Computer Science

- Courses & projects in English -

1. Elective courses in the fields of:

a) Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
b) Systems and Software Engineering
c) Cyber-physical and Embedded Systems
d) Open Communication Systems

2. Elective team projects in the fields of:

a) Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
b) Systems and Software Engineering

3. Individual research projects:

a) Multi-Agent Research Simulation (MARS Group)
b) Smart Sensing
c) Data Science

Elective courses and elective team projects are offered in the summer semester (March – July) only.
Individual research projects can be completed in winter and summer semester.

NOTE: Students can also choose software and hardware courses from the Information Engineering
programme.

Department of Computer Science (May 2022)

1. Elective Courses

Each semester, the Department of Computer Science offers their students elective courses (6
ECTS credits) in four different elective areas. An elective course is made up of a lecture and a lab.
The elective areas are:

a) Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

b) Systems and Software Engineering
c) Cyber-physical and Embedded Systems
d) Open Communication Systems

Each semester students can choose from a range of elective courses in each area. These courses
can change from one semester to the next and the list of elective courses is confirmed three
months before the start of the upcoming semester.

As part of your application to HAW Hamburg, please write the elective area(s) in your learning
agreement from which you would like to choose a course or courses. Once the list of elective
courses has been decided for your chosen semester, your Student Exchange Coordinator will
contact you, so you can finalise your choice of elective courses.

2. Elective Team Projects

Each semester, the Department of Computer Science offers their students elective team projects
(9 ECTS credits) in two elective areas. An elective team project is a collaborative semester-long
project, where teams of five to six students work independently, developing for example, an
android app or control software for autonomous vehicles. The elective areas are:

a) Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

b) Systems and Software Engineering

3. Individual Research Projects

Students can also choose to complete an individual semester-long research project (6 ECTS) in
one of the following research areas of the Department of Computer Science. Students can
acquire extra credit, for example, by publishing a paper based on their research (maximum total
of 9 ECTS).

a) Multi-Agent Research Simulation (MARS Group)

b) Smart Sensing
c) Data Science
Elective Area #1: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

Degree Programme: Computer Science Bachelor Lecturers: various lecturers

Work load: 180 hrs Lecture hours per week: 2 + 2 hrs labs ECTS Credits: 6

Area objectives:
“Data Scientist: The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century” – Harvard Business Review. A data scientist must have the
ambition, intuition, and curiosity to not only solve problems as they are presented, but also to identify and
specify problems themselves. Intellectual curiosity and the ability to experimentation require a fusion of
analytical and creative thinking. Employers are currently seeking candidates who can ask the “right” questions to
form intelligent hypotheses and explore data using basic statistical methods and machine learning models.
After all, those who can efficiently identify patterns and dependencies can make faster and more informed
decisions, design processes more effectively and save costs.

On completion, students will have the ability to:

• understand essential mathematical principles from the fields of stochastics, analysis and linear algebra
• apply methods for data collection, preparation and visualization
• formulate hypotheses and perform statistical analyses on data
• apply selected methods from the fields of data mining, machine learning and artificial intelligence to
data from different domains
• understand the concepts of data governance, data ethics and privacy
• On completion, students will have the ability to:
• understand essential mathematical principles from the fields of stochastics, analysis and linear algebra
• apply methods for data collection, preparation and visualization
• formulate hypotheses and perform statistical analyses on data
• apply selected methods from the fields of data mining, machine learning and artificial intelligence to
data from different domains
• understand the concepts of data governance, data ethics and privacy
• On completion, students will have the ability to:
• understand essential mathematical principles from the fields of stochastics, analysis and linear algebra
• apply methods for data collection, preparation and visualization
• formulate hypotheses and perform statistical analyses on data
• apply selected methods from the fields of data mining, machine learning and artificial intelligence to
data from different domains
• understand the concepts of data governance, data ethics and privacy

Area Contents: • Multi-agent systems

• Social networks
• Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
• Swarm intelligence
• Digital twins
• Statistics, correlation analysis
• Data analysis
• Open data and big data
• Neural networks
• Data classification, clustering and mining
• Convolutional networks (CNN) and deep
• Data base
learning methods
• Analysis, simulation and visualization of data
• Implementation with Python
• Reinforcement Learning
• Agent-based simulations
• Machine Learning methods for signals

About didactics and work load distribution:

• Lecture: Tuition in seminars, whiteboard, slides, computer simulation, presentation, homework
• Laboratory: Laboratory- and computer practical course
• Attendance: 72h, individual study: 108h

Requirements for participation: Course language:

• Strong maths and programming skills
English
• Self-study
• Active teamwork

Type of exam:
written exam / oral exam / presentation / term paper etc.
Requirements for credit point allocation:

• Active participation in lectures and lab

• Give presentation and write term paper
• Passing labs and exam

Literature:
• Steven Skiena, “Data Science Design Manual”, Springer
• Henk Tijms, “Understanding Probability”, Cambridge University Press
• Daniel Keim, Jörn Kohlhammer, Geoffrey Ellis, and Florian Mansmann, "Visual Analytics"
• J. Han, M. Kamber, “Data Mining. Concepts and Techniques”
• “Deep Learning. The comprehensive handbook: fundamentals, current techniques and algorithms, new research
approaches”, by Ian Goodfellow , Yoshua Bengio, et al.
• Scientific primary literature (books, conference proceedings, journal papers etc.)
Elective Area #2: Systems and Software Engineering

Degree Programme: Computer Science Bachelor Lecturers: various lecturers

Work load: 180 hrs Lecture hours per week: 2 + 2 hrs labs ECTS Credits: 6

Area objectives:
Systems and software engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and its management which focuses
on how to analyze, design, integrate, implement, and manage complex systems over their life cycles. While
system engineering incorporates both hardware and software components, software engineering focuses on
the software of a system.
On completion, students will have the ability to:
• develop complex IT systems in different domains
• understand and optimize modern development processes
• apply various V&V (Verification and Validation) methods to improve system quality
• work in agile teams

• Advanced programming paradigms

Area Contents:
• Web-browser technologies
• Frontend and backend of SAP Systems • App development
• 3D Computer graphics • Cloud computing
• Games Engine • Computer Science and Cooperate Social
• Enterprise Architecture Management Responsibility (CSR)
• Process management and process intelligence • Ethics in Computer Science
• Quality assurance • Developing Simulation Software
• Testing of SW systems • Agile project management with Scrum
• Validation and Verification methods • Case studies

About didactics and workload distribution:

• Lecture: Tuition in seminars, whiteboard, slides, computer simulation
• Laboratory: Laboratory- and computer practical course
• Attendance: 72h, individual study: 108h

Requirements for participation: Course language:

• Strong programming skills in OO languages
English
• Knowledge about software engineering disciplines
• Knowledge about modelling languages e.g. UML, State Machines
• Self-study
• Active teamwork

Type of exam:
written exam / oral exam / presentation / term paper etc.

Requirements for credit point allocation:

• Active participation in lectures and lab
• Passing lab requirements and exam

Literature:
• Agile Model-Based Systems Engineering Cookbook, Bruce Powel Douglass, 2021, ISBN 1838985832
• Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, Pearson Education, 2021. ISBN: 0133943038
• Software Testing Foundations, Andreas Spillner, 2021, ISBN 1933952083
• Scientific primary literature (books, conference proceedings, journal papers etc.)
Elective Area #3: Cyber-physical and Intelligent Systems

Degree Programme: Computer Science Bachelor Lecturers: various lecturers

Work load: 180 hrs Lecture hours per week: 2 + 2 hrs labs ECTS Credits: 6

Area Objectives:
A cyber-physical system (CPS) is a network of IT and software components with mechanical and electronic parts
that communicate via a data infrastructure such as the Internet. A cyber-physical system is characterized by its
high degree of complexity, reaching from the networking of embedded systems such as industry automation
systems in apple farms through communication networks in autarkic underwater robotics.

On completion, students will have the ability to:

• evaluate cyber-physical systems.

• develop intelligent systems like robots and industry production systems.
• understand the various intelligent sensors systems and apply them on different systems.
• interoperate and connect subsystems.
• learn about process intelligence.

Area Contents: • Classification and object recognition with

• Applications for autonomous systems MobileNet and SSD
• Modern sensor technologies • Smart home systems
• Raspberry-Pi • Industrial robotic systems
• BeagleBone Black • Adaptive distributed systems
• Intelligent sensor technologies • Real-time programming and concurrent
• Autonomous driving programming
• Real-time operating systems
• Managing sensor farms
• C, C++, Python programming
• Robotics

About didactics and work load distribution:

• Lecture: Tuition in seminars, whiteboard, slides, computer simulation
• Laboratory: Laboratory- and computer practical course
• Attendance: 72h, individual study: 108h

Requirements for participation: Course language:

• Strong programming skills
English
• Knowledge about operating systems
• Self-study
• Active teamwork

Type of exam:
written exam / oral exam / presentation / term paper etc.

Requirements for credit point allocation:

• Active participation in lectures and lab
• Passing lab requirements and exam

Literature:
• Schwaiger, R.; Steinwendner, J.: Neuronale Netze programmieren mit Python. Rheinwerk Computing
• Alpaydin, E.: Introduction to Machine Learning, MIT Press, 2020, ISBN: 0262043793
• Scientific primary literature (books, conference proceedings, journal papers etc.)
• www.tensorflow.org
Elective Area #4: Open Communication Systems

Degree Programme: Computer Science Bachelor Lecturers: various lecturers

Work load: 180 hrs Lecture hours per week: 2 + 2 hrs labs ECTS Credits: 6

Area objectives:

The Open Systems Interconnection model (OSI model) is a conceptual model that describes the universal
standard of communication functions of a telecommunication system. Interoperability and cybersecurity play an
important role in diverse communication systems containing.

On completion, students will have the ability to:

• Be familiar with methods for constructing secure protocols for protecting distributed systems and know
practically important protocols such as Transport Layer Security (TLS) as well as Kerberos.
• Analyze different communication protocols in modern network technologies.
• Get an insight into the standardization work.
• Understand security models and security properties of cryptographic methods and be able to assess
their strength.
• Know attack techniques in networks / distributed systems and the use of cryptographic measures to
defend against such attach techniques.

Area Topics: • IT security

• Structure of public key infrastructure (KPI)
• Internet of Things (IoT) and its operating • Safety and Security in open communication
system (RIOT) systems
• Development with IoT devices • National Security Agency (NSA)
• Communication between sensor nodes • Cryptographic methods
• Various protocols and their standards (e.g. • Digitalization and Ethics in Internet
TLS, TCP, SCTP, IPv6) • Web Services
• Interface programming • Various simulation and framework tools
• M2M communications
• Energy harvesting

About didactics and workload distribution:

• Lecture: Tuition in seminars, whiteboard, slides, computer simulation, presentation, homework
• Laboratory: Laboratory- and computer practical course
• Attendance: 72h, individual study: 108h

Requirements for participation: Course language:

• Strong programming skills
English
• Self-study
• Knowledge about OSI reference model
• Active teamwork

Type of exam:
written exam / oral exam / presentation / term paper etc.

Requirements for credit point allocation:

• Active participation in lectures and lab

• Passing lab requirements and exam

Literature:
Scientific primary literature (books, conference proceedings, journal papers etc.)
Elective Team Projects (PO)

Degree Programme: Computer Science Bachelor Responsible Lecturer: Various lecturers

Work load: 270 hrs Lecture hours per week: 6 hrs team work ECTS Credits: 9

Area objectives:
The student will work in a larger team on a predefined IT project. At the start of the semester the project goal
will be presented by the lecturer and the students will work on the project in teams of 4-6 people. In order to
run the project successfully, software engineering principles must be applied. The project progress will be
supervised by the lecturer and lab assistants. At the end of the semester, the results will be presented to a
larger audience.

On completion, students will have the ability to:

• solve IT-specific problems, taking into account limited resources (time, staff, tools, etc.)
• specify requirements, to model systems,
• set goals and plan projects,
• ensure quality,
• pre- and post-calculate the time required,
• provide comprehensible documentation,
• work in teams with developers and (if possible) users,
• present work results,
• lead and moderate meetings,
• resolve conflicts,
• evaluate work results.

About didactics and workload distribution:

Attendance: 72h, Team work: 108h

Requirements for participation: Team language:

• Strong programming skills in programming English
• Experience in software engineering and project management
• Self-study
• Active teamwork

Type of exam:
Project presentation, paper work etc.
Research Area #1: MARS - Modelling & Simulation (RLab1)

Degree Programme: Computer Science Bachelor Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Thomas Clemen

Work load: 270 hrs Hours per week: 6 hrs research work ECTS Credits: 6 (9)*

Students will be part of the MARS research group (https://mars-group.org/) of Prof. Dr. Thomas Clemen. They
will work on an individual research and development project suitable to their level.

A major objective of this module is to learn how to complete collaborative research in a larger team.

Self-learning materials and coaching will be provided to students during the semester. A highly experienced
team is also available to support students.

Area objectives:

• modelling and simulation

• conceptional modelling
• select the appropriate simulation framework
• verification and validation

The student has the opportunity to work on the interdisciplinary research projects:
• ESIDA: Epidemiological Surveillance
• SmartOpenHamburg
• MARS Urban simulation

About workload distribution:

Attendance: 72h, Research work: 108h
* Students can acquire up to 9 credits in total if they publish their research.

Requirements for participation: Team language:

• Strong programming skills English
• Research work and self-study

Type of pass:
Project presentation, research paper publications etc.
Research Area #2: Smart Sensing (RLab2)

Degree Programme: Computer Science Bachelor Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Tim Tiedemann

Work load: 270 hrs Lecture hours per week: 6 hrs research work ECTS Credits: 6 (9*)

Students will be part of the research group of Prof. Dr. Tim Tiedemann. They will work on an individual research
and development project suitable to their level.

A major objective of this module is to learn how to complete collaborative research in a larger team.

Self-learning materials and coaching will be provided to students during the semester. A highly experienced
team is also available.

Area objectives:

• intelligent sensing
• machine learning
• sensor data processing
• smart robotics
• intelligent transport systems
• hardware acceleration
• bio robotics

Students have the opportunity to work on the following current interdisciplinary research projects topics:

• AuTagBeoFisch - An underwater diving robot

• Smart Recycling
• RoLand - A semi-autonomous fruit harvesting system
• i-Lum - Airborne urban mobility

About workload distribution:

Attendance: 72h, Research work: 108h

* Students can acquire up to 9 credits in total if they publish their research.

Requirements for participation: Course language:

• Strong programming skills English

• Fundamental knowledge in data science
• Research work and self-study

Type of grading:

Project presentation, research paper publications etc.

Research Area #3: Data Science (RLab3)

Degree Programme: Computer Science Bachelor Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Marina Tropmann-Frick

Work load: 270 hrs Lecture hours per week: 6 hrs research work ECTS Credits: 6 (9)

Students will be part of the Data Science research group of Prof. Dr. Marina Tropmann-Frick. They will work on
an individual research and development project suitable to their level.

A major objective of this module is to learn how to complete collaborative research in a larger team.

Self-learning materials and coaching will be provided to students during the semester. A highly experienced
team is also available.

Area objectives:

• Data Management, Engineering and Analysis

• Predictive and Visual Analytics
• Explainable AI / Machine Learning
• Human in the Loop
• Privacy and Ethics
• Decision support
Students have the opportunity to work on the following
current interdisciplinary research projects topics:

• Pharmacovigilance,
• Statistical methods in medicine (small vs. big data),
• Disaster management with optimization techniques,
predictions, decision support,
• Smart Mobility with test site for intelligent campus mobility,
• DigEco
• Data analytics / predictive analytics / predictive maintenance / text analytics.

About workload distribution:

Attendance: 72h, Research work: 108h
* Students can acquire up to 9 credits in total if they publish their research.

Requirements for participation: Team language:

• Strong programming skills English
• Fundamental knowledge in data science
• Research work and self-study

Type of grading:
Project presentation, documentation, research paper publications etc.