Master's Specialisation: Software Science

Software plays a role in almost every aspect of our daily lives and in every organisation across the globe. This specialisation focuses on analysing and testing of code in order to both improve and simplify it.

Something for you?

• Students can branch out to other Computing Science domains such as security, machine learning or more in-depth mathematical foundations of computer science.
• The Institute for Computing and Information Sciences (iCIS) has a strong international reputation in areas such as model based and virtual product development and advanced programming.
• We collaborate closely with leading Dutch high-tech companies like Océ Technologies, Philips Healthcare, ASML, and Thales.

What will you learn

Producing software is not merely a technological enterprise but a deeply scientific and creative one as well. In this specialisation, therefore, we don’t just expect you to understand and make use of the appropriate tools, but also to program and develop your own. Although this is not the only focus, our programme puts emphasis on embedded software and functional programming. Other topics that are covered are domain specific languages, model learning, model-based testing, task oriented and functional programming, model checking and cyber physical systems.

Future career opportunities

The job perspective for our graduates is excellent: industry desperately needs software science specialists at an academic level. Several of our graduates decide to go for a PhD and stay at a university, but most of our students go for a career in industry. They typically either find a job at a larger company as consultant or programmer, or they start up their own software company. 

Research

This specialisation is offered in close collaboration with the research Institute for Computing and Information Sciences (iCIS). Although we look at the entire field of Software Science during the Master’s programme, there are a number of fields that we put more emphasis on and are specialised in: Domain specific language, Automata learning, Model-based testing, Task oriented and functional programming, and Model checking.