MSc in Web and Smart Systems

1. Smart Systems 2. Web Systems

In the past decade, the developments experienced by the advancements of the Internet and the World Wide Web have been monumental for the Information Technology domain, as well as the society in general. Additionally, in recent years we have experienced an explosion of computational capabilities, not only from traditional computing machines (i.e. computers) but also from a wide variety of other devices such as mobile smart phones, tablets and several other autonomous smart devices. Furthermore, the developments in cloud computing and the integration of the whole spectrum of smart devices with the internet (Internet of Things) leads to the enchantment of existing information technology applications and to the creation of new areas of applications.

All these developments call for the existence of scientists and engineers that are adequately trained in the relevant technologies and have a deep knowledge of their interrelationships and the challenges that lie ahead.

The above realization constitutes the core motivation and forms the rationale behind the design and the development of the proposed program.

As its name implies, the program offers two specializations: (a) the Web Systems specialization, and (b) the Smart Systems specialization.

Aim of the Program:

The aim of the proposed program is to develop graduates that exhibit in-depth knowledge and advanced skills of the technologies relevant to web applications and smart systems. By the end of this program, graduates will master the knowledge required to design and implement efficient and effective solutions utilizing existing and emerging web and/or smart systems.

An equally important aim is that, through the program, the University will be able to strengthen its research activity in this fast evolving field and become a leading research institution in the area.

Specific Objectives

The main objectives of the program are to provide its graduates with in-depth knowledge and skills that will enable them to:

1. Master the methodologies, tools and technologies related to the development of web and smart systems, such as networking, web engineering, ubiquitous computing as well as distributed and cloud computing.
2. Demonstrate specialized knowledge and expertise in web systems with emphasis on human computer interaction and interactive system design, data mining, big data and analytics. (Web Systems Specialization only).
3. Demonstrate specialized knowledge and expertise in smart systems with emphasis on communications and security for smart systems, embedded systems, sensors and actuator technology for smart system applications. (Smart Systems Specialization only).
4. Work effectively as an individual, or within a team, in multi-disciplinary settings together with the capacity to undertake lifelong learning
5. Continue to study in a manner that may be largely self-directed and autonomous
6. Engage in research and communicate their findings and conclusions to specialists, and non-specialists clearly and unambiguously.

The language of instruction is English.

Key Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, the students should be able to:

1. Master the methodologies, tools and technologies involved in the analysis, development and evaluation of web enabled applications and their interactions.
2. Master the methodologies, tools and technologies involved in the analysis, development and evaluation of applications of ubiquitous computing with emphasis on mobile devices, such as smart phones.
3. Exploit the underlying networking technologies that enable web and smart system applications, and demonstrate awareness on the recent networking developments and emerging technologies.
4. Recognize the role of cloud computing underlying technologies related to parallel and distributed computing, distinguish between the main cloud computing platforms and develop cloud based applications.
5. Critically evaluate various technologies and solution alternatives, within the context of web and smart systems, and identify the advantages and disadvantages of each.
6. Demonstrate the capacity to adapt to new technologies in the relevant fields and establish the connections and relations with existing ones
7. Communicate with other disciplines related in the field including engineering, business administration, graphic and web design.
8. Demonstrate awareness of the open challenges and research questions in the field.
9. Demonstrate the ability to understand and use technical literature and other information sources.
10. Conduct independent research in relevant fields, develop informed opinions and synthesize knowledge to report findings.
11. Think critically and reflectively on the capacity of the capabilities and limitations of data analysis and knowledge generation from distributed information systems.
12. Engage in critical thinking and problem solving in the specific domain of interest of the program

Specialization Specific Learning Outcomes (Web Systems):

Upon successful completion of this program, the students should be able to:

1. Gain sufficient theoretical knowledge and analytical skills to design and develop web and mobile applications using a structured approach.
2. Demonstrate an understanding on cutting edge web technologies and apply them for the development of advanced and complex web applications.
3. Extend critical awareness of the issues and challenges associated with ubiquitous computing, enhance the understanding on mobile systems and creatively design and develop mobile applications using various smartphone application development platforms.
4. Demonstrate an understanding on the theoretical dimension of human factors in the acceptance of computer interfaces and identify the impact of usable interfaces in the performance of mobile and web systems.
5. Evaluate and select the appropriate data mining methodology, where data mining is required or beneficial, for investigating practical web and mobile application challenges and critically analyse and evaluate the results.
6. Evaluate and select a systematic software reuse methodology in order to increase software productivity and improve software quality of an organization so as to successfully plan, manage, change and evolve any software project, for the development of applications on diverse platforms; desktop, mobile & web.
7. Identify sources of data, collect, and store data using appropriate big data related platforms, as well as process, analyse and summarize data to achieve breakthrough outcomes for organisations using data analytics methods.

Specialization Specific Learning Outcomes (Smart Systems):

Upon successful completion of this program, the students should be able to:

1. Design and develop smart system applications incorporating embedded systems and mobile devices as stand-alone systems or integrated with the web and the cloud.
2. Evaluate and select the appropriate embedded system technology (hardware and operate system) to meet specific strict requirements related to real time systems, fault tolerance and power consumption.
3. Integrate existing embedded system technology with custom designed systems using reconfigurable computing techniques and field programmable hardware (FPGAs).
4. Evaluate and select the appropriate sensors and actuators for smart system applications, to meet specific strict requirements. 
5. Evaluate and select the appropriate communication technology for smart system applications.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the recent developments related to the Internet of Things (IoT), Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Communications, Smart Transportation Systems (STSs), and Vehicular Networks (VANETs) in Smart City Systems.
7. Assess the security concerns and impact that mobile and web systems intrinsically incorporate and argue on policies to alleviate them

Occupational Profiles of the Graduates

A large percentage of graduates of the MSc in Mobile and Web Systems program are expected to pursue careers in web application development and integration of applications with mobile devices, which is a rapidly growing section in organizations involved with software development. They are also likely to be employed in telecommunications companies, where a shift into the support of application-level services is present (see for example the establishment of CYTACOM by CYTA).

Graduates can also be employed in computer network related jobs and are also capable of obtaining employment in ICT departments of medium and large organizations and software houses.

The MSc in Web and Smart Systems is supported by the Mobile Device Laboratory (MDL)