Study Plan of the Master's Degree Course in Computer Science (Laurea specialistica) according to law 509/99

"Old Study Plan" - Students enrolled before 2009/2010


Starting with the Academic Year 2009/2010 the Faculty of Computer Science will implement the University Reform as stipulated by law 270/2004.
The first course to undergo this reorganisation is the Master of Science, which is transformed from a "Laurea specialistica" according to law 509/99 to a "Laurea  magistrale" according to law 270/2004.

Students enrolled BEFORE Academic Year 2009/2010 continue to follow the old Study Code, the old Study Regulation and the old Study Plan.

• In Academic Year 2009/2010 the Faculty will still offer the 2nd year courses of the Old Study Plan.

• From Academic Year 2010/2011, no courses of the Old Study Plan will be offered.

• The Faculty will continue to offer all COMPULSORY exams of the Old Study Plan; interested students should send a written request to the Faculty Administration * at least 1 month before each exam session*  in  order to allow a timely organisation of the exam session.

• STREAM EXAMS are offerd according to the courses activated for each Academic Year. IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2009/2010 ONLY the Faculty offers an additional (4th) exam session for the Stream Courses of the Old Study Plan that have been cancelled: in February 2009 for courses of the 1st semester 2008/2009, and in June 2009 for courses of the 2nd semester 2008/2009; interested students will have to enroll at least 15 days in advance. 

Students in the Old Study Plan can choose to pass into the New Study Plan. To do this, they have to hand in a WRITTEN REQUEST to the Degree Programme Committee of the Master of Science in Computer Science.

The Master of Science comprises 120 Credit Points (Credit Points = CP) and has a legal duration of two years. Each year’s course is divided into two semesters.

The teaching language is English.

One part of the syllabus is fixed and is the same for all the students. This part particularly regards the foundation lectures.

The other part of the curriculum allows students to mould their choice of studies to their individual objectives,choosing from among several lectures grouped in four thematic areas (“streams”) of computer science.

1st Year

Courses	Credit Points
1st Semester
Advanced Statistics	4
Data Warehousing and Data Mining	8
Programming Languages	4
Software Process Management	8
Theory of Computing	8
2nd Semester
Advanced Algorithms	4
Advanced Operating Environments	4
Computer Networks	4
Human Computer Interaction	4
Stream: Lecture 1	4
Stream: Lecture 2	4
Stream: Lecture 3	4

2nd Year

Courses	Credit Points
3rd Semester	4
General Psychology	4
Legal Issues in Computer Science	4
Technical Scientific Communication	4
Stream: Lecture 4	4
Stream: Lecture 5	4
Stream: Lecture 6	4
Stream: Lecture 7	4
Free choice: Lecture or Internship	4
4th Semester
Thesis	28

Streams

One part of the study plan of the Master of Science in Computer Science is fixed and is the same for all the students.

The other part of the curriculum allows students to mould their choice of studies to their individual objectives, choosing from among several courses grouped in 4 Streams (thematic areas) of computer science.

The streams offer opportunities to develop a thorough knowledge of the methodologies and the use of information technologies within a particular sphere. In addition, at the MSc level Streams give the possibility of a strongly research-oriented curriculum: in collaboration with the top-quality research centres of the Faculty, students can follow project-based routes to obtain the degree, using extensive lab facilities.

The following streams are offered: “Databases” (DB), “Information and Knowledge Management” (IKM), “Software Engineering” (SE) and “Web Technologies” (WT).

Students may choose all their courses from a single stream, specializing in one thematic area, or they may choose from among different streams.

The following levels of lectures are available:

• basic (B) - Bachelor
• intermediate (I) - Bachelor and Master
• advanced (A) - Master
• seminars (S) - Master

In order to take basic lectures (B) students have to submit a written request to the Degree Programme Committee and to obtain its approval.

Students may choose all their lectures from a single stream, specializing in one thematic area, or they may choose from among different streams.

Students have to choose courses amounting to a total of 28 credits.

Stream exams of the "Old Study Plan"  are offered according to the courses activated for each Academic Year.The full syllabus of each stream, as well as its allocation in semesters and years, can be found on the Course page.

Internship

Students may choose an internship to acquire the four free choice credits. Internships provide an important opportunity to put into practice the theoretical knowledge they have acquired during their studies and to establish or strengthen their contacts with the world of work. They are planned for the second year of the course. The internship may be carried out in any enterprise, whether public or private, or at the Faculty. For further information, please refer to the Study Regulations of the Faculty of Computer Science.

Thesis and graduation examination

The graduation thesis for attaining the Master of Science in Computer Science consists of the public discussion of an original written report (thesis) by the student under the guidance of a supervisor. This report is either produced at the conclusion of a period of research or regards the planning of a project or a case analysis, and must show original thinking, mastery of the subjects under discussion, the capacity for independent work, and good communicative skills.

Educational activities

Various kinds of educational activities are planned that will, in different ways, confer practical and theoretical knowledge:

• Lectures: regular meetings with the students when the lecturer teaches the subject matter of the course syllabus.
• Exercise and practice sessions: revision of the contents of the syllabus, including the teaching of precise facts, with active student participation.
• Projects: transmission of core knowledge through lectures and individual study, and development of a software product in which the acquired theoretical knowledge is directly applied. The students have to document theirwork, the results reached, the applied methodologies and the theoretical foundations in writing and/or orally.
• Internship: practical work that the students carry out in a firm, an external institution or at the Faculty. The students document their projects with written reports and/or oral presentations.