JIM-CS Curriculum

The typical student completes JIM-CS in three to four semesters: one semester at their home institution (for example, UWP), one semester at an abroad institution, and an additional semester or two at the home institution. The first and second involves traditional coursework:

3 courses (9 credits at UWP) covering various computer science topics such as security, compiler construction, and machine learning
1 course (2 credits at UWP) in which students work in small teams to develop a state-of-the-art system
1 course (1 credit at UWP) covering the language and culture of the abroad institution's country; at the home institution this course will orient the student to the abroad country, and at the abroad institution this course will give students a chance to experience that country's culture

Course offerings vary by institution. The typical offerings at each school are

Institution

Semester I

Semester II

UWP

January - May

Compiler Construction

or Artificial Intelligence

Computer Security

Real-time Embedded Systems

September - December

Object-oriented Analysis and Design

Software Quality

Advanced Database Systems

h_da

March - July

Business Process Engineering

Formal Methods

Mobile Computing

October - January

Natural Language Processing

Parallel and Distributed Computing

Robotics

JCU

February - June

Advanced Databases and Applications

Object-Oriented Software Engineering

August - November

Topics in Computer Science Theory (Cryptography)

Algorithms and Complexity

Topics in Systems and Networks

Computer Graphics Principles

These offerings may vary; contact the program coordinator for updates.

Students start a thesis project in the third semester. The student selects a thesis topic and presents it to JIM-CS faculty for approval. For UWP students, there will be at least three thesis advisors including one from the home institution and one from the abroad institution. Most theses will be based on a project. Possible types of projects include

developing software to support traditional research projects
developing prototyped software systems for area employers to introduce them to new product areas
analyzing and designing a large, state-of-the-art object-oriented system
evaluating a software development method in industry
performing a comprehensive, publishable survey of a research area

While some thesis work may lead to publications in conferences or journals, publication is not a requirement. The projects are designed to be finished in a single semester, but often students find they need a bit more than one semester to complete them.