Computer Science MSc Program – Financial Technology specialization

Title

Computer Science MSc Program – Financial Technology specialization

Degree

Computer Scientist

Type

Degree program

Level

Master

Accreditation number

FF/407-1/2014

Department

Department of Artificial Intelligence
Department of Programming Languages And Compilers
Department of Software Technology And Methodology
Department of Data Science and Engineering
Department of Computer Algebra
Department of Algorithms And Their Applications
Department of Media & Educational Informatics
Department of Information Systems
Department of Numerical Analysis
Department of Cartography And Geoinformatics

Language

English

Duration

4 semesters (2 years)

ECTS credits

120

Minimum number of students

2

Maximum number of students

120

Short description

The goal of this program is to teach Computer Scientists with professional knowledge on a solid theoretical background. The Computer Scientist often acts as a mediator between the clients of information systems and the implementors. In this way, the job of a Computer Scientist synthesizes the constructive activity of engineers with the general problem-solving attitude of mathematicians while participating in teams of large-scale projects.

Our programs provide students with a comprehensive education in Computer Science in combination with specializations in Artificial Intelligence, Programming Languages, Cyber Security, Data Science, Web Engineering, Autonomous Systems, Multimedia Design, Financial Technologies, etc.

Students will learn the theory as well as the methodologies and techniques in the development and implementation of computer systems. Several courses in pure and applied mathematics and theoretical computer science aid the more practical programming courses with background knowledge.

This program is recommended to applicants who

  •  want to gain expertise in one of the most fascinating and fastest-growing areas of Computer Science and Business Informatics, Financial Technologies. As computers are given the ability to think, learn, and adapt, in the near future artificial intelligence will impact wide segments of daily life including Finance and Banking.
  •  want to partake in innovative and well-grounded education for the next generation of service designers and software architects capable of designing and engineering novel and innovative software systems.
  •  want to conduct analyses to detect, discover and better understand the abounding data around us generated by Enterprise Information Systems, Information Systems dedicated to Finance, Banking and Payment Industry, Social Media, Manufacturing Systems, Healthcare, support systems for Logistics, and countless others on a daily basis.
  • want to be a responsible system analyst and developers taking into account the cybersecurity issues with the right knowledge and skills to be able to contribute to make the digital world a safer place.

This program enables students to

  •  get up-to-date knowledge in one of the most dominant technological trends by gaining skills in the design and implementation of the next generation of software solutions endowed with human-like capabilities.
  •  apply concepts of machine learning, neural networks, data science algorithms, advanced exploratory statistics to solve real-world problems with applications of computational intelligence.
  •  work in teams to guide the software development process (modern and agile software engineering methodologies integrated with design thinking and User-Centric/Service Design methods) of complex information systems.
  •  gain in-depth technical skills in scalable data collection techniques and data analysis methods. They learn how to use and develop a suite of tools and technologies that address capturing, processing, storing, transferring, analysis, visualization, and related concepts of data (e.g., data access, data pricing, and data privacy).
  •  be valuable in open innovation settings where different aspects (market, users, social aspects, financial technologies) come together, through their multidisciplinary attitude.

The learning objectives for graduates of the Fintech Master are:  

  •  To positively impact society through Fintech technologies;
  •  To design Fintech solutions to create value for different stakeholders and that may help overcome social inequalities;
  •  To make informed decisions for data processing systems engineering based on the integration of technical, economic, ethical, and societal aspects;
  •  To understand business aspects and behavioral, legal, and societal aspects of Data Science;
  •  To understand the concepts and technologies for achieving confidentiality, integrity, authenticity, and privacy protection for information processed across networks;
  •  To develop expertise in a variety of approaches to analyze data to extract meaningful information;
  •  To build ecosystems for processing big data addressing particular challenges;
  •  To design and developing novel and innovative methods and techniques for Data Science;
  •  To develop competences in communication, knowledge integration, open innovation and technology management from the viewpoints of both business and technology.

Tracks/Specializations:

ELTE will provide content on System Engineering for Financial Technologies within Computer Science MSc Program. ELTE will build this specialization of the exit year from the following courses as follows, Consultation for Dissertation (Fintech Lab.), Development of Financial IT Systems, Advanced Machine Learning, Cryptography, Business Intelligence. 

Strength of program

The high standard of training is guaranteed by the highly qualified academic staff. Teaching is supported by modern infrastructure and well equipped computer labs (Artificial Intelligence, Databases, Enterprise Resource Systems etc.). The library of the Faculty contains several thousand volumes. Upper-year students and PhD students help the first-year students in a mentor system to overcome their first challenges at the university.

In addition to the high level of theoretical training, the Faculty's relationship with the business community, the joint research and development projects offer up-to-date practical knowledge and experience to the students. The Faculty has concluded bilateral agreements with numerous universities in the world, which allows students to study one or two semesters or participate in research projects at a partner institution.

Extracurricular undergraduate research activities of the students are supported and supervised by leading scientists of the Faculty. These students present their findings at a conference organized by the Faculty every year. Workshops are also organized with international partners.

Find the stucture of the program on this link.
Career opportunities

Graduated students are welcomed in jobs of development of autonomous, intelligent software systems in many sectors of informatics, finance, healthcare, transport and logistics, customer service and countless others. The Financial Technology specialization especially apt to:

  • Banking services related to Fintech;
  • Insurance;
  • notarial certification;
  • crowding (new ways of funding);
  • RegTech (ie. block chain used for agriculture regulation).
Job examples

On the field, Financial Technologies, Banking and Payment Industry: Specialist of the subject area, Business Intelligence expert, Data Scientist, System Analyst and Developer.

EU/EEA students
non-EU/EEA students
Tuition fee/semester

3200 EUR

3200 EUR

Application fee

80 EUR

80 EUR

non-EU/EEA students
Tuition fee/semester

3200 EUR

Application fee

80 EUR


Offered for the next academic year

YES

Start program

02, Sep, 2024

Deadline for applications - September intake

30, Apr, 2024

Is there a February intake

Yes

Deadline for applications - February intake

30, Sep, 2023


Admission requirements

1. Entry requirements

Holding a BSc degree in Computer Science or obtaining altogether at least 60 ECTS credits in informatics and mathematical subjects during a completed Bachelor's program related to Computer Science.

Fintech candidates Requirements 

If you wish to apply to this program you must have a Bachelor of Science in, or be in your final year of studies of: 

  • Computer Science 
  • Telecommunication Engineering 
  • Information Systems 
  • Mathematics 
  • Statistics 
  • Electrical Engineering / Electronics 
  • Information Technology  
  • Software Engineering 
  • Business Informatics 
  • Business administration and Finance (with a strong component on computer science) 

Reasonable knowledge of the fundamentals of computing and information sciences and technologies. 

Kindly note that relevant work experience can compensate a non-strictly matching bachelor's degree. Please justify your work experience in your motivation letter or resume. Once your papers are received, the selection committee will make the final decision on whether your bachelors and work experience are enough as prerequisites for the track you have applied for. 

2. Language requirements:

Minimum level of language proficiency (oral) (A1-C2): B2

Minimum level of language proficiency (written) (A1-C2): B2 

Further comments: At least Intermediate level English language skills is required. English language exams are preferred (but not required) and any certificate is accepted.

Documents to submit with application
Document
Online application form
Secondary school certificate
Bachelor-level degree
Transcript of records
Proof of application fee transfer
CV
Motivation letter
Copy of the main pages of the passport (needs to be valid)
Passport photo
Language certificate
Application procedure

3. Application procedure:

The application starts in the online application system. Students need to register in the system, fill in the online application form, upload the required documents and follow the instructions during the application process.

Applicants are required to transfer the admission fees (application fee: 140 EUR, registration fee: 60 EUR) only in case of admission, together with the tuition fee in the amount of 3000 EUR until the end of June (in case of February intake: until the end of November) in order to receive their visa in time.

Applications are only accepted being submitted through the online application system. Application materials sent via e-mail or by post are declined without further examination.

4. Entrance examination and selection process:

In case of September intake: The applications are examined by the Admission Board until the end of May, applicants are notified of the outcome of the selection in the online application system until the middle of June.

Admission letters are sent out in the online application system until 30 June. In case of February intake: The applications are examined by the Admission Board and are notified of the outcome of the selection in the online application system until the middle of November. Admission letters are sent out in the online application system until the end of  November.

Applicants are required to participate in the online entrance exam and a Skype interview held and organized by the Admission Board of ELTE Faculty of Informatics in May (in case of February intake in the beginning of November). 

Applicants are notified about

  • time and date/duration of the entrance exam via e-mail one week before the starting date of the exam period by the programme coordinator,
  • time and date of the Skype interview via e-mail 3 days before the Skype interview by the student coordinator.

Applicants can take the entrance exam and the Skype interview only one occassion. In case of communicational difficulties (weak network coverage) the student coordinator attempts to contact the applicant via e-mail and Skype twice within the deadline.

In case of lack of participation, posterial requests can not be accepted, appeals are declined after the deadline.

The program coordinator notifies all applicants about the outcome of the selection.

Type of entrance examination: oral/written/both

Place of entrance examination: oral and written

Further details of the Skype interview:

The interview takes about 20 minutes in the previously indicated and scheduled time sent by the student coordinator via e-mail.

As the language of the education of the Computer Science Master course of ELTE Faculty of Informatics is English, applicants are required to possess at least intermediate level English language proficiency in order to take part efficiently of their academic studies. During the interview applicants are required to prove their English language and communicational skills by replying to questions about their previous studies, work experiences connected to Computer Science. Applicants are also required to answer simple questions concerning basic terms in mathematics and programming.

As the prerequisite of applying to Computer Science Master course is a previously obtained Bachelor degree in Computer Science or in a related field, no preparation is needed in advance, applicants are only have to be able to present their previously obtained skills.

 

Further details of the entrance exam:

In order to get admission to the Computer Science MSc programme applicants are required to participate and pass the online written entrance exam in Canvas system. Canvas is a learning management system used at Eötvös Loránd University. After accepting the invitation, previously sent by the programme coordinator, applicants are required to create a Canvas account. After logging in, exam exercises are available in Canvas system. There is no exact exam date, applicants are able to take the exam and submit their solutions whenever they want until the indicated deadline.

The exam consists of 1-3 programming problems. Solutions (program source codes in Java, C# or C/C++) are required to be submitted online.

Further details of selection and evaluation:

The ranking is based on a total evaluation of the academic excellence (based on the submitted documents) and the results of the entrance exam.

Program leader

Mr. Ferenc WEISZ
Professor

Program coordinator

Mr. Zsolt BORSI
Assistant lecturer
E-mail: coordinator@csmsc.elte.hu
TEL: +36-1-372-2500/8494

Ms. Katalin SCHNEIDER
International Coordinator
E-mail: studentcoordinator@inf.elte.hu
TEL: +36 (1) 372 2500 / 8138