Master’s degree in Computer Engineering (LM-32)

Study Programme Course LM-32 – Computer Engineering

The Master of Science Degree in Computer Engineering (LM-32) creates an educational pathway oriented to prepare a professional figure in charge of the conception, research, planning, design, development, management and control of complex products, systems, processes and services in the field of information technology. The pathway is designed to meet the growing demands of the world of work, both in the industrial and manufacturing fields and in the operation of hardware or software systems and infrastructure for the provision of services in the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) area. The master’s degree graduate in Computer Engineering will have numerous employment outlets towards companies and firms that design, manufacture or supply software components and systems, computer equipment and services, from both public and private sectors.

The course of study is aimed at the training of graduates of high professionalism and competence capable of inserting themselves in business and industry, even with assumption of responsibility, in demanding design tasks, in the management of complex systems and in the activities of Research and Development departments. Thanks to the preparation acquired, the master’s degree graduate will have the ability to identify, formulate and solve, also in an innovative way, complex problems, both independently and by inserting himself in multidisciplinary groups; he will also be able to adapt quickly to the rapid evolution of technologies and to the problems of cultural areas different from the one deepened within the training course followed.

To this end, the general training course includes characterizing teachings in the area of Information Processing Systems. The training is consolidated by some related teachings in the areas of Industrial, Management and Information Engineering, useful to complete the graduate’s cultural profile.

Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering Online

The Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering online is the ideal solution for all students, making it possible to earn this university degree even for those who are unable to attend a traditional university because they are far from home or for professional reasons.

Through Unicusano’s e-learning platform, it will be possible to follow the lectures of the online Master’s Degree in Computer Science in telematic mode, study on computer media from the comfort of your own home, at your own pace, and then take the exams at the nearest location. Thanks to the quality of its teachings and locations throughout Italy, Unicusano is now the best choice for those who wish to pursue a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering online.

Professional profile and expected employment and career outlets for Computer Engineering graduates

Master’s Degree Computer Engineer

Function in a work setting:

Information engineers with training dedicated to aspects of information technology and industrial automation are involved in the design of software components for industrial equipment subject to automation, as well as the design and implementation of business logic for information systems, as well as information processing systems. In addition, they have functions inherent in direct and instrumental surveys of technical parameters pertaining to information processing systems and apparatus dedicated to the automation of industrial processes and machinery.

The curriculum trains a master’s graduate capable of conducting a variety of activities within companies in the data processing, manufacturing and process industries. Specifically, he/she can perform the following functions:

Coordinates the design and research and development of software components and complete information systems, software-based apparatus for highly automated manufacturing plants, with also the function of designing and coordinating the operation and maintenance of software and hardware tools and equipment. Intervenes in business and industry with direct assumption of responsibility in experimentation, research and development departments;
Design engineer, with duties of increasing responsibility over time for the development of systems of increasing technological complexity, with functions ranging from conceptual scheme conception, modeling and virtual prototyping, component and subsystem selection, sizing, and prototype development and testing, following the product throughout the entire production process, taking care of its correspondence to the design from the functional, morphological, and economic points of view;
Engineer for R&D functions, with ability to identify (technology scouting) and use innovative technologies for the development or improvement of products and information and industrial automation systems, starting from the initial stages of defining technological requirements, through design, prototyping and testing in the laboratory and field.

Skills associated with the function:

Information engineers with training devoted to aspects of information technology and industrial automation are familiar with the main tools and languages for programming and engineering software components, software product lifecycle management, and are able to design the architecture of a complete information system, for business and industrial use for production; they also learn the basics related to the use of hardware/software systems, so-called embedded, for controlling machinery for industrial uses.

They have expertise in systems for managing databases of considerable size, so-called Big Data, and related technologies, including techniques for analysis and machine learning based on such datasets, and know the protocols, algorithms and data structures underlying distributed information systems in general. They also know the fundamentals of electronics and can apply them in their areas of expertise, from computer hardware to telecommunications and industrial automation.

The graduate will acquire specific skills to coordinate cross-functional teams that perform design and development of software components and information systems. They will be familiar with the use of measurement and design tools, keeping abreast of technological development on an ongoing basis.

They have, finally, ability for further self-study for necessary updating, either as part of specific training activities by the company/body, or to be able to adapt to technological developments.

The main skills provided by the curriculum are:

knowledge of mathematical tools, physical and engineering fundamentals for understanding and using the most commonly adopted technologies in information processing systems;
skills on software libraries and components, including criteria for their selection and use, development and deployment technologies, and testing methodologies;
skills in the use of working tools for the design and simulation of software/hardware components and information processing systems (CAD-CAE-CAM tools);
knowledge of measurement systems and their integration with information processing systems;
knowledge of industrial automation equipment, with related modeling and design skills integrated with information systems.

Employment outlets:

This curriculum offers new engineers a specialization oriented mainly to the fields of computer design and production, supporting both the world of research and the world of work, including in sectors oriented to technological innovation. In particular, the skills gained are in high demand by companies and industries that require the development, production, installation, testing, maintenance and management of information systems.

The figure of the information engineer with training dedicated to information technology and industrial automation can find placements in the technical service facilities of various industries and enterprises, as well as in public administration. Some of the main placements include:

Companies operating in the areas of hardware and software production and professional firms;
Companies operating in the area of information systems and computer networks;
Companies operating in the area of highly automated industrial production;
Companies operating in the area of providing software, platforms and infrastructure as services;
Companies operating information systems for business, health care, citizen and public administration;
High-value-added training and consulting companies and organizations;
Research organizations.

Graduates in Computer Engineering, upon passing the State Examination, can register with the Order of Engineers, with the title of Senior Information Engineer.

The Master of Science in Computer Engineering program prepares for the profession of (ISTAT codes)

Software analysts and designers – (2.1.1.4.1)
Systems analysts – (2.1.1.4.2)
Web application analysts and designers – (2.1.1.4.3)
Information security specialists – (2.1.1.5.4)

Knowledge required for admission

In order to enter the Master of Science in Computer Engineering degree program, the student must:

have adequate knowledge of the methodological and operational aspects of the basic and characterizing sciences of computer engineering (class L-8) and be able to use this knowledge to identify, formulate, and solve problems using up-to-date methods, techniques, and tools;
be able to specify and analyse an algorithm in terms of its concrete complexity and related data structures, the ability to use an object-oriented programming language, knowledge of computer architecture, major network protocols, and the principles of operating systems and databases;
be able to understand the impact of innovative solutions
possess the basic cognitive tools for updating their knowledge.

Access to the Master’s Degree Course requires possession of a bachelor’s degree in classes L-8 but may also include those who hold a bachelor’s degree in other classes, or another degree obtained abroad that is recognized as suitable, or a degree related to the former four-year system, provided they meet the following curricular requirements:

at least 24 credits in the SSDs MAT/02, MAT/03, MAT/05, MAT/06, MAT/07, MAT/08, MAT/09
at least 12 credits in the SSDs FIS/01, FIS/03, CHIM/03, CHIM/07
at least 36 credits in the characterizing SSD ING-INF/05 and/or INF/01

For admission to the course, knowledge of the English language such that students are fluent in it in both written and oral form (level B2) is also required.

For admission purposes any curricular additions in terms of credits must be acquired before, the verification of the adequacy of individual preparation.

The procedures for admission and verification of the adequacy of personal preparation and curricular requirements that must be possessed for admission to the Master’s Degree Course, are established by the University, with modalities defined in the Didactic Regulations of the course.

Specific educational objectives of the Master’s Degree Course in Computer Engineering and description of the educational pathway

The Master’s Degree Course in Computer Engineering (LM-32) aims to train graduates with a wide-ranging technical-scientific background in the disciplines specific to Information Engineering. The course of study is oriented toward the training of professional profiles congruent with the technical needs of the modern information society but does not neglect the development of solid transversal skills and learning abilities, considered indispensable in a professional sector characterized by rapid and continuous technological evolution.

The preparation of a flexible figure for modern professional needs is pursued through the definition of a training path oriented to the field of Information Technology. The path is aimed at developing an engineer with skills in requirements analysis, design and implementation of software and information systems.

The degree program includes a training path consisting of 120 credits and is aimed at providing a solid specialized preparation in engineering disciplines. This course is oriented toward the design, production and management of information systems, and is structured as follows:

Teachings in disciplines characterizing information engineering (in the field ING-INF/05);
Related teachings useful to complete the cultural profile of the graduate, oriented to the world of production and industrial automation and (in the fields INGIND/16, INGIND/35, INGINF/07, ING-IND/12).

The predetermined educational activities that characterize the curriculum correspond to 84 credits. The training is completed by the student’s free-choice teaching for a total of 12 credits, internships and other training activities for a total of 6 credits, and the dissertation for a total of 18 credits, for a total of 36 credits.

The internship and thesis activities can be carried out either within the University under the guidance of a faculty member, or at the many companies that have entered into an agreement with the University.

In summary, the two-year training is organized into the following macro-areas:

Specific engineering training in computer science. The purpose of this training area is to provide the student with comprehensive coverage of the technical and scientific aspects pertaining to a computer science engineer, with particular reference to skills in terms of designing state-of-the-art information systems, in the areas of the Internet of Things, Big Data, Machine Learning, decentralized systems such as Blockchain, and Cybersecurity.
Training in related disciplines peculiar to Information Engineering in the fields of Electronics, and Industrial Engineering, to provide the student with advanced skills and abilities inherent to the cultural areas of reference, to address skills related to industrial and process automation, innovation management and design life cycle, and to stimulate the aptitude to address problems with a critical and interdisciplinary approach.

The expected learning outcomes mainly concern: (1) the methodological-operational aspects of the disciplines of the areas characterizing the curriculum (computer science), in order to use the most appropriate techniques and tools for the design of hardware and software components, and the development of information processing and transmission systems; (2) the ability to conduct simulations and experiments, critically analysing and interpreting the results both in terms of adherence to reference models and engineering feasibility; (3) the ability to communicate advanced technical content specific to Information Engineering in a clear and unambiguous manner.

The balance of the training provided for the master’s degree allows for the development of a learning capacity useful both for undertaking further studies (Ph.D., Level I and II Master’s degrees) and for ready entry into the world of work.

The training of the master’s degree in Computer Engineering aims to cover the needs related to a wide range of roles and skills that the computer engineer is called upon to provide to companies producing goods or services. The figure of the computer engineer intended to be built in the master’s degree program is that of a highly trained technician capable of tackling problems in the areas of innovation and development of civil and industrial automation, advanced design, management, maintenance, installation, testing and operation of simple or complex information systems in business and industry. This flexibility derives from a multipurpose preparation related to the disciplines of address, oriented to deepen specific professional areas. The educational path involves passing 12 exams, a curricular internship and final thesis over 2 academic years with the achievement of 120 credits.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and understanding skills

The course of study provides students, who already possess a solid basic education in the area of information engineering and computer science, with specific knowledge in the multidisciplinary fields of ICT. Students concluding the Master’s Degree path have deepened and broadened the knowledge already acquired from the Three-Year Course of Study, adding greater awareness regarding scientific innovations in the various fields.

At the end of the course, the Master’s degree graduate in Computer Engineering will master and demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the methodological-operational aspects of Computer Engineering; in particular, during the course he or she will have demonstrated:

know in detail principles, methodologies and tools for design from the architectural and logical point of view of information processing systems;
have an in-depth knowledge of the functionality and architecture of modern microcontrollers, as well as the design aspects inherent in their job for the purpose of realizing embedded systems that meet specific application needs;
possess adequate mastery of the mathematical tools required for formal modelling, analysis, evaluation, optimization, and implementation of machine learning-based systems;
have in-depth knowledge of the methodologies and tools for the design and implementation of concurrent and distributed applications;
have in-depth knowledge of the issues, technologies and standards related to the design of services and applications in distributed and heterogeneous environments;
know the principles, methods, and tools for the design, use, and management of countermeasures and services to deal with intentional attacks on the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information;
know modern software engineering methodologies and tools for the analysis, modelling, design, and testing of highly complex software applications;
know the principles behind modern programming languages, models for their formal description, and techniques for their interpretation;
know the principles, methodologies, and tools for the implementation and use of modern information systems, including from the perspective of information management;
know the principles, methodologies, main standards and tools for the realization and use of modern web systems;
know the main architectures and components of measurement systems, and understand their data acquisition, processing and sharing functions;
know advanced algorithmic theories and methodologies for solving decision-making problems in the social and industrial spheres, with special emphasis on the optimal management and coordination of available activities and resources;
possess the methodological and design knowledge necessary for the implementation of strategies and processing systems for real-time control of complex industrial systems and processes;
know the principles, methodologies, and tools for the management of innovation, along with the ability to articulate innovative processes and evolutions in a design manner;
have the ability to understand and critically analyse the costs and benefits of using and integrating innovative technologies, components, apparatus, and systems in complex and differentiated contexts.

In the teachings of the master’s degree program, teaching is in the form of delivery through recorded video lectures, and interactive through self-assessment tests in itinere and activities in virtual classrooms. Knowledge is ascertained through written examinations, through assessment of guided e-activities carried out by students independently, and through tracking of student activities in virtual classrooms and self-assessment tests. The assessment of these activities concludes with the formulation of a grade expressed in thirtieths.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding

The problem-solving aptitude typical of a basic engineering education is combined with an in-depth study of methods and techniques peculiar to computer science, with particular emphasis on the reliability and security of systems, the design of distributed systems for handling large masses of data, the analysis and design of embedded systems, and the design of systems based on machine learning.

The master’s degree graduate:

is able to apply the principles, methodologies, and tools to aid the design of information systems in the development of integrated solutions in differentiated contexts;
is able to apply knowledge related to modern microcontrollers for the design and implementation of embedded systems responding to specific application needs even of high complexity;
is able to apply mathematical tools and formal models in the analysis, evaluation, optimization, and implementation of machine learning-based systems;
is able to apply principles, methods and tools of concurrent programming for the design and implementation of concurrent and distributed applications aimed at solving complex problems in specific and differentiated application domains;
is able to apply knowledge of issues, technologies and standards related to network protocols and infrastructures for the design of services and applications in large-scale heterogeneous distributed systems;
is able to job knowledge related to information security technologies to design and manage services to deal with intentional attacks on the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information;
knows the organizational and design aspects of information systems, and is able to apply that knowledge to build and manage databases in different application scenarios;
knows the organizational and design aspects of web systems, and is able to apply that knowledge to implement and manage web-based applications;
is able to apply the knowledge acquired in software engineering to analyse, model, design, and test software applications, including those of high complexity;
is able to apply the knowledge acquired for the sizing of computational systems and the evaluation of performance and ‘reliability;
is able to apply the knowledge acquired in the field of real-time processing systems for the design of algorithms and control units of industrial complexes and processes;
is able to apply knowledge gained in the area of innovation management, and articulate innovative processes and evolutions in a design manner;
is able to apply economic-managerial skills for the optimal organization of the enterprise’s innovation process, regarding both the strategic analysis of technological choices and the integration of research and development activities with other business functions;
has ability to adapt to new situations;
possesses skills in planning and managing one’s time.

Making Judgements

The preparation of the Senior Computer Engineer will enable the graduate to exercise autonomy of judgment at different levels. The graduate will have the ability to select, process and interpret technical and bibliographic data and information, and will have the knowledge to make the methodological and technological choices necessary to solve highly difficult design and management problems in the field of Information Engineering. He/she will be able to evaluate the cost and performance parameters of an information system, and to assess the results achievable in relation to the choices made.

The techniques necessary for sizing and tool selection, evaluation and verification, and techno-economic analysis are taught primarily in the characterizing courses and consolidated through related courses. Autonomy of judgment will be particularly stimulated through situational learning tools such as e-activities, exercises, and virtual laboratory activities. Additional learning activities and preparation for the final exam provide students with the opportunity to develop their decision-making and judgment skills independently.

Communication skills

Master’s graduates in Computer Engineering are required to have the ability to organize the results of their work in an effective communicative form. This objective involves the maturation of technical-scientific writing and oral expository skills, including through modern presentation technologies. The ability to formulate technical-scientific content, including complex content, in forms suitable for dissemination is also stimulated, with particular attention to corporate and social communication. The ability to express oneself correctly in Italian and English, both written and oral, is given as acquired at university entrance. Additional skills are achieved and verified in the context of teaching, employing appropriate techniques of interaction especially during interactive teaching activities (Etivity) and in the development of the thesis.

Learning skills

The Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering course is organized and structured to provide the student with the necessary training to enter the world of work after obtaining the master’s degree and with sufficient learning skills to undertake higher level studies (PhD, master’s degree). The curriculum is organized so as to enable the master’s degree graduate in Computer Engineering to address and solve engineering problems of high complexity, possibly even incompletely or uncertainly defined, concerning: the engineering of artifacts of varying complexity; the operation and design of information processing systems; the management of software innovation and information services; through the study of engineering problems and the use of methodologies and techniques in the characterizing subjects. The graduate will be able to deal with advanced engineering problems and will be of fundamental importance in supporting groups of experts engaged in the design and management of complex information systems, including providing the necessary support in proposing and conducting advanced experimental and testing campaigns. The graduate will acquire the ability to use job tools for the design and development of software components and information systems, and the ability to keep abreast of new tools to be employed as needed. The course of study is structured in such a way as to enable the student to develop the ability to learn in stages and in a gradual manner, starting from the development of logical hypothesis-thesis reasoning to the preparation of technical reports and engineering papers and the solving of technical and organizational problems, directly applicable in the practice of engineering.

Fundamental to the attainment of this skill is the thesis paper for the final examination, in which the student is measured by new problems, which require the learning of knowledge not necessarily provided by the lecturers.

In the teachings of the master’s degree program, the ability to apply knowledge is provided mainly through interactive teaching activities carried out in virtual classrooms through the solution of exercises aimed at the application of theoretical knowledge provided in lectures. The assessment of the ability to apply the acquired knowledge and understanding is done through both written and/or oral examinations and through tracking and evaluating the activities̀ carried out by the student during the exercises offered as interactive teaching in the individual lectures.

Final Examination

The master’s degree in Computer Engineering is awarded after passing a final examination, which consists of the public discussion, before a special committee, of a written paper of a monographic nature (Master’s thesis). The thesis is written by the student independently and with characteristics of originality under the guidance of one or more Rapporteurs. Relators may be the Heads of a teaching present in the curriculum of the course of study. The topic agreed with the Rapporteur must be consistent with the educational objectives of the Course. The thesis may be experimental, numerical or theoretical in nature and may be carried out at external, public or private companies or institutions. The paper must demonstrate not only mastery of the topics covered but also the ability to deal with complex problems with a multidisciplinary approach.

The manner of conducting the final examination is defined in the Didactic Regulations of the Course of Study.