European Master In Software Engineering (EMSE)

Fraunhofer-Institut für Experimentelles Software Engineering IESE

Call for Student Applications and Scholarships EMSE 2013-2015

Application website: http://emse.case.unibz.it/submissions/index.php
EMSE website: http://emse.inf.unibz.it

IMPORTANT DATES

  • February 25, 2013, submission for NON-EU and EU applicants
  • March 15, 2013, notification of admission and scholarship award
  • March 20, 2013, confirmation of participation from admitted students
  • March 21, 2013, notification to the students on the reserve list
  • March 28, 2013, confirmation of participation from admitted students of the reserved list
  • April 5, 2013, payment of the first instalment from admitted students
  • May 2, 2013, submission opening date for EU and NON-EU applicants with at least 12 consecutive months in EU
  • July 31, 2013, submission closing date for EU and NON-EU applicants with at least twelve consecutive months in EU

The European Master in Software Engineering (EMSE) is a 2-year international master programme, completely taught in English, in cooperation with the departments of computer science of three European universities (Consortium):

The programme foresees a mobility period: students have to choose 2 out of the 3 universities of the Consortium and spend one year of their master study at each university (50% of ECTS at each institution). The courses are project oriented. This means that students have a large offering of internships and projects to develop at the university or in a company.

The course is built on six learning paths on annual exchange and based on core areas, specificities, and elective courses (see Description). All partners offer a research methods course to prepare students for elective activities. Elective activities consist of a project (3.5-4 ECTS), an internship (4 ECTS), and a master thesis of 30 ECTS. The master thesis is co-supervised by two teachers of the partners the student has visited. Students who successfully complete the programme get a double degree from the two universities they have visited. Students are requested to attend a course of 2 ECTS in the local language at each university visited.

Software Engineering (SE) is a discipline that studies the development and maintenance of high-quality software in a systematic, controlled and efficient manner. Specifically, SE aims at establishing and using sound engineering principles and methods in order to obtain economically viable software that is reliable and works on real machines. As such, SE is an engineering discipline that applies the principles of computer science and mathematics to achieving cost-effective solutions to software problems in the development, operation, and maintenance of software. Software and software needs have evolved over time.

Today, software engineers face new challenges as today software permeates every aspect of our lives, reaching the masses with sophisticated systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), life-critical systems such as Nuclear Reactor Control systems (NRC), or business-essential systems such as Enterprise Resource systems (ERP). For this reason, the quality of software and software services in terms of reliability, safety, and security is of paramount importance today.

The objective of the European Masters Course in Software Engineering (EMSE) is to promote the development of software engineers who meet the requirements of international software practice today, offering them an inter-European study programme based on coordination of the strengths of each of the partner institutions, which also have a sound reputation in the field.

EMSE will prepare students for coping with professional practice, encompassing a wide range of activities, including technical, problem solving, management, ethical and legal issues, written and oral communication abilities and, very importantly, the ability to keep up in a rapidly changing discipline. The participants will be able establish and use sound engineering principles and practices in order obtain economically viable software that is reliable and works on real machines.

EMSE allows students to gain solid knowledge they can apply as managers in software companies or as IT specialists or researchers in academia. It also serves as preparation for follow-up PhD studies in Software Engineering (e.g., International Doctorate in Software Engineering (IDSE).

Unique strengths of the programme:

  • Studying at two different universities in Europe (with a chance to receive a scholarship).
  • Meeting students from all over the world and getting to know other cultures.
  • Studying at some of the best universities in the world in the field of software engineering, with close ties to industry.
  • A double degree in software engineering, which opens the doors to jobs in the European software industry.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND SELECTION CRITERIA

Students are accepted into the programme regardless of sex, age, or nationality. However, there are differences between European (EU) and Non-European (NON-EU) candidates for the application process:

  • EU: applicants who are residents of countries within the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area / European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway)
  • NON-EU: all applicants not in the EU category.

To be eligible to apply for EMSE, students must satisfy both of the following conditions:

  • Have been awarded a BSc in Software Engineering, Computer Science or Computer Engineering or degrees with equivalent skills in the three areas (Software Engineering, Computer Science or Computer Engineering).
  • Provide proof of proficiency in the English language as shown by TOEFL with a score of at least 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based), 81 (Internet-based), IELTS at grade 6.0 minimum, or an equivalent certificate. An English proficiency certificate is not required in case of native speakers who come from countries where English is an official language. The consortium can request an additional personal interview to assess the student’s level of English.

Students will be selected according to the following criteria:

  • Language skills
  • Type of entrance qualification
  • Academic records
  • Work experience and professional qualifications
  • Motivation and willingness

TUITION FEES

For each academic year, the tuition fees for attending the Master programme are:

  • NON-EU students => 3,800 EUR per year, amounting to 7,600 EUR for the 2-year programme
  • EU students => 2,250 EUR per year , amounting to 4,500 EUR for the 2-year programme

On top of the tuition and depending on the university, students must pay social taxes (no social taxes at BTH, about € 130 per year at FUB and about € 400 per year at TU-KL, public transportation included).
Students will be provided access to the facilities of the participating universities (library, computers, laboratories, Wi-Fi, Internet, alumni associations, university sports associations).

Payment modality for the admitted candidates

In order to reserve the place, candidates admitted through the rank list are asked to pay a first instalment of the tuition fee:

  • NON-EU Candidates: 380 EUR by 5 April 2013
  • EU Candidates: 225 EUR by 5 April 2013

SCHOLARSHIPS

For the 2013-2015 course, scholarships and contributions to tuition fees are offered to NON-EU and EU students:

  • up to 3 are reserved for NON-EU and EU students who attend FUB and UNIKL
  • up to 4 are reserved for EU students who attend Blekinge Tekniska Högskola (BTH) in the first year and FUB or UNIKL in the second year
  • up to 1 is reserved for NON-EU and EU students who attend FUB or TU-KL in the first year and BTH in the second year.

For scholarship amounts, please consult this table.

Grant rates may be taxed depending on the individual university’s regulation. In the application, students must specify the type of grant (A-E). Students cannot apply for more than one type of grant. Each type of grant will have its own ranking, which also includes a reserve list. Students on the reserve list can be offered another type of grant if available. Students selected for one type of grant cannot change the two destination universities.

Local Grant Possibilities

The participating universities may offer additional possibilities for grants.

HOW TO APPLY

The application is on-line at the central EMSE website: http://emse.case.unibz.it/submissions/index.php

Unreadable or incomplete documents or documents not submitted by the submission deadline will not be considered in the selection.

CONTACT

EMSE secretariat
University of Bozen-Bolzano
Faculty of Computer Science
Dominikanerstrasse, 3, P.za Domenicani
39100 Bozen-Bolzano (BZ) - Italy
E-mail: emse-secretariat@unibz.it
Web Site: http://emse.inf.unibz.it
Fax: +39 0471 016009