Curriculum for the Master´s Programme in Information Technology (IT Design and Application Development) 2017

1: Preface

Pursuant to Act 261 of March 18, 2015 on Universities (the University Act) with subsequent changes, the following curriculum is established. The programme also follows the Joint Programme Regulations and the Examination Policies and Procedures for The Faculty.

2: Basis in Ministerial orders

The Master’s programme is organised in accordance with the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s Order no. 1328 of November 15, 2016 on Bachelor’s and Master’s Programmes at Universities (the Ministerial Order of the Study Programmes) and Ministerial Order no. 1062 of June 30, 2016 on University Examinations (the Examination Order). Further reference is made to Ministerial Order no. 111 of January 30, 2017 (the Admission Order) and Ministerial Order no. 114 of February 3, 2015 (the Grading Scale Order) with subsequent changes.

3: Campus

The programme is offered in Aalborg.

4: Faculty affiliation

The Master’s programme falls under The Technical Faculty of IT and Design, Aalborg University.

5: Study board affiliation

The Master’s programme falls under Study Board of Computer Science

6: Affiliation to corps of external examiners

The Master’s programme is associated with the external examiners corps on Computer Science

7: Admission requirements

Applicants without legal right of admission

• Bachelor of Science (BSc) inTechno-Anthropology
• Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Economics and Business Administration
• Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Sociology

8: The programme title in Danish and English

The Master’s programme entitles the graduate to the Danish designation Cand.it. i it-design og applikationsudvikling. The English designation is: Master of Science (MSc) in Information Technology (IT Design and Application Development).

9: Programme specifications in ECTS credits

The Master’s programme is a 2-year, research-based, full-time study programme. The programme is set to 120 ECTS credits.

10: Rules concerning credit transfer (merit), including the possibility for choice of modules that are part of another programme at a university in Denmark or abroad

The Study Board can approve successfully completed (passed) programme elements from other Master’s programmes in lieu of programme elements in this programme (credit transfer). The Study Board can also approve successfully completed (passed) programme elements from another Danish programme or a programme outside of Denmark at the same level in lieu of programme elements within this curriculum. Decisions on credit transfer are made by the Study Board based on an academic assessment. See the Joint Programme Regulations for the rules on credit transfer.

11: Exemptions

In exceptional circumstances, the Study Board study can grant exemption from those parts of the curriculum that are not stipulated by law or ministerial order.  Exemption regarding an examination applies to the immediate examination.

12: Rules for examinations

The rules for examinations are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures published by the faculty on their website.

13: Rules concerning written work, including the Master’s Thesis

In the assessment of all written work, regardless of the language it is written in, weight is also given to the student's formulation and spelling ability, in addition to the academic content. Orthographic and grammatical correctness as well as stylistic proficiency are taken as a basis for the evaluation of language performance. Language performance must always be included as an independent dimension of the total evaluation. However, no examination can be assessed as ‘Pass’ on the basis of good language performance alone; similarly, an examination normally cannot be assessed as ‘Fail’ on the basis of poor language performance alone.

The Study Board can grant exemption from this in special cases (e.g., dyslexia or a native language other than Danish).

The Master’s Thesis must include an English summary (or another foreign language: French, Spanish or German upon approval by the Study Board). If the project is written in English, the summary must be in Danish (The Study Board can grant exemption from this). The summary must be at least 1 page and not more than 2 pages (this is not included in any fixed minimum and maximum number of pages per student). The summary is included in the evaluation of the project as a whole.

14: Requirements regarding the reading of texts in a foreign language

It is assumed that the student can read academic texts in modern English and use reference works, etc.

15: Competence profile on the diploma

The following competence profile will appear on the diploma:

A Candidatus graduate has the following competency profile:

A Candidatus graduate has competencies that have been acquired via a course of study that has taken place in a research environment.

A Candidatus graduate is qualified for employment on the labour market based on his or her academic discipline as well as for further research (PhD programmes). A Candidatus graduate has, compared to a Bachelor, developed his or her academic knowledge and independence so as to be able to apply scientific theory and method on an independent basis within both an academic and a professional context.

16: Competence profile of the programme

The following competence profile will appear on the diploma:

A Candidatus graduate has competencies that have been acquired via a course of study that has taken place in a research environment.

A Candidatus graduate is qualified for employment on the labour market on the basis of his or her academic discipline as well as for further research (PhD programmes). A Candidatus graduate has, compared to a Bachelor, developed his or her academic knowledge and independence so as to be able to apply scientific theory and method on an independent basis within both an academic and a professional context.

The graduate of the Master’s programme

After completion of the Master’s programme, the student will have acquired the following qualifications in the subject areas that are included in the education:

Information Systems:
Knowledge

• Has knowledge about research approaches in IT application design and software development
• Can understand, and on a scientific basis, reflect over knowledge in information systems and identify relevant researchproblems
• Has knowledge about key topics in system development and human-computer interaction based on the highest international research in these areas

Skills

• Excels in the scientific methods and tools of the information systemsdiscipline
• Can design software systems for complex application areas and advance new innovative solutions
• Can evaluate the qualities of software systems in relation to their use in human and social activities
• Can describe and analyse experiences from software developmentpractice
• Is proficient in communicating research-based knowledge and discussing professional and scientific problems with both peers andnon-specialists

Database and Programming:
Knowledge

• Has knowledge about imperativeprogramming
• Has knowledge about database modelling, database queries and database management

Skills

• Can apply programming methods and tools in a software developmentprocess
• Can implement the design of a software system by using current programmingtechnologies

Competencies
A Master in IT Design and Application Development can:

• Independently initiate and implement professional activities in information systems, interdisciplinary cooperation and assume professionalresponsibility
• Manage work and situations in software development that are complex, uncertain and require newsolutions
• Independently take responsibility for own professional development andspecialization

17: Structure and Contents of the programme

The programme is structured in modules and organized as a problem-based study. A module is a program element or a group of program elements, which aims to give students a set of professional skills within a fixed time frame specified in ECTS credits, and concluding with one or more examinations within specific exam periods. Examinations are defined in the curriculum.

The program is based on a combination of academic, problem-oriented and interdisciplinary approaches and organized based on the following work and evaluation methods that combine skills and reflection:

• lectures
• classroominstruction
• project work
• workshops
• exercises (individually and in groups)
• teacherfeedback
• reflection
• portfolio work

18: Overview of the programme

All modules are assessed through individual grading according to the 7-point scale or Pass/Fail. All modules are assessed by external examination (external grading) or internal examination (internal grading or by assessment by the supervisor only)

Problem Based Learning:

A compulsory course in Problem Based Learning (PBL) is offered as an integrated part of the project module to students not acquainted with PBL at Aalborg University.

19: Additional information

The current version of the curriculum is published on the Board of Studies’ website, including more detailed information about the programme, including exams

20: Commencement and transitional rules

The curriculum is approved by the dean and enters into force as of the Dean of The Technical Faculty of IT and Design and enters into force as of September, 2017

Students who wish to complete their studies under the previous curriculum from 2012 must conclude their education by the summer examination period 2017 at the latest, since examinations under the previous curriculum are not offered after this time

21: Amendments to the curriculum and regulations

Minor editorial changes have been made in connection with the digitisation of the study curriculum