Computing Science

specialisatie Cyber Security

In this Master's specialisation, the focus is on learning to assess the security of existing ICT solutions, and on how to develop more secure solutions for the future.

Over the last decade, Radboud University has made a name for itself in this field both in and outside the country. The Digital Security Group revealed security flaws in the chip-card used for public transport smart cards like the London Oyster and the Dutch OV-chipkaart. Researchers of our group also found security vulnerabilities in commonly used car immobiliser systems.

Currently, we're leading the development of the IRMA card, an ID card that will give users the freedom to only reveal those personal attributes that are needed for a certain purchase, and so better protect their personal data against misuse. Also, our experts are involved in the development of the Networking and Cryptography library (NaCl), a new easy-to-use, high-speed and high-security software library for network communication, encryption, decryption, digital signatures, etc.

The Master's specialisation in Cyber Security will teach you how to contribute in the design of new security systems. You'll be able to draw up the security requirements of an application and discover where possible weaknesses lie. Main focus lies on topics as cryptographic codes, operating systems and protocol verification. But you'll also get a broad scope of cyber security to include mathematical, organisational, legal and ethical aspects, with particular attention for privacy issues.

specialisatie Data Science

The Master's specialisation in Data Science focuses on learning how to turn real-world data sets into tools and useful insights, with the help of software and algorithms.

Data plays a role in almost every scientific discipline, business industry or social organisation. Medical scientists sequence human genomes, astronomers generate terabytes of data per hour with huge telescopes and the police employ seismology-like data models that predict where crimes will occur. And of course, businesses like Google and Amazon are shifting user preference data to fulfil desires we don't even know we have. There is therefore an urgent need for data scientists in whole array of fields. In the Master's specialisation in Data Science you'll learn how to turn data into knowledge with the help of computers and how to translate that knowledge into solutions.

specialisatie Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science

This Master's specialisation will focus on understanding the fundamental mathematical concepts of computation and information in order to explore the potentials of computer science.

The theory of computation arose from concerns about the foundations of mathematics, and was developed in the work of Gödel, Church, Turing, Kleene and others. The actual building of computing machinery later was strongly influenced by this theoretical work. Computer science quickly grew into an independent field of study, but the relations with mathematics are still strong. Connections range from the use of mathematics to model the foundations all the way to the use of computers to help solve mathematical problems with a discrete component.

The Master's specialisation places itself squarely in this exciting interdisciplinary area of deep theoretical developments. For this reason, the mathematics courses in this curriculum concentrate on algebra, general topology, logic, number theory and combinatorics. The computer science courses concentrate on formal methods, type theory, category theory, coalgebra and theorem proving.

Not only is this Master's an excellent stepping-stone for students with ambitions in research, many of our graduates also work as systems builders, ICT specialists or ICT managers in the private sector or within government.

specialisatie Science in Society

specialisatie Science, Management and Innovation

Both the public sector and businesses struggle with the question of how to address sustainability, health, energy and IT security issues. Many of the challenges that society faces are rooted in the natural or computer sciences but have strong links to other disciplines. Solutions require scientists with an additional understanding of the societal aspects of these problems, and the ability to speak the language of and work with all possible stakeholders like scientists, civil servants and politicians.

The Master's specialisation in Science, Management and Innovation will therefore take you out of the lab and place you right in the heart of society. After the first year in which you broaden your knowledge in your scientific field, you'll learn the skills you can use to make a direct contribution to society. This contribution can range from the creation of policies that tackle social issues to project development or market research.

The combination of expertise – science, policy and business – is highly sought after and will prepare you for a dynamic career in business, a job in the public sector or in the a social (research) organisation.

specialisatie Software Science

Software plays a role in almost every aspect of our daily lives and in every organisation anywhere in the world. It can often be a crucial key to their success. Well-structured software that is attuned to an organisation's needs and future plans can be cost effective, improve efficiency, offer better services and be innovative. Many companies, in every branch out there, are therefore looking for highly skilled software specialists. Graduates of the Master's specialisation in Software Science will have no trouble finding a job.

Producing software is not merely a technological enterprise but a deeply scientific and creative one as well. Modern cars drive on 20 million lines of code. How do we develop all this software and control its complexity? How do we ensure correctness of software on which the lives in a speeding car literally depend on? This specialisation goes far beyond basic code writing. It's about analysing and testing code in order to improve it as well as simplify it.