Specialty: Information technologies
Area of higher education: 5. TECHNICAL SCIENCES
Professional field: 5.3. COMMUNICATION AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Education and qualification degree: MASTER
Qualification: MASTER ENGINEER OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
Training duration: 1 year; 1,5 year; 2 years
ECTS credits : 90
Form of education: full-time, part-time
I. SPECIALTY PROFILE
The Master’s program in the specialty “Information Technologies” corresponds to the professional field 5.3. “Communication and Computer Technology”.
The program is offered in full-time and part-time form of study and is intended for students who have completed the Bachelor’s degree in a field of higher education 5. Technical Sciences, (outside of PN 5.3 and PN 4.6). The subjects in the curriculum are divided into two areas – mandatory and mandatory elective, distributed in two modules. Masters are trained according to the credit system, which allows for quality of training, in accordance with EU requirements and directives. The training is based on theoretical training and practice in the field of design and administration of software systems, multimedia communications, processing of large databases, blockchain technologies, integration of data management platforms, geographic information systems, etc. The specialty is consistent with international standards in software system administration and provides specialized training for the design, configuration and administration of modern software systems. The training aims to prepare qualified specialists for the IT sector.
II. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE SPECIALTY
The goal of the “Information Technologies” specialty for the Master’s degree is to respond to global challenges in the IT field by acquiring knowledge about modern IT technologies and building practical skills for independent or team-based problem solving in the field of design and administration of software systems, serverless computing and automation, geographic information systems, etc..
Main goal
The main goal of the “Information Technologies” specialty is to create appropriate conditions for professional training of specialists in the field of design and administration of software systems, server and cloud services, integration of data management platforms, geographic information systems, by contributing to the acquisition of competencies that will allow students to achieve successful professional realization in companies supporting and carrying out development activities for the design of software systems for managing the relevant applications.
Additional goals
Additional goals of the training in the specialty “Information Technologies” are building skills for creative thinking, independence in solving problems, and the ability to work in a team.
Tasks:
1. Acquisition of modern knowledge, skills and competencies that are relevant to new trends in the field of design and administration of the aforementioned software systems;
2. Creation of appropriate conditions for an educational environment that motivates students to develop skills for independent problem-solving through research and application of scientific methods, tools and platforms;
3. Stimulating a creative attitude towards the tasks set by tolerating non-standard thinking and using alternative approaches.
4. Supporting the development of teamwork skills by stimulating the implementation of joint projects based on roles;
5. Building skills for independent acquisition of knowledge and skills in accordance with the rapidly changing requirements of the labor market.
III. QUALIFICATION STANDARD
III.1. Structure and organization of the educational process
The curriculum is structured in semesters based on mandatory and mandatory elective courses, structured in two modules.
The mandatory course includes the courses that build the theoretical preparation of students and the knowledge and competencies acquired in them in the professional field. There are three main groups of mandatory courses providing: general educational knowledge of the scientific field; fundamental knowledge of the scientific field; specialized knowledge and skills in the subject area of the specialty “Information Technologies”.
Compulsory elective courses enrich the preparation of students in the specialty by allowing them to deepen their knowledge and skills in a selected branch of software design, design and administration of server and cloud services, development of modern methods for design and implementation of databases, machine learning and artificial intelligence in geographic information systems or to acquire additional competencies in additional modern areas such as cybersecurity, business information systems, management of international business projects, etc., facilitating their career realization. The first module contains two compulsory elective courses, from which students choose one, and the second – four compulsory elective courses, from which students choose two.
The mandatory and elective subjects include hours for extracurricular work, during which students develop their skills in independent problem-solving, develop their initiative and creativity.
The methodology of teaching, training and assessment is in line with the European forms and directives for quality education and lifelong learning. The specialty applies cutting-edge and effective forms of training, combining theory and practice. Multimedia technologies, the use of web-based platforms for e-learning, the assignment of individual and group tasks are widely used. Various forms are used in the assessment in order to improve student motivation and minimize the subjective factor. Current and final electronic and paper tests, project development, solving tasks and cases are applied.
III.2. Acquired knowledge, skills and competencies
Area and scope of knowledge
The graduate of the Information Technology major possesses:
• general knowledge of: cloud infrastructure management, modern databases, intelligent systems, virtualization and containerization platforms, introduction to GIS, multimedia communications on the Internet, applied cryptography, international business project management;
• basic knowledge of: automated testing of software applications, Linux LPIC-2 administration, cybercrime, administration of business communication systems, blockchain technologies, image processing in GIS, automated configuration management in Linux, integration of data management platforms, serverless computing and automation, Internet of Things (IoT);
• in-depth knowledge of: software development processes (SDLC), systems for monitoring and auditing IT infrastructures (Dev), building data storage systems, earth observation and satellite communication, cybersecurity practice in DevOps, statistics in GIS, data processing in intelligent systems.
Area and scope of skills
The graduate of the “Information Technology” specialty has skills in:
• design and management of software applications and databases;
• design and administration of server services;
• design and administration of cloud services and design of software systems with microservices;
• development of applications in geographic information systems;
• independent acquisition of new knowledge;
• independent work and teamwork.
Competencies:
Communicative and social competencies
• management of software and business projects, including their teams and resources;
• correct vocabulary for communicating with colleagues, partners and stakeholders;
• accurate and accessible presentation of ideas for solving professional problems;
Professional competencies
• decisiveness in making decisions in complex conditions, under the influence of various interacting and difficult to predict factors;
• performing a business analysis of the assignment, identifying requirements;
• preparing a specification of requirements for information systems;
• collecting, classifying, evaluating and interpreting data from the IT field in order to solve specific practical problems;
• tracking and troubleshooting problems;
• applying the acquired knowledge and skills in new or unfamiliar conditions;
• using new strategic approaches to solve unforeseen problems arising in the work process.
IV. MAIN TRAINING OUTCOMES
Graduates of the “Information Technologies” specialty possess the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies for successful professional realization in the field of design and administration of server and cloud services, development of modern methods for design and implementation of databases, machine learning and artificial intelligence in geographic information systems or to acquire additional competencies in modern areas such as cybersecurity, business information systems, management of international business projects, etc. They have a solid theoretical basis that allows them to continue their education to acquire a scientific degree “PhD” in Professional field 5.3. “Communication and Computer Technology”.
V. STANDARD CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION AND PROCEDURE FOR RECOGNITION OF PRIOR TRAINIG/EDUCATION.
During the course of their studies (after successfully passing the exams), students of the specialty may transfer to another higher education institution or be accepted by one in the country and abroad, as the disciplines in which they were trained:
– are equated as mandatory (or are similar), according to the curriculum;
– are recognized as elective, if they correspond to the professional field;
The conditions and requirements for admission and the procedure for recognizing previous education are regulated on the basis of national regulatory bases and European directives, internal regulatory acts of the Ministry of Education.
VI. GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
The course of study ends with the defense of a thesis. Students who have completed the full course of study in the specialty “Information Technologies” receive the educational and qualification degree “Master” in professional field 5.3. “Communication and Computer Engineering”, professional qualification “MASTER ENGINEER IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES” in accordance with the National Classifier of Higher Education Fields and Professional Fields, and in accordance with the state requirements for acquiring higher education in the Republic of Bulgaria.
VII. STUDENTS’ REALIZATION OPPORTUNITIES
Graduates of the Information Technology major find career opportunities as:
• specialists in process automation, server and cloud architectures and services
• application developers in software engineering;
• database administrators;
• designers of data processing and management platforms;
• designers of GIS software applications;
• IT specialists in small, medium and large enterprises in industry and trade.