Information and Communication Technology (180 credits)

Job opportunities and the future

Do you feel that Internet, mobile phones and mp3 players enhance your life? Are you looking for a qualified, three-year IT programme that is open to students who did not study natural sciences at upper secondary school? Would you also like to keep the door open on possible future Master level studies or would you prefer to begin work when you graduate? If the answer is yes then the Bachelor of Science in Information and Communications Technology at KTH I the right choice for you!

IT has changed our lives in a fundamental fashion. Currently IT forms such a natural part of our everyday lives that it is sometimes difficult to define exactly what it is. Somewhat simplified it could be said that IT concerns collaboration between computers, software and data/telecommunications. Internet, mobile telephones, vehicles, energy and medical engineering are all examples of areas that are dependent on IT.

The breadth of this programme opens the door to a number of different working fields. Graduates have every business area everywhere in the world as their labour market. First jobs are often within product development or in the consultancy business.

The programme

During their studies students learn to develop the technology for the ICT of the future. They do not need to be experts on computers or mathematics when they arrive, they can learn these subjects at KTH!

In Kista students study right next door to around 500 IT companies. Cooperation with them is well-established and the fact that students take many courses together with the students on the Master of Science programme guarantees that they receive a high-quality, modern education. In addition students gain the opportunity of establishing a good network within business/industry before they graduate. In Kista there are also close contacts between teachers and students and there is a student body of almost 5 000 from both KTH and Stockholm University.

The first two years provides a broad basis within subjects such as Mathematics, Computer Science, Communications and Programming as well as projects and verbal and written communications.

One thing that separates this programme from many others is the range of elective courses available to students in Year 3. They are able to make their own mark on their education either by creating their own in-depth study area within IT with the aim of beginning work, or they choose courses in order to prepare for a Master programme at KTH or at some other university in the world.

Year 1

In Year 1 students gain insights into their future professional role and the basic knowledge within mathematics, programming and communication technology that the rest of the programme will be based on.

In the introductory course, Engineering Methods, students try out practical engineering work directly. They learn to work efficiently together in a project and document their results. At the same time students take an introductory course in Mathematics to prepare them for the rest of the mathematics courses at KTH.

In the Digital Design course students learn the theoretical bases of analysis and construction of digital electronics and the different design and construction phases of building simpler combinatorical and sequential digital system. The Engineering Sciences courses that follow are Object-oriented Programming and Algorithms and Data Structures in which students learn programming and basic concepts within computer science such as data structures, algorithms and simpler calculation models. Students will use Java as their programming language. The course in Computer Engineering deals with how computers and computer systems are constructed and how they work. Examples of such systems can be found in personal computers or mobile telephones.

Parallel with the technical courses runs mathematics which is initiated with Algebra and Geometry. These courses introduce basic concepts within linear algebra and geometric theory. After this the course in Mathematical Analysis will provide familiarity with the elementary functions and their characteristics, the important concepts within differential and integral calculus for one-variable functions.

Mathematics is a vital tool in the professional role of an engineer and it enables work with, for example, advanced computer graphics, simulation and models of communications systems.

Year 2

Courses in Year 2 supply basic knowledge on how products and systems can be constructed on computers and how communications technology works as well as how to program them. At the end of the year students apply their knowledge in a larger-scale project with the practical specialisation of building a prototype. Basic science knowledge from Year 1 is followed up in Mathematical Statistics which brings probability theory and statistical inference. The course is also intended to give an understanding of, and skills in, applications used in practical problems. In addition there is a basic course in Discrete Mathematics which reviews concepts such as arithmetic, set theory, Boolean algebra, equivalence relations, modular arithmetic, basic graph theory, elementary group theory, rings, polynoms, error-correcting codes, generating functions and their applications.

There is also a course in Applied Programming that consists of programming in industry-relevant languages such as C/ C++ and an introduction to programming with parallel processes. Within engineering sciences students study Network and Communication, Introduction to Data Security and Operative Systems. Network and Communication focuses on protocols, network equipment and infrastructure for communications systems such as Internet or local networks with elements such as flow control mechanisms and error monitoring. Introduction to Data Security provides the basics in this field and covers how to protect systems and applications from attack by viruses or unauthorised access. The Operative Systems course deals with how hardware and software collaborate in order to make a computer system usable.

The spring term is dominated by a project in which the engineering elements come from the engineering science courses Object-oriented Programming, Algorithms and Data Structures, Programming Paradigms and Models, Digital Design and Network and Communications.

For a few intensive weeks students will work full time in groups of 8–10 with their project, supported by flexible project methodology. The objective is that they work with a larger-scale problem in a structured manner and learn to use some of the technical aids available for this purpose.

Year 3

In Year 3 students continue to extend their knowledge. They may also influence their educational profile through their elective courses. At least 20 credits in this year come from courses within a cohesive area, 24 credits from elective courses, a course on Database Technology (6 credits) and a degree project (15 credits).

Students decide the composition of their in-depth studies themselves. Suitable areas include courses that either provide suitable preparation for, or are at the beginning of, one of the following Master programmes at KTH:
• Computational and Systems Biology

• Computer Science

• Information and Communication Security

• Communications Systems

• Construction and realisation of IT Products and Systems

• Media technology

• Human-computer Interaction

• Network Services and Systems

• Software techniques for Distributes Systems

• Engineering and Management of Information Systems

Degree project

The programme is completed with a degree project of 15 credits. The aim of this degree project is to test knowledge learned during the programme and be given an opportunity to apply it to a real situation. The aim of the degree project is to prepare students for their future professional role or continued studies if they choose to go on to the Master level.
As degree projects bring a type of reality check, they are usually very popular among the students. In addition, the degree project provides an excellent opportunity to build up a contact network in the professional sphere which will benefit future professional careers. Students select projects themselves within the framework of their specialisation. Degree projects can either be carried out in a company, in the public sector or within a research project at KTH.