Official course description, subject to change:
Basic info last published 1/10-23

Algorithms and Data Structures, MSc

Course info
Language:
English
ECTS points:
7.5
Course code:
KSALDAS1KU
Participants max:
140
Offered to guest students:
yes
Offered to exchange students:
yes
Offered as a single subject:
yes
Price for EU/EEA citizens (Single Subject):
10625 DKK
Programme
Level:
MSc. Master
Programme:
MSc in Software Design
Staff
Course manager
Riko Jacob
Associate Professor
Teacher
Thore Husfeldt
Professor, Deputy Head of Department
Course semester
Semester
Forår 2024
Start
29 January 2024
End
23 August 2024
Exam
Abstract
This course provides the basic algorithmic tools indispensable for every software developer.
Description

Computers help us compute things: To sort alphabetically the entries in a telephone directory; to compute the next frame of a video game; to find the seats available on an airplane. However, there are faster and slower ways to compute things. To be an effective programmer, you must know not only how to make a computer compute things, but how to efficiently compute things.

This course provides the basic algorithmic tools indispensible for every software developer.

Topics covered are among others complexity analysis, big-O, algorithmic problem solving techniques including divide-and-conquer, concrete algorithms and data structures for search trees, sorting, hashing, graphs, shortest paths.
Formal prerequisites

Basic ability to program in some imperative programming language (Java, Python, C/C++/C#, etc.), using conditions, loops, arrays, methods/procedures/functions, simple recursion and abstract data types (interfaces).
This is normally obtained by following the first semester undergraduate course Introduction to Data Science and Programming (BSc DS) or Introductory Programming (BSc SWU or MSc SD.)

Knowledge of basic mathematical concepts like: sets, functions, graphs, and trees, arithmetic and geometric series. You are expected to know this from your high school education.

We will make up for any lacks in that respect on the way. Information about the course of study. This course is mandatory for students who are enrolled on BSc in Software Development, BSc in Data Science and MSc in Software Design and part of the second semester. Moreover the student must always meet the admission requirements of the IT University.

Intended learning outcomes

After the course, the student should be able to:

  • Discuss and clearly explain the mechanics of computations and data structures involving manipulation of references, nested loops and recursion, specified in natural language, in abstract pseudocode or in concrete programming language (Java/Python)
  • Implement abstractly specified computations and data structures in an imperative programming language (Java/Python).
  • Analyze time and space usage of algorithms/programs.
  • Assess scalability of a given single-threaded software application, using asymptotic analysis.
  • Choose among and make use of the most important algorithms and data structures in libraries, based on knowledge of their complexity.
  • Design algorithms for ad hoc problems by using and combining known algorithms and data structures
  • Describe the most important hardware and programming language factors influencing the speed at which a program runs and take them into account in assessment of speed of algorithms.
Ordinary exam
Exam type:
A: Written exam on premises, External (7-point scale)
Exam variation:
A33: Written exam on premises on paper with restrictions