equipped with the necessary skills to advance your career as a computer scientist.
Read more about the entry requirements for Computer Science.
Visual Computing and Communication focuses on the acquisition, processing, analysis, transmission, and rendering of visual information, including aspects of learning and decision making. It is an interdisciplinary programme at the intersection of computer science and information technology where students can be active in the areas of image processing and communication, image analysis, computer vision, computer graphics, augmented reality, visualisation, visual analytics, as well as web-based and network applications. Our graduates combine technological and business aspects to create products and services for our ocular-centric world.
Visual Computing and Communication is a perfect Masters education for those who are fascinated by the algorithms and services that handle visual information in today’s digital society. Students with excellent skills in data and signal processing, linear algebra, probability, and programming will thrive on this programme, which provides opportunities to solve real-world problems and to create new innovative solutions. There is a growing community of technologists and innovators in this challenging, yet rewarding field.
Our graduates become professionals with an expertise in dealing with visual information. Some may work on computer vision problems in the area of robotics or autonomous vehicles. Others may work on visualisation problems for visual analytics. Many may be drawn to the new world of augmented reality. Careers are made, for example, as an engineer at a telecommunications company, a software developer in the area of e-commerce, a technology innovation consultant, the founder of a tech start-up chasing global markets, or even a PhD researcher at a university in Europe.
All EIT Digital Master School programmes follow the same scheme:
To learn more about the structure of the programme, please click here.
To learn more about the I&E minor please click here.
Entry - 1st year (common courses)
Exit - 2nd year (specialisation)
EIT Digital Master School offers two-year, European Masters in computer science and information technology, with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. Students study two years in two leading European universities. They earn two Masters degrees from those universities together with a certificate awarded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Students enjoy an array of benefits which includes European mobility, a three-day business challenge, a two-week Summer School, an internship and access to the EIT Digital community. Upon graduation, students are equipped with the tools to become digital innovators.
Scholarship:
· European citizen: No tuition fees. Up to 750 Euros monthly allowance
· Non-European citizen: tuition fee waiver of up to 50% and 750 Euros monthly allowance
Application deadline to begin studying in September 2018:
· 15 April 2018 (Open to EU/EEA/CH citizens/ Non-EU citizens*.)
*Please note that this application period is not recommended for applicants who require a visa due to time constraints. If you require a visa to study in an EU country, we recommend you delay your application to November 2018 when the application portal opens again, to start in Autumn 2019.
How should you apply?
To apply, you need to register and submit your application on the EIT Digital Application Portal. You don’t need to do your application all at once. You can access the list of required documents for your application here.
Need more information?
Master School Office: [email protected], we will be happy to help.
A solid, theoretical understanding of computer technology with plenty of attention for the wide range of ICT applications.
The enormous and rapidly growing power of ICT is the main driving force shaping our modern society. This goes beyond the technical and economical aspects. ICT is also essential in research as all sciences benefit from the raw power of software in processing huge quantities of data. But how do we manage and control the complexity of modern software? How can we make the most of the opportunities? And, not to be forgotten, how can we secure the ICT infrastructures we so heavily rely on? The Master’s programme in Computing Science covers all these aspects.
We offer specialisations in each terrain: security, software, data and the mathematics at the base of it all. These are not, however, isolated disciplines. We also look at the interesting interplay between them. For example, by taking privacy into account when dealing with big data. And by doing a thorough analysis of newly designed software to prevent security breaches later. Thanks to a large number of optional courses, you can decide where you want your focus to be.
The job opportunities in computer science are excellent: many of our students get offered jobs before they’ve even graduated and almost all have positions within six months after graduating. Many of our graduates find jobs as systems builders, ICT specialists or ICT managers and a few continue as researchers.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/computingscience
- Cyber Security
You’ll learn to assess the security of existing ICT solutions, and how to develop more secure solutions for the future. This specialisation is offered in collaboration with the Eindhoven University of Technology, meaning you get taught by many of the best cyber security experts in the country.
- Data Science
You’ll learn how to turn real-world data sets into tools and useful insights, with the help of software and algorithms. Radboud University and the iCIS research institute are leading in research on legal and privacy aspects of data science and on the societal and administrative impact of data science.
- Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science
You’ll come to understand the fundamental mathematical concepts of computation and information in order to stretch the boundaries of computer technology. We’re the only specialisation in the country – and one of the few in the world – to focus on the theoretical and abstract playing field linking mathematics and computer science.
- Software Science
You’ll learn how to design high-level software that guarantees safety while controlling its complexity. At Radboud University, we are specialised in model based development. In other words, writing and testing code before they are unleashed in the real world or built into an expensive prototype.
- Societal Master's specialisations
You can either follow one of the above-mentioned research Master's specialisations as a whole (2 years), or you can combine the first year of the research specialisation with an additional year of one of the societal Master’s specialisations, namely:
- Science in Society
- Science, Management and Innovation
- All of our specialisations are closely related to the research carried out within the Institute for Computing and Information Science (iCIS).
- Our approach is pragmatic as well as theoretical. As an academic, we don’t just expect you to understand and make use of the appropriate tools, but also to program and develop your own.
- There are plenty of high profile companies in the vicinity such as Philips and ASML, where you could do an internship or the research for your Master’s project.
- Exceptional students who choose the Data Science specialisation have the opportunity to do a double degree in Computing Science together with the specialisation in Web and Language Interaction (Artificial Intelligence). This will take three instead of two years.
There is a serious shortage of well-trained information specialists. Often students are offered a job before they have actually finished their study. About 20% of our graduates choose to go on to do a PhD but most find jobs as systems builders, ICT specialists or ICT managers in the private sector or within government.
The Institute for Computing and Information Science (iCIS) is the research institute that is connected to Radboud University. Within this institute there are three research sections:
- Model Based System Development
- Digital Security
- Intelligent Systems
Within each research section there are different departments/groups that have their own research. On the websites of the research sections you will find more information about their research, publications, the departments/groups and contact information.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/computingscience
Software systems enable us to do things that would otherwise be difficult, time-consuming, or even impossible. In the Master’s programme Computing Science, you will learn the advanced concepts, software design methods, problem-solving techniques, and analytic skills necessary to create information-driven systems and applications for our diverse society.
Within the programme, you can select one of four tracks:
The programme is research oriented. You will explore theories and techniques in computing science and software design as well as participate in the research done to advance the field.
To successfully design software, you first need to describe and analyse the relevant domain and its properties using language, modeling, or data. You then need to develop suitable software technologies and algorithms to derive the outcomes you want to achieve. Finally, you need an easy and efficient way to implement these components and turn them into an actual application.
You will learn to analyse and develop the concepts, design methods, and techniques underlying all of these steps.
Applications
Examples of applications you may explore include:
Learning how to turn real-world data sets into tools and useful insights, with the help of software and algorithms.
Data plays a role in almost every scientific discipline, business industry or social organisation. Medical scientists sequence human genomes, astronomers generate terabytes of data per hour with huge telescopes and the police employ seismology-like data models that predict where crimes will occur. And of course, businesses like Google and Amazon are shifting user preference data to fulfil desires we don’t even know we have. There is therefore an urgent need for data scientists in whole array of fields. In the Master’s specialisation in Data Science you’ll learn how to turn data into knowledge with the help of computers and how to translate that knowledge into solutions.
Although this Master’s is an excellent stepping-stone for students with ambitions in research, most of our graduates work as data consultants and data analysts for commercial companies and governmental organisations.
- This specialisation builds on the strong international reputation of the Institute for Computing and Information Sciences (iCIS) in areas such as machine learning, probabilistic modelling, and information retrieval.
- We’re leading in research on legal and privacy aspects of data science and on the impact of data science on society and policy.
- Our approach is pragmatic as well as theoretical. As an academic, we don’t just expect you to understand and make use of the appropriate tools, but also to program and develop your own.
- Because of its relevance to all kinds of different disciplines, we offer our students the chance to take related courses at other departments like at language studies (information retrieval and natural language processing), artificial intelligence (machine learning for cognitive neuroscience), chemistry (pattern recognition and chemometrics) and biophysics (machine learning and optimal control).
- The job opportunities are excellent: some of our students get offered jobs before they’ve even graduated and almost all of our graduates have positions within six months after graduating.
- Exceptional students who choose this specialisation have the opportunity to study for a double degree in Computing Science together with the specialisation in Web and Language Interaction (Artificial Intelligence). This will take three instead of two years.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/datascience
- A proficiency in English
In order to take part in the programme, you need to have fluency in English, both written and spoken. Non-native speakers of English without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:
- TOEFL score of >575(paper based) or >90 (internet based)
- IELTS score of >6.5
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), with a mark of C or higher
A professional data scientist has fine problem-solving, analytical, programming, and communication skills. He or she applies those skills to analyse a problem in the light of the available real-world data:
- To come up with a creative and useful solution.
- To find or program the right tool to turn the data into knowledge.
- To communicate the obtained findings to others.
By combining data, computing power and human intellect, data scientists can make a real difference to help and improve our society.
The job perspective for our graduates is excellent. Industry desperately needs data science specialists at an academic level, and thus our graduates have no difficulty in find an interesting and challenging job. A few of our graduates decide to go for a PhD and stay at the university, but most of our students go for a career in industry. They then typically either find a job at a larger company as consultant or data analysis, or start up their own company in data analytics.
Examples of companies where our graduates end up include SMEs like Orikami, Media11 and FlexOne, and multinationals like ING Bank, Philips, ASML, Capgemini, Booking.com and perhaps even Google.
Data nowadays plays a role in almost every scientific discipline as well as industry and is rapidly becoming a key driver of scientific discoveries, business innovation, and solutions for societal challenges such as better healthcare. Medical scientists are sequencing and analysing human genomes to uncover clues to infections, cancer, and other diseases. With huge telescopes, astronomers generate terabytes of data per hour to study the formation of galaxies and the evolution of quasars. Businesses like Google and Amazon are sifting social networking and user preference data to fulfill desires we don't even know we have. Police employing seismology-like data models can predict where crimes will occur and prevent them from happening.
It is then with good reason that data science has been called the sexiest job of the 21st century. Many companies complain about the difficulty to find skilled data scientists and predict this to be even harder in the future. A professional data scientist has fine problem-solving, analytical, programming, and communication skills. He or she applies those skills to analyse a problem in the light of the available real-world data, to come up with a creative and useful solution, to find or program the right tool to turn the data into knowledge, and to communicate the obtained findings to others. By combining data, computing power and human intellect, data scientists can make a real difference to help and improve our society.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/datascience
In this Master's specialisation, mathematicians working in areas pertinent to (theoretical) computer science, like algebra and logic, and theoretical computer scientists, working in areas as formal methods and theorem proving, have joined forces to establish a specialisation in the Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science. The programme is unique in the Netherlands and will be built on the excellence of both research institutes and the successful collaborations therein.
The emphasis of the Master's is on a combination of a genuine theoretical and up-to-date foundation in the pertinent mathematical subjects combined with an equally genuine and up-to-date training in key aspects of theoretical computer science. For this reason, the mathematics courses in this curriculum concentrate on Algebra, Complexity Theory, Logic, Number Theory, and Combinatorics. The computer science courses concentrate on Formal Methods, Type Theory, Category Theory, Coalgebra and Theorem Proving.
Within both institutes, ICIS and WINST, there is a concentration of researchers working on mathematical logic and theoretical computer science with a collaboration that is unique in the Netherlands. The research topics range from work on algebra, logic and computability, to models of distributed, parallel and quantum computation, as well as mathematical abstractions to reason about programmes and programming languages.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/mathematics/foundations
1. A completed Bachelor's degree in Mathematics or Computer Science
In order to get admission to this Master’s you will need a completed Bachelor's in mathematics or computer science that have a strong mathematical background and theoretical interests. We will select students based on their motivation and their background. Mathematical maturity is essential and basic knowledge of logic and discrete mathematics is expected.
2. A proficiency in English
In order to take part in the programme, you need to have fluency in English, both written and spoken. Non-native speakers of English without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:
- TOEFL score of ≥575 (paper based) or ≥90 (internet based)
- IELTS score of ≥6.5
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), with a mark of C or higher
There is a serious shortage of well-trained information specialists. Often students are offered a job before they have actually finished their study. About 20% of our graduates choose to go on to do a PhD but most find jobs as systems builders, ICT specialists or ICT managers in the private sector or within government.
In this Master's specialisation, mathematicians working in areas pertinent to (theoretical) computer science, like algebra and logic, and theoretical computer scientists, working in areas as formal methods and theorem proving, have joined forces to establish a specialisation in the Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science. The programme is unique in the Netherlands and will be built on the excellence of both research institutes and the successful collaborations therein.
The emphasis of the Master's is on a combination of a genuine theoretical and up-to-date foundation in the pertinent mathematical subjects combined with an equally genuine and up-to-date training in key aspects of theoretical computer science. For this reason, the mathematics courses in this curriculum concentrate on Algebra, General Topology, Logic, Number Theory, and Combinatorics. The computer science courses concentrate on Formal Methods, Type Theory, Category Theory, Coalgebra and Theorem Proving.
Within both institutes, ICIS and WINST, there is a concentration of researchers working on mathematical logic and theoretical computer science with a collaboration that is unique in the Netherlands. The research topics range from work on algebra, logic and computability, to models of distributed, parallel and quantum computation, as well as mathematical abstractions to reason about programmes and programming languages.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/mathematics/foundations
Learning how to design high-level software that guarantees safety and correctness while still being in control of its complexity.
Software plays a role in almost every aspect of our daily lives and in every organisation anywhere in the world. It can often be a crucial key to their success. Well-structured software that is attuned to an organisation’s needs and future plans can be cost effective, improve efficiency, offer better services and be innovative. Many companies, in every branch out there, are therefore looking for highly skilled software specialists. Graduates of the Master’s specialisation in Software Science will have no trouble finding a job.
Producing software is not merely a technological enterprise but a deeply scientific and creative one as well. Modern cars drive on 20 million lines of code. How do we develop all this software and control its complexity? How do we ensure correctness of software on which the lives in a speeding car literally depend on? This specialisation goes far beyond basic code writing. It’s about analysing and testing code in order to improve it as well as simplify it.
- Although not the only focus, our programme puts a lot of emphasis on embedded software and functional programming.
- We teach a unique range of software analysis techniques and application down to practical/commercial use in industry.
- This specialisation builds on the strong international reputation of the Institute for Computing and Information Sciences (iCIS) in areas such as model based and virtual product development, advanced programming, and domain specific languages. We also closely collaborate with the Embedded Systems Institute.
- Our approach is pragmatic as well as theoretical. As an academic, we don’t just expect you to understand and make use of the appropriate tools, but also to program and develop your own.
- For your Master’s research we have a large number of companies like Philips, ASML and NXP offering projects. There are always more projects than students.
- Thanks to free electives students can branch out to other Computing Science domain at Radboud University such as security, machine learning or more in-depth mathematical foundations of computer science.
- The job opportunities are excellent: some of our students get offered jobs before they’ve even graduated and almost all of our graduates have positions within six months after graduating.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/softwarescience
1. A completed Bachelor's degree in Computing Science or related area
In order to get admission to this Master’s you will need a completed Bachelor’s degree in Computing Sciences or a related discipline.
2. A proficiency in English
In order to take part in the programme, you need to have fluency in English, both written and spoken. Non-native speakers of English without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:
- TOEFL score of >575 (paper based) or >232 (computer based) or >90 (internet based)
- IELTS score of >6.5
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), with a mark of C or higher
Writing good software is a highly creative process, which requires the ability to approach problems in entirely novel ways through computational thinking. Besides creativity, a professional software scientist also has fine problem-solving, analytical, programming, and communication skills. By combining software programming, model-checking techniques and human intellect, software scientists can make a real difference to help and improve the devices that govern such a large part of our lives.
The job perspective for our graduates is excellent. Industry desperately needs software science specialists at an academic level, and thus our graduates have no difficulty in find an interesting and challenging job. Several of our graduates decide to go for a PhD and stay at a university, but most of our students go for a career in industry. They then typically either find a job at a larger company as consultant or programmer, or they start up their own software company.
Examples of companies where our graduates end up include the big Dutch high-tech companies such as Océ, ASML, Vanderlande and Philips, ICT service providers such as Topicus and Info Support and companies started by Radboud graduates, like AIA and GX.
The Master’s programme in Computing Sciences is offered in close collaboration with the research Institute for Computing and Information Sciences (iCIS). Research at iCIS is organised in three different research sections:
- Model Based System Development
- Digital Security
- Intelligent Systems
The Software Science specialisation builds on the strong international reputation of iCIS in areas such model based and virtual product development, advanced programming, and domain specific languages.
For your research project, you may choose to do your internship at:
- A company
---- SME, such as as Océ, Vanderlande, Clarity or GX
---- multinational, such as the Philips, ASML, NXP, Logica or Reed Business Media
- A governmental institute, such as the (Dutch) Tax Authorities or the European Space Agency.
- Any department at Radboud University or another university with issues regarding software, like studying new techniques for loop bound analysis, the relation between classical logic and computational systems, or e-mail extension for iTasks.
- One of the iCIS departments, specialising on different aspects of Software Science.
- Abroad, under supervision of researchers from other universities that we collaborate with. For instance, exploring a new technique for automata learning at Uppsala University in Sweden, or verifying the correctness of Erlang refactoring transformations at the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest, Hungary.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/softwarescience
