Bachelor of Science in Informatics (4 years, 240 ECTS) – modules: Computer Science, Information Technologies – 2012/2013-2016/2017

Name and the Goals of the Study Programme

The study programme Bachelor with Honours in Informatics (I0)

Type of the Study and the Outcome of the Education Process

Type of the Study and the Outcome of the Education Process.  is a Bachelor academic study programme in Informatics at the University of Novi Sad, conducted at the Faculty of Sciences. It lasts for 4 years, and the total credit score value of the programme is 240 ECTS credits.

Professional Title, Academic, or Scientific Title

Upon graduation, the student receives the first study level title of Bachelor with Honours in Informatics.

Admission Conditions

The condition for receiving the title of the Bachelor with Honours in Informatics is that a student passes all of the compulsory courses of this study programme, obtain the total of 240 ESPB credits and defend his/her graduation project (thesis).

The Structure of the Study Programme

The study plan consists of compulsory courses in two elective modules: Computer Science and Information Technologies, and the set of elective courses.

The Time Allotted for the Realization of Particular Study Forms

It lasts for 4 years.

Credit Values of Particular Courses

The compulsory courses are common for both modules – 9 courses (including graduation thesis, having a total value of 72 ECTS credits): two courses in the first year, four courses in the second year, two in third and one in the fourth year of studies. They are the worldwide recognized core of the general academic education in informatics, independent of the later specializations of the students. The compulsory courses cover the basics of programming (procedural and object-oriented), algorithms, databases, operating systems, computer communications, networks but also necessary mathematical background.

Prerequisites for the Registration for Particular Courses or Group of Courses

The elective module of Computer Science consists of 13 courses (their total value is 98 ECTS credits): four in the first year, three in the second, four in the third and two in the fourth year of studies. These courses complement students’ knowledge with general and modern theories, methods and practical skills in the fields of algorithm analysis, formal and programming languages, intelligent systems, as well as complex mathematical theory and methods.

The elective module of Information Technologies consists of 13 courses (their total value is 98 ECTS credits): four in the first year, three in the second, four in the third and two in the fourth year of studies. These courses complement students’ knowledge with general and modern theories, methods and practical skills in the fields of computer architecture and computer networks, databases, operating systems, software engineering, information systems, as well as necessary mathematical theory and methods.

The students’ knowledge is extended by selecting some of the elective courses. Students can choose a number of courses from the list of elective courses, depending on their wishes and the required number of ECTS credits necessary for the successful completion of the year, or the completion of studies. The list of elective courses is a set of 59 specialized general knowledge courses (depending on students’ age and the goals of the study programme), as well as courses in informatics, mathematics, economy and pedagogy. The majority of these courses are content-independent, so they do not require some special preconditions for enrolment except the study year they are defined for. The reason for that is to enable logical continuation on the contents of the compulsory courses.

The lectures are organized in the form of frontal instructions with the use of computer equipment and other modern visual teaching devices. Some lectures are organized in the form of group or individual lessons. Following the modern trends of academic education in informatics, exercises emphasize the practical tasks that students do on the computer, as well as in other forms of individual and group assignments such as projects, seminar papers, homework, reports, etc.

The purpose of the study programme Bachelor with Honours in Informatics (four year programme) is:

• General education in informatics; the graduates are capable of doing practical work on computers in industry in all phases and roles during the software development, with the great understanding of correlations between software development and other aspects of business and theoretical background;

• Education in informatics for participation in development and application of software systems, as well as for work in the application of information technologies and computer science in education, security, healthcare and other areas of work;

• Preparation for further studies in the field of information technologies and computer science. By choosing the appropriate elective module, student can specialize already on undergraduate studies for general business applications (information technologies: information systems, software engineering, management, etc.) or for fundamental fields of informatics (computer science: system software, simulations, computer games, etc.).

• Education in informatics for acquiring modern, high level technological knowledge required by informatics industry, for solving practical problems using advanced techniques in informatics;

• Preparing students for teaching informatics in primary and secondary schools;

• Preparation for further studies and acquiring a good background for scientific research and further education at universities and scientific institutions.

Both vocations of students (information technologies and computer science) are necessary resources for the development of knowledge-based society, i.e. information society that is already significantly developed in countries of the European Union, USA, Australia, Japan, etc.

Since 2000, Serbia has had a growing need for human resources educated in informatics in both specializations, due to the increase in investments and appearance of foreign companies and standards, both in the field of informatics and other fields that require support in informatics.

The goals of the study programme of Bachelor in Informatics are:

• Introduction to basic principles in informatics, methods and techniques required for solving problems using computers, as well as for the successful application of computers in various fields of work;
• Acquisition of fundamental knowledge, methods and techniques of programming languages and programming paradigms (structured, object-oriented, functional, logic), algorithms, operating systems, databases and information systems;
• Introduction to core mathematical disciplines required for analysis, understanding, problem solving, as well as for successful implementation of principles and techniques of informatics;
• Extension of knowledge in informatics by using advanced principles and techniques in the field of computer science and information technologies;
• Preparation for successful application of information techniques in practice;
• Preparation for further development of knowledge, as well as theoretical and practical background for acquiring complex contents in the field of informatics i.e. further studies;
• Development of high-level abstract, analytical and synthetic, logical thinking and understanding of different levels of abstraction in the domain of informatics;
• Development of an initiative and the ability to independently solve problems using computers, by applying appropriate principles and techniques of informatics.

The description of general and course-specific competences of the students

A Bachelor with Honours in Informatics offer the following competences:

• Ability for analysis and synthesis;
• Ability for the application of the knowledge in practice;
• Decision-making abilities;
• Learning abilities;
• Knowledge of other languages;
• Field-specific knowledge (informatics).

A Bachelor with Honours in Informatics will, besides the aforementioned, be prepared for the following:

• Individual and team work in the process of software development;
• Successful teaching of informatics in primary and secondary schools;
• Embarking on a scientific research career at universities and scientific institutions.

The description of the outcomes of learning

The successful candidate awarded the title of Bachelor with Honours in Informatics will possess:

• Core skills in fundamental mathematics;
• Ability of logical thinking, capacity to formulate hypotheses and conclusions using formal and formalized way;
• Capacity to understand and formulate problems, as well as their modelling, yielding analysis and solutions;
• Programming skills in procedural, functional, object-oriented programming paradigm;
• Understanding of the full software development cycle: requirements, analysis, design (architecture), implementation, testing and maintenance;
• Practical skills in using programming environment, relational database management systems and CASE tools;
• Understanding the current principles, techniques and trends in the development of informatics;
• Knowledge of  the concepts and theoretical foundations of computer science;
• Knowledge in specific, closely related fields of mathematical and social sciences, enabling the student to independently apply the informatics principles and techniques in practice to solve problems in different domains.