Program Description

The Postgraduate Program “Applied Informatics” awards a Diploma of Postgraduate Studies (M.Sc.) and is a conversion course. It is addressed to scientists, and graduates of departments that do not belong to the field of Computer Science and Informatics, allowing them to change the direction of their undergraduate studies and focus on a completely new and innovative field, such as the field of Computer Science and Digital Technology in general.

The Program aims to promote knowledge, develop research, and train scientists for the needs of the labor market, who are not graduates of Computer Science Departments, in order, on the one hand, to meet the great and constantly increasing demand in the labor market for IT executives, and on the other hand, to provide job prospects to graduates of schools where unemployment is observed. These are the Humanities and Philosophy faculties and some faculties of Science, such as Mathematics, Physics, etc. Similar programs have been quite popular, for several years, in many countries both in Europe (such as Great Britain, France, and the Netherlands) and in the rest of the world (such as the USA). They aim to train graduates in a new subject and prepare them for specific professions.

The program aims to bridge the gap between the skills of graduates (from non-computer science departments) and the needs of the labor market for IT and digital technology knowledge and skills more broadly. The knowledge, training, and development of digital skills will be the driving force with which the students of the MSc will be able to cope with the increased technological demands of the market and international competition.

Studies can be either full-time or part-time. The duration of study for the award of a Master’s degree is defined as:

• for full-time postgraduate students, a minimum of 12 months. This duration corresponds to two (2) academic semesters, while the thesis is written during the summer months, in order to complete the studies in September. The maximum duration of studies for full-time students is 24 months.
• for part-time postgraduate students, the minimum shall be 24 months and the maximum 48 months. By analogy, for part-time students, courses will be held in the two winter and spring semesters, followed by the preparation of the thesis. In the part-time program, there will be an option for the thesis assignment to be made at the beginning of the spring semester of the second year.

Upon completion of their studies, graduates will have specialised in the field of Information Technology and Digital Technology in general, as they will:

• acquire the necessary knowledge of information systems as well as telecommunication systems and network technologies.
• ensure their scientific and professional development and career and will contribute creatively to the development and/or research projects of the new digital era.
• develop skills that will make them competitive in a national and international environment.
• have the opportunity to prepare for postgraduate studies at PhD level in cutting-edge disciplines.

The course content is closely linked to cutting-edge technological issues, but also to labour market trends. For this reason, the programme will be periodically updated, following international trends, as reflected in the respective programmes of foreign universities that have integrated such MSc programmes into their curricula. In addition, the needs of the market, as expressed by the relevant bodies such as SEV, SEPE, Chambers of Commerce, etc., will be taken into account in the design and adaptation of the curriculum.

Finally, among the objectives of the MSc is the preparation for postgraduate studies at doctoral level in the subjects of the MSc, but also in interdisciplinary subjects related to the undergraduate studies of the students, providing the necessary skills for students to conduct original research. This is achieved through a variety of means, such as familiarization with how to conduct a literature review, identification of valid literature sources, systematic study of research articles and studies as part of the preparation of papers, as well as the attendance of invited lectures by distinguished visiting researchers of the Department of Computer Science and Telematics of Harokopio University.