Study Guide

Descriptions

Study objectives:

Software engineering and ICT education is a working life-oriented, Master’s programme (90 cr) aimed at Bachelors of Business Administration, which provides the ability to develop information and software management and development tasks that require good expertise. The themes for the education are Information Security and Software Engineering as well as closely related to other topics and the Master’s thesis which is done as a development project. The education deepens the student's skills and applies new perspectives and practices in business. The goal is to learn how to anticipate changes in the operating environment and how to be able to create an overall picture of the needs for change in operations and implement the necessary development actions. The studies examine the key challenges affecting software technology, such as changes in data security, cloud services, and new software architectures and development methods. Working alongside the studies and linking the learning tasks and the thesis development project to the student's work also makes it possible to develop the activities of the employer organisation.

The primary tuition language is Finnish, but some of the courses are conducted in English. The operating environment is international and many courses and projects are also attended by the students of the English degree programmes and exchange students.

Study contents:

The focus areas for training are information security, the Internet of Things (IoT), and new software development methods for building cloud services.

Active learning methods, which require the student to take responsibility for his / her studies, are applied. The studies include a variety of theoretical and laboratory work in the contact days, as well as online studies, exercises, projects, and internships as distance learning. Interaction and communication skills develop e.g. in group work with the research team. Studies from other Master’s programmes can also be flexibly incorporated into the student’s curriculum.

Many Master’s of Business Administration, at some point in their careers, work as independent entrepreneurs or as responsible managers or experts in companies. Therefore, business competence and project management courses from the other TUAS Master’s programmes in business are also included in the studies to support the student’s business expertise.

The planned duration of the studies is two (2) years and the studies are planned to be completed alongside work. The programme is built on mixed-mode studies and there are, on average, two contact days a month. The studies emphasise co-operative learning and teamwork.

Choosing a main subject or field of specialization:

Professional studies are offered in the following topics:

• Communications networks and data security
• Embedded programming and IoT
• Software production and application architectures

Expertise areas

Telecommunication Networks and Information Security have their own research team, whose projects include the opportunity to participate in testing and developing the latest technologies in the subject area. The programme offers two courses on the basics of security, risk management, and privacy.

Embedded Programming and the IoT Theme provide basic information about connecting devices to the network and advanced knowledge for designing and implementing microcomputer-controlled systems, including data security with e.g. blockchains.

Software engineering and application architectures develop expertise in software production methods and solutions, taking into account the methods provided by the microservice architecture used to develop cloud services.

Examples of systems where the above-mentioned skills are needed are wireless sensors, smart devices, mobile phones, robots, and future vehicles. Some of the studies are conducted in English.

Structure of studies:

The extent of the Master’s degree in Software Engineering and ICT is 90 ECTS and the duration is two years. The degree title is a Master of Business Administration

Studies consist of
• advanced studies (core competence) 40 ECTS
• elective studies (complementary competence) 20 ECTS
• Master’s thesis 30 ECTS

Advanced studies consist of methodological studies and professional studies extending the student’s previous studies in the areas of the Master’s degree programmes in Business Development, Project Management, and Technology Knowledge Management. The scope of an advanced study course is 5 ECTS and it is typically accompanied by two contact days.

Final project:

The thesis is implemented as a development project with a clear research focus and a close connection to the practical work. The thesis is mostly carried out as a development or research work in the student's organisation. If a student does not have a development task based on actual training needs or does not have an employment relationship, Turku University of Applied Sciences research groups offer subjects suitable for the thesis. In software engineering and ICT training, research group studies are carried out in the projects of the Telecommunications and Information Security Research Group.

Internationalization:

The student’s needs and the requirements of his/her work determine how the student develops his/her international competence. An international perspective can be linked with the thesis, for example by participating in an international conference or seminar in the field. An international perspective also contributes to the development of language skills. A significant part of the source material for studies and learning assignments comes from international academic and professional sources.

Qualification:

The Master's degree awarded by a university of applied sciences is a university degree that gives the same eligibility for public positions as a Master’s degree awarded by a university.

Career opportunities:

The education provides the student with a wide range of skills, especially in the design, implementation, and management of project tasks related to information security and software technology. The student also gets the ability to work in demanding management tasks in security and software engineering projects, or in expert and development tasks in companies in various fields or in the public sector. The surveys conducted by the Union of Professional Business Graduates in Finland show that the degree has an impact on career and job development. The studies are designed to enhance the individual's ability to develop himself/herself in a constantly changing environment of security. Studies are also beneficial for the employer, as learning tasks can be applied to the development of one's own work and workplace. The degree strengthens the possibilities for looking for more challenging work assignments, increasing knowledge and skills in project management and business expertise as well as confidence in networking.

Postgraduate study opportunities:

A Master’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences provides eligibility for further academic studies (Licentiate, Doctor) as well as for applying for professional teacher education. However, the receiving faculty always determines its own admission criteria and may require e.g. supplementary studies. Their purpose is to ensure that the student's starting level meets the requirements specified for academic research.

Co-operation with other parties:

The Software Engineering and ICT Programme is planned and implemented together with working life partners. The working life connection involves primarily the student, the student's workplace, and the degree programme. The interaction between the students working in different positions plays an important role in the development of professional skills and the creation of collaborative networks.

The most important element of the Master’s studies is the Master’s thesis, which is a development task that serves the working life. The thesis develops the student's professional skills and competence and serves the development needs of working life. Several local and international partners are also involved in research and development activities.

Within the framework of flexible studies, the student can participate, for example, in the courses organised by the University of Turku or Åbo Akademi University and include them in his/her degree. The student can also take advantage of CampusOnline, which offers the selection of joint online courses by Finnish universities of applied sciences.

Research focus:

Turku University of Applied Sciences' Software Engineering and ICT studies and research, development, and innovation activities focus on telecommunications and information security in particular. Laboratories and experts in this field of expertise are at the student’s disposal, especially in professional studies, as well as, for example, thesis mentors and supervisors.

Objective

After completing the programme, the student is able to:
• identify and model security threats
• create and implement security policy based on the information security risk management principles and risk management as well as put it into operation
• utilise lifecycle models in software development and use the public key in the encryption
• organise and manage a security risk mapping in an SME size enterprise and protect his/her electronic communications
• take into account how the Internet of Things affects business and identify the opportunities it gives
• describe general IoT implementation architecture and build IoT in a laboratory environment
• describe the differences and potentials of wireless IoT systems for at least one system
• describe how software engineering is implemented in a project and how it works at the different stages of the software project
• describe the different application architectures available for developing cloud services and how to implement an application with microserver architecture

Development

Studies include a variety of theoretical and laboratory work on contact teaching days, as well as online studies, exercises, projects and internships as distance learning.

Further information

The objectives for skill levels in a master’s degree are based on the legislation concerning universities of applied sciences and the European Qualification Framework (EQF). The level corresponding to a master’s degree is level 7. The study evaluation criteria are described in the implementation plan of each course. Criteria are varying depending in different objectives, contents, and implementation models.