Decisions and guidelines

According to a decision taken by the Vice Chancellor 2006-09-16, Uppsala University will offer two-year Master programmes in biology, computer science, physics, earth science, sustainable development, chemistry, mathematics, computational science and applied biotechnology, all from 2007-07-01.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. The main field of study must be within science, engineering, mathematics or computer science.

Also required is:

• 30 credits in mathematics, including algebra, linear algebra, calculus and vector calculus;
• 5 credits in programming; and
• 5 credits in numerical methods (numerical analysis or scientific computing).

Language requirements

All applicants need to verify English language proficiency that corresponds to English studies at upper secondary (high school) level in Sweden ("English 6"). This can be done in a number of ways, including through an internationally recognised test such as TOEFL or IELTS, or through previous upper secondary (high school) or university studies.

The minimum test scores are:

• IELTS: an overall mark of 6.5 and no section below 5.5
• TOEFL: Paper-based: Score of 4.5 (scale 1–6) in written test and a total score of 575. Internet-based: Score of 20 (scale 0–30) in written test and a total score of 90
• Cambridge: CAE, CPE

Aims

The Master programme in Computational Science results in a combination of knowledge and skills in some area of Science and in Scientific Computing. The programme is intended for students with a Bachelor degree in Science or in Mathematics/Scientific Computing/Computer Science and provides deeper knowledge in some area of Science combined with knowledge on modern computational techniques and ability of using such techniques for solving problems in Science. The cross-disciplinary education results in knowledge and skills suitable for advanced assignments in trade and industry, public authorities and institutions, business, or for further studies towards the Ph.D. degree in a variety of fields. A graduated student from the programme should be able to organise and run research and development projects in many fields.

Learning outcomes

According to the Higher Education Act, the following applies for second-cycle studies:

Second-cycle studies shall be based fundamentally on the knowledge acquired by students during first-cycle courses and study programmes, or its equivalent.

Second-cycle studies shall involve the acquisition of specialist knowledge, aptitudes and accomplishments in relation to first-cycle courses and study programmes, and in addition to the requirements for first-cycle courses and study programmes shall:

• further develop the ability of students to integrate and make autonomous use of their knowledge,
• develop the students' ability to deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, and
• develop the students' potential for professional activities that demand considerable autonomy, or for research and development work. Ordinance (2006:173).

Objectives for a Degree of Master (120 credits) according to the Higher Education Ordinance, System of Qualifications.

Knowledge and understanding

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) students must

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding in their main field of study, including both broad knowledge in the field and substantially deeper knowledge of certain parts of the field, together with deeper insight into current research and development work; and
• demonstrate deeper methodological knowledge in their main field of study.

For the Master Programme in Computational Science this means that the students must

• Demonstrate deepened knowledge and understanding within at least one field of Science, including a breadth of knowledge in this field as well as specialist knowledge in some parts of the field and insight into current research and development activities.
• Demonstrate deepened knowledge on principles, methodologies, and algorithms for computer simulations and computations based on mathematical models, and an ability to apply this knowledge within at least one field in Science

Skills and abilities

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) students must

• demonstrate an ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and to analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, even when limited information is available;
• demonstrate an ability to critically, independently and creatively identify and formulate issues and to plan and, using appropriate methods, carry out advanced tasks within specified time limits, so as to contribute to the development of knowledge and to evaluate this work;
• demonstrate an ability to clearly present and discuss their conclusions and the knowledge and arguments behind them, in dialogue with different groups, orally and in writing, in national and international contexts; and
• demonstrate the skill required to participate in research and development work or to work independently in other advanced contexts.

For the Master Programme in Computational Science this means that the students must

• Demonstrate an ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge from Scientific Computing and at least one area of Science, and an ability to analyse, assess, and address complex phenomena and issues in this field, also in situations where only limited information is available
• Demonstrate an ability to critically, independently and creatively identify and formulate problems and to plan and pursue advanced tasks within given timeframes, using adequate mathematical models, software and computer systems
• Demonstrate an ability to give oral as well as written reports of and discussion of their conclusions in applied scientific computing, and of the knowledge and the arguments on which these are based, and to do this in dialogue with various groups both nationally and internationally
• Demonstrate an ability to use advanced computational software and different classes of computer systems for solving computational problems in Science and Engineering
• Demonstrate an ability to understand and use mathematical models for describing phenomena in Science and Engineering
• Demonstrate skills required to participate in research and development activities and to work independently in other qualified settings within Computational Science

Judgement and approach

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) students must

• demonstrate an ability to make assessments in their main field of study, taking into account relevant scientific, social and ethical aspects, and demonstrate an awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work;
• demonstrate insight into the potential and limitations of science, its role in society and people’s responsibility for how it is used; and
• demonstrate an ability to identify their need of further knowledge and to take responsibility for developing their knowledge.

For the Master Programme in Computational Science this means that the students must

• Demonstrate an ability to validate and assess results from computer simulations and numerical computations
• Demonstrate an ability to make judgements within Computational Science, taking into account relevant scientific, societal, and ethical aspects as well as demonstrating an awareness of ethical aspects of research and development
• Demonstrate insight about the potential and limitations of Computational Science, its role in society and human responsibility for its use
• Demonstrate an ability to identify their need for further knowledge in Computational Science and to assume responsibility for further developing their own knowledge

Layout of the programme

The programme results in a specialisation in Biology, Physics, Earth Science, Chemistry or Computational Science. Some of the courses are taken jointly with students from other programmes. The first part of the initial semester is partly used to ensure that students with diverse Bachelor degree backgrounds arrive at a common knowledge base, for example through an individually constructed bridging course in Scientific Computing and/or Programming. During the second part of the initial semester and during the second semester, mainly courses at the advanced level in Scientific Computing, Biology, Physics, Earth Science and Chemistry are given. During the final year, courses with a strong connection to research and development in academia and in society are given. The Master's thesis project can be performed during the last semester, or in parallel with other courses during the whole second year.

Instruction

Education in the Masters programme builds upon upon the prior knowledge and experience of the students. Students are expected to participate actively in their education and take responsibility for personal learning outcomes as well as contributing to the learning of others. Academic staff in the programme have the primary responsibility for establishing foundations for active individual and collective learning. Continuos educational development builds on a respectful dialogue between students and staff, through which everyone is empowered to contribute to educational evolution and mutual learning.

Degree

Upon request, a student who has received a pass grade in a course is to receive a course certificate from the higher education institution. Upon request, a student who meets the requirements for a qualification is to receive a diploma from the higher education institution.

A Degree of Master is a so called general degree, which means that the student achieve the degree in its main subject according to the criteria below, regardless of the courses being part of the program or not, therefore there is a possibility also to include single subject courses in the degree.

Regulations according to Higher Education Ordinance

A Degree of Master (120 credits) is obtained after the student has completed course requirements of 120 higher education credits with a certain area of specialisation determined by each higher education institution itself, including at least 60 higher education credits with in-depth studies in the main field of study. In addition, the student must hold a Degree of Bachelor, a Degree of Bachelor of Arts in…, a professional degree worth at least 180 higher education credits or an equivalent foreign qualification.

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) students must have completed an independent project (degree project) worth at least 30 higher education credits in their main field of study, within the framework of the course requirements. The independent project may comprise less than 30 higher education credits, but not less than 15 higher education credits, if the student has already completed an independent project at the second level worth at least 15 higher education credits in their main field of study, or an equivalent project in a foreign educational programme.

A Degree of Master (60 credits) is obtained after the student has completed course requirements of 60 higher education credits with a certain area of specialisation determined by each higher education institution itself, including at least 30 higher education credits with in-depth studies in the main field of study. In addition, the student must hold a Degree of Bachelor, a Degree of Bachelor of Arts in…, a professional degree worth at least 180 higher education credits or an equivalent foreign qualification.

For a Degree of Master (60 credits) students must have completed an independent project (degree project) worth at least 15 higher education credits in their main field of study, within the framework of the course requirements.

Local regulations

A Degree of Master (60 credits) may, except for courses on advanced level, contain one or several courses on basic level comprising not more than 15 higher education credits. A degree of Master (120 credits) may, except for courses on advanced level, contain one or several courses on basic level comprising not more than 30 higher education credits. The course or the courses are meant to provide such additional competence as is needed for in-depth studies in the main field of study and cannot be included in the student’s basic degree.

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) students must have completed an independent project (degree project) worth at least 30 higher education credits.

Other directives

Students, who have acquired equivalent qualifications outside the programme, corresponding to at least 15 credits on advanced level in addition to the degree at Bachelor’s level, may apply to be accepted to a later part of the programme. The application deadline for the autumn term is May 1 and for the spring term December 1.