Faculty of Science > Courses and Programmes > Degree Programmes > Computer Science

Computer science is hardly just for geeks, it’s a creative profession with expanding and almost limitless opportunities now and in particular, the future. The development and application of computer science brings enjoyment and facilitates the lives of many millions of people. Whether deployed in the entertainment industry’s films and games or in pure business or scientific settings, computer science contributes to an extraordinary variety of critical and recreational functions within our society. If you are looking to make your mark on the future, pursuing an MSc in computer science might just be the right path for you.

The programme is taught in English.

• Profile
• Career opportunities
• Programme Structure
• Competency description
• Competence profiles
• Admission requirements
• Application and tuition fees

Profile

An IT education opens the door for a tremendous range of career and employment possibilities. Whether you dream of a career as a programmer or software designer, you will work with many creative applications of IT. Or, perhaps your ambitions reside more within a research oriented career, within fields such as logistics, medical diagnostics or robotics.

The master’s programme in computer science at the University of Copenhagen offers a solid foundation in both theoretical and practical computer science, offering you the chance to explore the academic and commercial perspectives of the field at the very highest level. The programme also provides access to an array of contemporary, advanced IT programmes and specialities offered by other universities here in Denmark as well as institutions abroad. Computer science is for those of you who are creative, can think logically, work in a structured manner and have a desire to immerse yourself in the theoretical or practical aspects of IT.

Career Opportunities

An enormous demand for computer scientists exists throughout the private sector. You will also find numerous opportunities for employment in public institutions, as a university researcher or within other educational establishments. Your work might consist of the design and development of new systems and new software or the maintenance and expansion of existing systems including advice and consultancy. IT security is one particular area of growth in which the security of web and IT systems is tested. Among the many other possibilities, numerous computer scientists engage in entrepreneurship and found companies of their own.

Programme Structure

The computer science MSc is a two-year programme concluding with the master’s thesis. You can select from and combine a wide range of courses over the duration of your studies, courses such as: digital imaging, programming languages, distributed and parallel systems, systems engineering, human-machine interfaces, combinatorial optimization and computer games. Half of your coursework consists of self-selected and designed projects (including your thesis work). There are also excellent opportunities for study abroad, as the University of Copenhagen has numerous exchange agreements with universities worldwide.

NB: The following four subjects in the computer science master’s programme are mandatory:

• Principles of Computer System Design
• Advanced Programming
• Statistical Methods for Machine Learning
• Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures

Your degree is capped off with the thesis. Below is an eclectic list of previous thesis topics to help acquaint you with an idea of what’s possible:

• Synthesis of the electric guitar sound based on sound analysis and physics
• Private users’ problems with computers at home
• Robot navigation
• Developing distributed computing solutions combining grid computing and Internet computing

Master's Thesis: 30 ECTS
Restricted Optional Courses: 30 ECTS
Compulsory Courses: 30 ECTS
Optional Courses: 30 ECTS

Competency description

• You will be equipped with a strong foundation in computer science
• You will have experience solving practical problems in computer science
• You will develop an ability to develop advanced software. This includes all aspects of the process, from concept and requirements analysis to design, implementation and testing. This applies to all fields of application, from robotics and gaming to the development of new programming languages or methods of program development.

Competence profiles

To facilitate the students' choice of specializations within the Master's Programme and to match their career expectations, the concept of competence profiles has been introduced in the new MSc in Computer Science.

The programme is composed of 1 general and 6 specialized profiles:

General Computer Science (GCS) (For all students)

Graduates in general computer science can combine relevant knowledge of computer science to analyze a problem and evaluate previous attempts of solving the specific problem and related problems.

Moreover, they can critically assess, select and possibly combine newly developed theories and methods, and use them to make significant contributions to solving computer science problems or promoting understanding of the problems.

The student can demonstrate his og her findings and discoveries in accordance with the requirements for publications in international scientific literature and will have an enhanced knowledge of the original literature within his/her area of specialization, and is educated in several other areas of computer science.

Read more about General Computer Science

Specialized profiles : 

1. Computational and Mathematical Modelling (CMM)

This specialissation is focused on problems and applications with a foundation in measured observations or laws of Nature. For instance, measurements obtained from images, movies, medical data, satellites, motion capture data and models such as Newtonian mechanics etc. Mathematical and computational modelling of natural phenomena are most often data driven or method driven work processes. The students should master both.

Read more about Computational and Mathematical Modelling

2. Programming Languages and Systems (PLS)

Graduates with a PLS competence profile have knowledge of fundamental models of computing, their expressiveness and limitations, and how to capture them as (fundamental) programming languages.  They understand both programs and whole programming languages as objects of study that can be designed, analyzed and manipulated so as to guarantee correctness, efficiency and language-based security.  They know how to implement programming languages efficiently on modern computer architectures, how to express their semantics with mathematical precision, and how to operationalize logical and mathematical methods to process programs for various purposes with safe and predictable results.

Read more about Programming Languages and Systems (PLS)

3. Software Development (SD)

Graduates with a competence profile in SD will have fundamental competences in respect to software development, i.e. the various activities involved in preparing the production of software and information systems that are effective, useful and satisfactory for its users - both in the context of an organization and in the context of day-to-day life.

Software development covers investigation of new needs in collaboration with users, software development, modification and reuse of software components, maintenance of systems and the technical and, especially, the organisational implementation of new software products and information systems. Focus is on programming including the initial problem formulation, the realisation of programmes and systems, integration of systems, tests of systems solutions in the relevant IT and user context.

Read more about Software Development (SD)

4. Digital Interactive Entertainment (DIE)

Digital interactive entertainment is about creating interactive applications for end-users or creating the tools (middle-ware/engines) for creating the interactive applications. Good programming skills, good ability to work together, and the ability to find creative solutions that work are at the core of the specialization.

Read more about Digital Interactive Entertainment

5. Computer Science Innovation (CSI) 

Candidates with a CSI profile will have the ability to combine theory with practice / business (from research to invoice), will have practical experience with entrepreneurship achieved through accomplishment or business project.

Examples of practical courses:

• IPR rights
• Accounting and bookkeeping
• Microeconomics
• Marketing
• Sales
• "Pitching" project presentation technique
• Understanding of funding
• Innovation Process

Read more about Computer Science Innovation

6. Algorithms and data structures

Graduates with this profile will have extensive and in-depth knowledge of fundamental algorithms, approximation algorithms, heuristics and data structures applicable to a wide range of computational problems. They will be able to argue about the correctness and complexity of algorithms. They will become familiar with general algorithmic paradigms and they will be able to apply various types of data structures to new problems.

Graduates with this profile will be able to participate in software development projects. They will be able to present their results in accordance with requirements for publications in international journals.

Read more about Algorithms and data structures

Admission requirements 

You can find the admission requirements here.

Application and tuition fees 

You can find information about how to apply and tuition fees in the table below: