State-of-the-art learning space will support new MSc in Computer Science
Posted on: 09 February 2018
A state-of-the-art learning space was unveiled today to offer next-gen teaching and learning opportunities to students on the new MSc in Computer Science course, which offers specialisations in Data Science, Intelligent Systems, Future Networks, and Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR).
The MSc in Computer Science, taught from Trinity’s School of Computer Science and Statistics, is an exciting one-year programme that will produce graduates who will advance technology within all sectors to meet the end-user needs for societal and economic betterment – in Ireland and on a global stage.
The School launched the course in 2017/18 and has already received a record number of applications for the coming academic year commencing in September 2018.
Students complete their own detailed research-led dissertation, and also choose a range of taught modules that focus on topics of extreme relevance for today’s developing industries, such as artificial intelligence, data mining and analytics, interactive 3D graphics and vision technologies for AR/VR, the Internet of Things, and Blockchain applications.
In addition, the course is closely linked with the world-leading SFI-funded ADAPT and CONNECT research centres, the Trinity Centre for Smart and Sustainable Cities, and the Trinity Centre for Creative Technologies. For more information about the course, see: https://scss.tcd.ie/postgraduate/msc-cs/ and https://scss.tcd.ie/postgraduate/msc-cs/Brochures/TCD-MScCS-FT-OverOneYear-Intl.pdf
Professor in Computer Science and Course Director, Donal O’Mahony, said: “The students on the first year of this course are really superb and next year is looking even better. There is a huge appetite in Irish and in global industry for highly skilled graduates like these and I think they will be very well received.”
Head of the School of Computer Science & Statistics, Professor Carol O’Sullivan, said: “The School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College Dublin is committed to providing cutting-edge, research-led education to students from Ireland and beyond, helping them to grow into the thought leaders of tomorrow. This new Masters programme in Computer Science complements its existing undergraduate and postgraduate course offerings and is attracting highly talented and motivated students. The exciting new state-of-the-art facility provides a fitting environment in which to further their education and career goals.”
About the learning space
Existing space in the School has been converted to a large student lab area equipped with state-of-the-art workstations with high-performance CPUs and GPU accelerators used for AR/VR applications and for machine learning and data analysis work. The main area is surrounded by large display screens for supervised lab work and lectures where each student is using a machine. There are also several glass-panelled break-out rooms for small group learning and project work.
The space also comprises a special equipment room to accommodate activities such as audio-processing, green-screen-augmented and VR applications, and other specialist work. Six members of the School’s academic staff are also based in the facility and interact closely with the students. A 50-seat lecture theatre will be used for small and medium-sized module teaching during term and this can be reconfigured to facilitate group project work in the summer period. There is also an attractive breakout/coffee area for social and collaborative use.
The four strands of the MSc in Computer Science
Intelligent Systems Strand
Computer-based systems that exhibit intelligent behaviour are becoming an integral part of our daily lives at home, in the social world and in the workplace. In order to be accepted by — and interact efficiently and naturally with – humans, intelligent systems have to adapt to changing environments or tasks, as well as the users they interact with. The Intelligent Systems Strand aims to produce graduates who can develop, engineer and integrate intelligent characteristics into applications and systems based on data, content, and knowledge models. This includes understanding the underlying basis of characteristics of intelligence. Students will learn how to design intelligent methods and techniques to interpret information and how to use this information to generate intelligent and goal-directed behaviour. Graduates will be suited to careers with value-added web service providers (such as Google and Facebook), business intelligence led organisations, consultancy companies,
Future Networked Systems Strand
As things become smart and connected, software systems are more and more embedded in our everyday environments, from mobile social networking, to managing city resources such as road traffic. Dealing with such large-scale, cyber-physical and distributed systems requires novel approaches that address concurrently the associated timeliness, safety, privacy and scale challenges. The Future Networked Systems strand aims to produce graduates who have an understanding of the challenges and solutions of distributed systems and can develop solutions in areas such as data centres, cloud computing, Internet-of-Things and Smart Cities. Graduates will be suited to careers with large-scale multinationals such as Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Amazon and Google; consulting organizations such as Accenture and Deloitte; and start-ups such as FieldAware, LighthouseBCS and BriteBill.
Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) Strand
The Augmented and Virtual Reality strand aims to produce graduates with the skills to contribute to the interactive entertainment technology industry of the future. The strand is built on research expertise in the School’s GV2 lab, in the areas of computer graphics and animation, computer vision and Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) technologies. Industry partners contribute to the programme through curriculum advice, seminars, mentorship, project ideas and equipment. Students are immersed in the very latest research in the areas of computer graphics, animation, AR/VR, artificial intelligence, networking and vision. Students learn by doing, building a portfolio of work comprised of projects, papers and a significant individual research dissertation which should contribute to successful future career opportunities. Graduates will be capable of taking up exciting industry roles and/or pursuing further research and will have acquired experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams.
Data Science Strand
The aim of the strand is to produce graduates with skills in the 3 components of data science: data management, statistics and machine learning, and distributed and parallel systems. Graduates will have the skills to identify, formulate and implement analyses of data, and place this in the context of broader goals within a company or other organisation. It aims to be accessible to recent graduates in mathematics, statistics, computer science or quantitative business areas, and also from managers and IT professionals who are looking to move into data science. The McKinsey Global Institute, the business and economics research arm of McKinsey & Co., has predicted that by 2018 the United States could face a shortage of between 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytical skills, as well as a shortage of 1.5 million managers and analysts who know how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions. In Dublin, demand is being driven by the clustering in Dublin of major IT companies as well as other companies that require this expertise such as banks and management consultants.