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Computer Science Joint UvA-VU Master

Andrew S. Tanenbaum Master on PDCS

Master Introduction

Dr. Kaveh Razavi - Assistant Professor

kaveh@cs.vu.nl https://cs.vu.nl/~kaveh

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Welcome to Amsterdam!

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Master in Computer Science

Best of two universities within a single Master program:

  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Dept. of Computer Science
  • University of Amsterdam, Informatics Institute

Courses by lecturers from both universities, at both locations (VU campus and Science Park East).

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Fact Sheet

  • 2 years program
  • 120 ECTS
  • Taught in English
  • International population
  • Stepping stone for a career in industry or academia
    • Excellent job perspectives in industry (NL and abroad)
    • A large portion of our PhD students followed this master

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General Structure of the Curriculum

  • Structure of the academic year: 8-8-4-8-8-4 weeks
  • Schedule at: rooster.vu.nl� vurooster.nl� datanose.nl (UvA)
  • Study guide at: studiegids.vu.nl� studiegids.uva.nl
  • Courses are 6 ECTS, per year 60 ECTS
  • You’re supposed to study 40 hours per week

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Computer Science Master - Contents

  • Six different tracks
    • 5 compulsory courses per track
  • Shared between all tracks: Master core
  • Constrained choices
  • Free choices (some courses are pre-approved)

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Computer Science Master - Contents

  • Six different tracks
    • 5 compulsory courses per track
  • Shared between all tracks: Master core
  • Constrained choices
  • Free choices (some courses are pre-approved)

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Internet and Web Technology

Focus: Technology for Internet and Web�

Courses:

  • Internet Programming
  • Distributed Systems
  • Distributed Algorithms
  • Web Services and Cloud-based Systems
  • Performance of Networked Systems

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Parallel Computing Systems

Focus: Large-scale parallel computing�(clusters, grids, clouds, mainframes)��Courses:

  • Parallel System Architectures
  • Programming Large-scale Parallel Systems
  • Parallel Programming Practical
  • Programming Multi-core and Many-core Systems
  • Performance Engineering

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Software Engineering and Green IT

Focus: Mastering complex software systems �for a sustainable digital society��Courses:

  • Green Lab
  • Service Oriented Design
  • Software Asset Management
  • Software Architecture
  • Software Testing

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Big Data Engineering

Focus: How to cope with the enormous amounts of data on e.g. the Internet and social media and in companies��Courses:

  • Information Visualization
  • Data Mining Techniques
  • Web Services and Cloud-based Systems
  • Web Data Processing Systems
  • Large Scale Data Engineering

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Foundation of Computing and Concurrency

Focus: Apply formal methods in computing and concurrency

�Courses:

  • Distributed Algorithms
  • Protocol Validation
  • Logical Verification
  • Advanced Logic
  • Term Rewriting Systems

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Computer Systems Security

Focus: Computer security from a systems point of view

�Courses:

  • Computer and Network Security
  • Binary and Malware Analysis
  • Hardware Security
  • Advanced Operating System
  • Distributed Algorithms

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2019 Best Cybersecurity Master Thesis (BCMT) Award in the Netherlands

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Computer Science Master - Contents

  • Six different tracks
    • 5 compulsory courses per track
  • Shared between all tracks: Master core
  • Constrained choices
  • Free choices (some courses are pre-approved)

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Master Core

  • Literature Study and Seminar (6 ECTS)
  • Master Thesis (30 ECTS)
  • A course on the social context of computer science
    • History of Digital Cultures on history of computing
    • ICT for Development on ICT in developing countries
    • ICT4D in the Field, an ICT project in a rural community
    • E-commerce Law on legal issues for online business
    • Entrepreneurship in AI and CS on starting a company

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Constrained Choice

  • Ensuring breadth of each individual study program
  • Constrained choice modules (12-18 ECTS):
    • A course on programming
    • A course on software engineering
    • A course on foundations
    • A course on mathematics
  • Each to be chosen from a predefined set of choices
  • Partially covered by the chosen track's core

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Free Choice (30-36 ECTS)

  • Courses from other tracks and other courses from constrained courses are pre-approved
  • Any course from a pre-approved list of suggestions
  • Other courses (at Master-level) from Computer Science
    • Computational Science, Artificial Intelligence, Bioinformatics, Logic
    • Need approval by the exam committee

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Tailoring Your Study Program

Want to go to industry?�Do your graduation project as an internship with a company (or do an Industrial Internship for 6 ECTS)

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Want to go for a PhD / more ambitious research project?

Combine literature study, individual project, graduation project�for an ambitious scientific research project of up to 42 ECTS

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Do you want to develop your own study program?

Devise your own program and get it approved by the exam committee

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Admission

  • Entry dates: September 1 & February 1
  • For university students
    • BSc degree in Computer Science (or closely related subject)
    • Other degrees: individual assessment
  • For HBO students
    • BSc degree in Informatica (or closely related subject)
    • Average grade at least 7.5
    • Individual pre-master (typically 30 ECTS) from our BSc Computer Science program to resolve deficiencies

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PDCS Master

Andrew S. Tanenbaum Master on �Parallel and Distributed Computer Systems

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PDCS - Fact Sheet

  • Top Master program with selective admission
  • One of the most positively evaluated programs in NL
  • Research-oriented
  • Highly practical (labs, projects)
  • Strong focus on systems
    • Operating systems, networks, distributed systems
    • Multiprocessors, clusters, Internet, clouds
    • Parallel algorithms/languages/systems

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PDCS - Courses

Focus: Computer Systems��Courses:

  • Distributed Systems
  • Computer and Network Security
  • Advanced Operating System
  • Parallel Systems Architecture
  • Programming Large-scale Parallel Systems
  • Advanced Topics in Distributed Systems
  • Research Proposal Writing

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PDCS - Extras

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Two special optional courses:

  • Selected Topics in PDCS (6 ECTS)
  • PDCS Programming Project (12 ECTS)

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Meet Our Students

Dalia Pupac

Jakob Koschel

  • Where do I come from?
  • How is life as a student?
  • Why did I choose computer science at the VU?
  • Which program/track am I following?
  • How far am I in my studies?
  • What do I like about my study program?

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10 Good Reasons to Join Our Master Program

  • Two top universities for the price of one
  • Learn from world-renowned scientists
  • Staff dedicated to teaching
  • Wide choice of courses
  • Good teacher/student ratio
  • High-quality supervision of Master projects
  • High satisfaction rate of alumni
  • State-of-the-art facilities
  • International environment at home
  • Excellent job market for graduates (academia or industry)

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Alumni: Christian Rossow

“The VU is an excellent learning environment �with international multicultural flair. Driven �by my interests, I followed the Computer �Science Master studies at the VU and was never �disappointed in my choice throughout the two years.�

I particularly liked the flexible study program, which allows you to choose theoretical and practical subjects from a wide study catalog. And whatever course I took, I was satisfied with a high quality of teaching. To me the studies at VU were a perfect preparation for my current PhD career."

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Master Program Coordinators

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All the Best with Your Master!

Questions?

These slides can be found:

https://masters.vu.nl/en/open-days/index.aspx

https://cs.vu.nl/~kaveh

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