Univerza na Primorskem Fakulteta za matematiko, naravoslovje in informacijske tehnologije
Presentation of the study
The master’s study programme Computer Science is offered in Slovenian language.
The programme enables students to gain an in-depth understanding of computer science and the use of modern tools and techniques for solving and presenting problems. It develops the ability to master programming languages, development tools, and methodologies for building complex ICT systems, while also encouraging collaboration in solving real-world challenges and teamwork. The faculty ensures close links with industry, enabling students to gain practical experience through projects with companies such as Actual IT, Hermes Softlab, Adriatic, Banka Koper, and local municipalities, as well as insight into regional demand for new professionals.
The programme promotes a positive attitude towards further acquisition of ICT knowledge and the development of innovative solutions, ensures the comparability of knowledge with foreign higher education institutions, and enables involvement in research and industrial projects, opening pathways for successful careers in modern technological environments.
Programme information
Programme name: Computer Science
Type of programme: master’s study programme, 2nd cycle
Degree awarded: “magister inženir računalništva in informatike” equiv. to a Master’s degree in Computer Science
Duration: 2 years (4 semesters)
ECTS-credits: 120
Mode of study: full-time
Language of instruction: Slovene
Place of study: Koper
Accreditation: the programme is accredited in accordance with the Higher Education Act and is officialy recognised.
Admission to the 1st year of the master’s study programme Computer Science is open to candidates who have:
a) completed a first-cycle study programme in relevant fields with at least 180 ECTS credits; or
b) completed a previous higher professional study programme (programmes adopted before 11 June 2004) in relevant fields; or
c) completed equivalent education abroad and, in accordance with the Act Regulating the Assessment and Recognition of Education, have been granted the right to continue their studies in the 2nd-cycle master’s study programme Computer Science through the recognition procedure of foreign qualifications.
Undergraduate study programmes considered as appropriate professional fields for enrolment in the Master’s degree study programme are those pursuing the following study fields: Computer Science, Computer Science and Mathematics, Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Bioinformatics.
Applicants having completed study programmes from other professional fields equivalent in their scope and duration to the study programmes in the above paragraph must fulfil additional study obligations, the contents and scope of which depend on the previously completed undergraduate study programmes. Additional study obligations comprise courses determined from the undergraduate study programme Computer Science in the amount of from 10 to 60 ECTS-credits.
Individual applications for enrolment of candidates referred to in point b) of the previous paragraph are reviewed by the Committee for Study and Student Affairs of UP FAMNIT. The student must complete additional study requirements prior to enrolment in the master’s study programme.
In the case of enrolment limitations, applicants shall be selected on the basis of the average grade obtained in their undergraduate studies.
Candidates who are required to complete additional obligations (differential examinations) for enrolment in the master’s study programme join the courses of the 1st-cycle study programme Computer Science. The timetable of course delivery is designed for 1st-cycle students; therefore, in case of scheduling conflicts, these candidates must individually arrange participation with the respective course instructors.
“Transfer between study programmes” refers to a situation in which a student enrolled in a particular study programme does not complete it (i.e. discontinues education in the enrolled programme) and directly enrols into a higher year of a new study programme, whereby both the previous and the new programme must belong to the same Bologna cycle (level). When considering the possibility of transferring to a new study programme, the comparability of the programmes and the student’s completed study requirements in the previous programme are taken into account.
Admission to the 2nd year of the master’s study programme in Computer Science under the transfer criteria is possible if the following conditions are met:
- the candidate meets the admission requirements for the master’s study programme in Computer Science,
- the completion of the initial study programme which the candidate is transferring from ensures the acquisition of comparable competences to those of the master’s study programme in Computer Science, and
- other criteria in accordance with the Criteria for Transfers between Study Programmes are met (comparable curriculum of the study programme and completed study requirements of the candidate).
Individual applications for transfer shall be considered by the Committee for Study and Student Affairs of UP FAMNIT. Apart from comparability between both fields of study, the committee shall also consider the comparability between the study programmes, in accordance with the Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes. The Committee may also assign bridging exams to the candidate.
A candidate transferring from a related study programme abroad may also be admitted under the transfer criteria, provided that, in accordance with the law, they have been granted the right to continue their studies in the master’s study programme in Computer Science through the recognition procedure of foreign education.
In the case of limited enrolment, candidates are selected based on the average grade of all completed study requirements in the study programme from which the candidate is transferring.
A student may progress to the next year if they accumulate at least 42 ECTS credits from the enrolled year.
In special cases involving individual circumstances (such as illness or extraordinary situations), a student may be allowed to progress to the next year even with a lower number of ECTS (but no less than 30 ECTS). In such cases, the decision on enrollment is made by the Committee for Study and Student Affairs of UP FAMNIT.
A student who has not completed all the requirements specified by the study programme for progression to the next year may, during the course of their studies, repeat a year once, provided they have obtained at least 18 ECTS credits in the enrolled year. If a student repeats a year, they are not entitled to absolvent year, and their student status expires at the end of the 2nd year.
By progressing or repeating a year, a student retains student status and, consequently, the rights and benefits defined by law. In accordance with the law, a student may apply for an extension of student status, but for no more than one year.
The study programme includes eight elective courses, of which six are internal electives and two are external electives. Internal elective courses are chosen within the study programme, while external elective courses may be selected from other accredited programmes in Slovenia or abroad, in order to broaden knowledge or pursue in-depth study of the field.
More information on elective courses and study tracks is available in the document “Curriculum” (see above).
General competencies
- The ability to analyze, synthesize and predict solutions and consequences of the factors related to the discipline of computer science.
- Critical assessment of the developments in the field of computer science.
- Development of communication skills.
- Skills of co-operation, team work and project work.
- The ability to autonomously seek and acquire knowledge and to integrate it with the existing knowledge.
- The ability to seek and interpret new information and to place it into the context of the discipline of computer science.
- Autonomy in professional work.
Subject-specific competencies
- The ability to describe a given situation with the correct use of mathematical and computing symbols and notations.
- The ability to interpret their own understanding of computing concepts and principles.
- The ability to solve problems with the use of modern technologies.
- The ability to systematically analyse a given problem.
- The ability to use the algorithmic approach – to develop an algorithm to solve a given problem.
- The ability to deduce new logical conclusions from the information given.
- The ability to tackle and solve a given computer problem with confidence.
- The ability to upgrade problems to more complex problems and to integrate partial solutions through engineering.
Computer science is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy. In most IT companies and information sectors of larger companies in the region, there has been a long-standing shortage of high-quality graduates in computer science and informatics. During their studies, students acquire appropriate knowledge for employment in teaching and research, for example in system administration (IT companies and other organisations), programming (software companies), information systems design, and education. Graduates may teach in secondary schools after completing additional pedagogical-andragogical training (PAI); the PAI programme is a professional development programme offered by faculties of education at universities (see UP PEF), worth 60 ECTS credits and lasting one year.
The software orientation (Software) covers knowledge that is particularly relevant for the local environment, where there are no major hardware manufacturers, but a strong tendency towards the development of software companies. In the Primorska region, there are numerous small, medium, and large companies engaged both in software development and in providing support to larger IT companies. The study programme also places special emphasis on creative and organisational skills, which provide students with a foundation for work in development companies. The programme also enables work in technical fields such as mechanical engineering or civil engineering, where high-quality professionals require extensive computer science knowledge.