The curriculum of the Data Engineering program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the big data aspects of data analytics and data science, with the technological challenges of data acquisition, curation, and management.
The program focuses on the application of computer skills and mathematical knowledge to solve real-world problems in different industries. It appeals to students with a wide range of career goals and backgrounds, and offers four focus tracks: Computer Science, Geo-Informatics, Bio-Informatics, and Business & Supply Chain Engineering.
These tracks prepare students for advanced projects and their master's thesis, giving them hands-on experience in their area of interest. The program is well-rounded, providing students with theoretical knowledge and practical experience, giving them the tools to succeed in this rapidly growing field.
Demand for Data Engineers is massive. Typical fields of work encompass the finance sector, the automotive and health industry, retail, and telecommunications.
An MSc degree in Data Engineering also allows students to advance to a Ph.D. and a career in academia and research institutions.
Today we are “drowning in data and starving for information” while acknowledging that “data is the new gold”. However, deriving value from all the data now available requires a transformation in data analysis, in how we see, maintain, share and understand data.
Data Engineering is an emerging profession concerned with the task of acquiring large collections of data and extracting insights from them. It is driving the next generation of technological innovation and scientific discovery, which is expected to be strongly data-driven.
The program is embedded in the “Mobility” focus area at Constructor University. This focus area investigates the mobility of people, goods, and information. Even though the Data Engineering program is centered in “Mobility”, it includes contributions from and supports applications in the two other research foci: Health (bioactive substances), and Diversity (in modern societies).
Four program tracks to allow specialization:
Moreover, the Data Engineering program attracts students with diverse career goals, backgrounds, and prior work experience. Therefore, the program offers four focus tracks within which the students can choose to specialize further:
These tracks are a preparation for the Advanced Projects within the Discovery Area and the Master Thesis.
Computer Science Track: In particular, Computer Science provides students with the skills to go beyond a mere usage of existing toolboxes and to develop innovative data analysis techniques of their own design.
Geo-Informatics Track: It gives students an introduction to Geographic Information System techniques, principles of spatial analysis, and data mining with integration of remote sensing and GPS. It thereby provides an early exposure to earth science data and its handling.
Bioinformatics Track and the analysis of biomedical data: Integration and model-based interpretation of high-throughput data are severe bottlenecks in biomedical and pharmaceutical research. Data Engineering prepares students for the novel computational challenges in these fields.
Business & Supply Chain Engineering Track: Students can also choose the specialization track in Business & Supply Chain Engineering. A vast amount of data is collected as part of business processes in particular along supply chains. In this specialization track, students will concentrate on the full data analysis cycle including pre-processing of data, data analysis and deployment of model results within the business process.
Curriculum
The Data Engineering graduate program is composed of foundational lectures, specialized modules, industry seminars and applied project work, leading to a master thesis that can be conducted in research groups at Constructor University, at external research institutes or in close collaboration with a company. The program takes four semesters (two years). The following table shows an overview of the modular structure of the program. The program is sectioned into five areas (Core, Elective, Methods, Discovery, and Career) and the Master Thesis. All credit points (CP) are ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credit points. In order to graduate, students need to obtain 120 CP.
Elective area (15 CP)
The Data Engineering program attracts students with diverse career goals, backgrounds, and prior work experience. Therefore, modules in this area can be chosen freely by students depending on their prior knowledge and interests.
Students may choose any combination of the modules listed below. Each track may be followed completely and/or complemented with other modules (as necessary in case of the tracks with 10 CP).
Methods area (15 CP)
In the Methods Area advanced concepts, methods and technologies of data engineering are introduced with a view towards industrial applications. Students can choose freely from the modules in this area. To enhance flexibility, students may transfer modules between the Elective and the Methods Areas (except for remedial modules) after consulting their academic advisor.
Within the Methods Area Constructor University offers special remedial modules, which are recommended to refresh knowledge or to fill knowledge gaps, preparing students to successfully take the Data Engineering Core Area modules. Based on a placement test in the orientation week, the academic advisor will propose which of the modules are useful depending on prior knowledge of the student.
Discovery area (15 CP)
This area features in the first semester a Project Seminar introducing the students to Current Topics and Challenges in Data Engineering, which is followed by two advanced projects in Data Engineering in semesters 2 and 3, each worth 5 CP. The projects can be done in the research groups at Constructor University or during internships in companies. The projects are supervised by Constructor University faculty.
Career area (15 CP)
In this area students acquire skills preparing them for a career as data engineers in industry.
Master thesis (30 CP)
In the fourth semester, students conduct research and write a master thesis guided and supported by their academic advisor.
Iana Domnina
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Student Recruitment Master’s Degrees
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The Data Engineering graduate program is targeted towards students who have completed their BSc in areas like computer science, physics, applied mathematics, statistics, electrical engineering, communications engineering or related disciplines, and who want to deepen their knowledge and proceed to research-oriented work towards a master or ultimately a PhD degree.
The program aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the essential aspects of data-based decision making and the skills required to apply and implement these powerful methods in a successful and responsible manner. Apart from the necessary programming skills, this comprises:
The study program Data Engineering is part of the School of Computer Science & Engineering.
Understanding the worldwide flow of people, goods and information is important in today’s globalized world.
Information influences the life of the individual and the cohesion of societies and cultures in many different ways.
Expertise in different disciplines, such as computer science, communication technology, logistics, mathematics and psychology are brought together in the development of new solutions.
Become part of a global community
Constructor University Students come from all over the world to live and learn at Constructor University. Our student body represents 120 nations. They form an ambitious campus community whose internationality is unprecedented in Europe. Constructor University’s green and tree-shaded 80-acre campus provides much more than buildings for teaching and research.
