Department of Computer Science main driver of two new STEM educations

What are the most demanded competencies when tomorrow's university graduates are to seek a job?

Artificial intelligence or AI is one of the most frequent buzzwords these days. Not surprising, since AI is becoming an integral part of almost every public or private organization. Today's administrative systems or industrial processes are based on insights into and interpretation of data collected inside the company or from the surrounding society or cyberspace. But do we have the skills to manage all these new job functions and disciplines arising from digitalization?

The profound professional and theoretical knowledge gained from a completed university education will - whether in science, humanities or social science - soon no longer be enough to satisfy tomorrow's employers, if not coupled with a solid foundation within computation, digitalization, automation, and data analysis.

Two new STEM educations at University of Copenhagen will increase the student's computational competencies

The Department of Computer Science has - together with the Dept. of Mathematical Sciences - launched a new bachelor education in 'Machine Learning and Data Science'. It has many similarities with classical Computer Science, but with much more focus on machine learning and data analysis and with a solid theoretical mathematical and statistical foundation.

The students will develop tomorrow's tools for analyzing and managing large volumes of unstructured data and gain insights through the use of artificial intelligence. Moreover, they will be able to use these methods for e.g. detecting fake news in media, preparing realistic prognoses and forecasts, translate languages in real-time, or simply add AI to classical manually operated processes.

Tomorrow's economists can now add computational knowledge to their skills

The new education Computer Science and Economy represents a new paradigm at the University of Copenhagen, i.e. that programming competencies and computational thinking is offered to still more classical university educations.

The aim of this particular combination is to ensure that the economists will gain proficiency in IT modelling and in working with artificial intelligence as an analytical tool for practical application. The education is hosted at the Department of Computer Science, and offered in close collaboration with Department of Economics (SOCIETY) as well as the Department of Food and Resource Economics (SCIENCE).

The employers call for still more candidates with computational qualifications - now we upgrade other relevant educations with computer science disciplines

Deputy Head of Department for Teaching at Department of Computer Science (DIKU) Martin Lillholm explains the background for establishing two new STEM educations at the University of Copenhagen:

"We have listened to the employers, who tell us that they cannot cover the demand for computer science graduates. By offering computer and data science to students at new and related educations we aim to enhance the total volume of university candidates with computational competencies. They will be able to match many of the new job categories that arise as a consequence of the massive digitalization in society and with the increased focus on data analysis and artificial intelligence".

The Minister for Education and Research presented the eight new educations authorized for the coming academic year starting 2019 in a press release on 27 November, featuring, in particular, the two new STEM educations offered at SCIENCE. 

At the University of Copenhagen two more educations were approved:  'Social Data Science' (SOCIETY) and 'Neurorehabilitation' (HEALTH).

Topics