As a student on the N2COS programme you are given the opportunity, but also responsibility, to create your own profile.

Requirements

The requirements to get a degree are specified in the relevant programme syllabus (the one from 2022 is available online, as is the one for students starting in 2025) and local qualification descriptor. Here is an unofficial list of some requirements, but refer to the official documents for accurate information:

Courses: In total 120 credits.
- The year is divided into four study periods, and the standard study pace is 15 credits/study period. Most courses are worth 7.5 credits.
At least 45 credits (excluding the master's thesis) of the 120 must come from second cycle courses with computer science as a main field of study.
- To find out how many credits you get for a completed course, whether the course is a first or second cycle course, and what the course's main fields of study are, check the course's syllabus (for instance the one for DIT199):
  - The number of credits and the cycle are typically specified near the top.
  - There is also typically a list of main fields of study near the beginning of the syllabus.
  The Swedish syllabi are the official ones, but the idea is that the English ones should contain the same information.
- In order to take a course you must satisfy its prerequisites, which are typically specified in the syllabus under the heading of "Entry requirements". Note that to be eligible to take certain courses you might need to first take other courses.
If you start in 2025, then there is a new requirement. You have to take at least one second cycle course, with computer science as a main field of study, for which the specialisation code (for computer science) is A1F, except that the following courses do not count: DIT071, DIT101, DIT206, DIT224, DIT261, DIT351, DIT743 and DIT867. A course's specialisation code can be found in its syllabus.
Compulsory courses:
- DIT199 The Computer Scientist in Society (7.5 credits).
  - In this course you can write a proposal for your thesis project, and you are recommended to take the course shortly before starting the thesis project.
- One of the following master's thesis courses:
  - DIT910 Master’s Thesis in Computer Science and Engineering (30 credits).
  - DIT920 Master’s Thesis in Computer Science and Engineering (60 credits).
  Note that the master's thesis courses have some prerequisites, including the following ones:
  - 60 credits on the advanced level.
  - 45 credits within the main field of study (computer science).
  - The thesis subject should be within the main field of study and approved by the programme supervisor.
  - An examiner should approve the project proposal, and the examiner also determines if the student has the right background for the given project.
  You are recommended to start thinking about your master's thesis project's topic early in your studies. You are also recommended to specialise in something: if you only take introductory courses, then it might be hard for you to find a suitable topic for the master's thesis.

Courses

There is a course graph (possibly out of date) which contains most or all second cycle courses with computer science as a main field of study that the Computer Science and Engineering department offers (excluding the compulsory courses):

The courses are linked to their syllabi.
The graph contains information about the prerequisites of a course, but only prerequisites related to other courses in the graph:
- A solid arrow from A to B means that A is a prerequisite of B. Note that sometimes there are also one or more other ways to fulfil the prerequisite.
- A dashed arrow from A to B means that A is one of several alternative prerequisites for B (and at least two of those prerequisites are in the graph).
A dotted arrow from A to B means that it is recommended to take A before B.
If two courses are in a box with a dotted outline, then at most one can be included in the degree.
Courses in green hexagons are A1F courses. The exceptions mentioned above have red rectangles.

There are also longer lists of courses (autumn 2025, spring 2026), with information about the study period(s) in which they are given ("HT" stands for autumn semester and "VT" for spring semester).

Sketch a plan

You are encouraged to sketch a plan for your education already at the start of your studies. Such a plan might include 13 courses:

Year one, study period one: two elective courses.
Year one, study period two: two elective courses or one elective course and DIT199 (The Computer Scientist in Society).
Year one, study period three: two elective courses.
Year one, study period four: two elective courses.
Year two, study period one: two elective courses.
Year two, study period two: two elective courses or one elective course and DIT199 (The Computer Scientist in Society).
Year two, study periods three and four: DIT910 (Master’s Thesis in Computer Science and Engineering).

Preselected courses

For students starting in the autumn of 2025 two courses are "preselected" for the first study period:

DIT093 Algorithms.
DIT203 Logic in Computer Science.

However, these courses are not compulsory. If you want to take some other course, or if you have already taken one or both of these courses, then you should notify the department following the instructions that will be or have been provided to you.