General Programme How to enroll? What is Applied Computer Science? Our Bachelor of Applied Computer Science offers two English-taught semester programmes, one in autumn and one in spring. It is possible to combine them into a full academic year as they are different in content, except Cultural and Socio-economic Introduction to Belgium, that can only be taken once. The Applied Computer Science programme, in line with Howest’s strong practical, talent-driven focus, include lectures as well as learning-by-doing. Integration with local and other international students will be done by working on different projects where teamwork, international communication and co-operation is facilitating. Company and organisation visits will be arranged in order to familiarise students with the Belgian corporate culture. This English-taught semester is organised by our Bachelor of Applied Computer Science. This programme is only available in English! What makes this semester unique? The international semester is aimed at both bachelor's students and graduates from the field of computer science. This semester will add value to your degree and career opportunities by strengthening not only your technical IT competences but also your team-working and communication skills. Prerequisites Minimum 2 successfully completed semesters or an equivalent of 60 ECTS in a Bachelor programme in the domain of Computer Sciences. For the Spring Semester you should have some preknowledge about computer hardware, be familiar with building blocks of programming languages and know the fundamentals of web (html, css and javascript). If you want to take electives, an intake interview is mandatory to check your preknowledge. Click here for Howest language expectations. All students should bring their own laptop, with the following minimum requirements: 16GB RAM memory, SSD hard disk, i5 processor with VTX and a 64-bit architecture. More details can be found on www.howest.be/laptops The link of each course in the course overview below mentions any specific software necessary for the course unit. Howest applies a very strict policy on the use of legal software. Course overview ETS I (autumn) The standard programme consists of the courses marked with *** and **. Cultural & socio-economic introduction to Belgium marked with *** is mandatory. The other courses, marked with **, can only be replaced by the elective courses part of the English Taught Bachelor Applied Computer Science mostly from the major Cyber Security after an online intake interview and a positive advice. As we have the experience that the elective courses are quite difficult for some exchange students, we want to make sure you have the required prior knowledge. No intake interview is needed if you apply for the standard programme. Cultural & socio-economic introduction to Belgium (3ECTS) *** You will learn about Belgian and Flemish culture (history, architecture, literature, music, ...), political structure and socio-economic data, all in comparison to the socioeconomic data of your home country. This course includes a survival course Dutch, a cultural and historical walk through Bruges, and if possible, also a visit to the Parlamentarium and the European Parliament in Brussels and an additional visit specifically linked to the English-taught semester you follow. - History of Flanders & Belgium - Political system in Belgium & Europe - Belgian Economy - Health & Wellfare system in Belgium - Crash course Dutch Read more Project (6ECTS) ** The student completes a project by a given non-technical briefing as a group assignment with other students. Read more Computer Architectures & Operating Systems (6ECTS) ** This course is all about the hardware of the computer, the operating system on the computer and working with IT software from a point of view of a poweruser to execute different kind of tasks. The power user has administrator or root privileges on the OS and has only that pc. Hardware: - Introduction to number systems, computer parts, bios, troubleshooting, ... - Different types of computers - Electronic components and logic functions in a circuit OS: - Introduction to operating systems and virtualisation - Basic administration- and automatisation tasks in Windows & Linux - Use the systemtasks in the CLI & GUI Read more Cyber Security Fundamentals (3ECTS) ** Cybersecurity Introduction and Overview Cybersecurity Concepts Security Architecture Principles Security of Networks, Systems, Applications and Data Incident Response Security Implications and Adoption of Evolving Technology Guest Speakers about cybersecurity subjects Read more Programming Fundamentals (6ECTS) ** Control structures: sequencing, selection and iteration Variables and data types Algorithms and data structures: 1 and 2 dimensional lists Functions: arguments, parameters and return values, complexity Software Design: decomposition, divide and conquer Algorithms and data structures: binary and linear search in a list Testing: make use of unit testing Basic version control Read more Web Development Fundamentals (6ECTS) ** Creating web applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScriptPART 1: HTML & CSS Developing websites with semantic and valid HTML5 A plethora of tags, such as the semantic containers, lists, navigation elements, forms, tables and many others are taught in order to translate text to a logical HTML structure. Modern CSS techniques that will effortlessly translate into responsible design, most notably by deep knowledge of box model. All CSS properties required to design and develop a contemporary web application Leveraging CSS selectors (novice, intermediate and advanced) for efficient coding Flex Integrating automated tools to validate the end result and emphasising code quality PART 2: JavaScript Scripting for web applications following the latest ECMA script standards Application of: variables and scope if, switch, while, for Functions And Arrays Objects and JSON DOM selection Event handling ( binding, this ) Higher order functions Handling user input Local / session storage Arrow functions Timers and intervals in practice, simulated in real world cases.GENERAL (apples to all course components): Code is developed with cross browser & cross device equivalent behaviour in mind. Code quality is a large part of the course. Several best practices as well as "Don't"s will be handled by means of examples. Working with git is an integral part of this course, for completing exercises and handing in assignments Read more Databases Fundamentals (3ECTS) Introduction: database, database system, relational database system, SQL SQL: read, insert, update and delete data Making a relational data model using normalization SQL: implementation of the relational data model Read more Problem Solving (3ECTS) Review of algebra and precalculus Set theory and logic Logarithms, functions and graphs Introduction to cryptography (modular arithmetic) Affine cipher, hash functions and RSA Techniques from linear algebra Introduction to codes and linear codes Read more AI and Business Fundamentals (3ECTS) Artificial Intelligence Introduction to AI and AI Solutions to support the business processes. Digital Economy History Digital Economy / Overview IT Landscape / IT Business models / Job market: IT profiles / Cryptocurrencies (blockchain) & Fintech / Current topics Digital Business & Process Management Definition Process thinking & company structures / Introduction to business software: ERP, CRM, WMS, ... / Most important business processes in a business are discussed: Finance, Purchase, CRM & Sales, Production, HR, Project management, Business Intelligence, ... Cases for each process are executed in Odoo (open source ERP) Read more Operating Systems Concepts (3ECTS) General Operating Systems Concepts - Introduction to different operating systems - Process Management & Scheduling - Memory management - Network Management - User management - File manager - Functionality management (Packages/Features) - OS-level Virtualization (with intro Docker) - ... Conceptual differences between Unix/Linux & Windows - Computer history - Examples and implementation of the various general concepts - Introduction to the Linux/Unix philosophy - Introduction to Windows server (Active Directory) concepts - ... Read more Information Modeling & Exchange (3ECTS) You create the appropriate documents using the correct methodology for the analysis of a company request or need. Design of an information model for data based on the application and structure of data. Designs of the technical interfaces and communication channels for communication between a technical person an an IT system or between IT systems and components. Read more Web Pentesting Advanced (3ECTS) Web Pentesting Advanced continues where Web Pentesting Fundamentals has stopped and expands into a wider field of topics. Read more Object Oriented Architectures and Secure Development (6ECTS) Object oriented programming: SOLID Secure Development (Oracle's Secure Coding Standards) High-quality development: design patterns and unit testing Software architectures: 3-layered model, multi-layered model, client-server Java-application with GUI Java-application with persistency (file and database) Java-application with sockets communication (network) Capita selecta of advanced topics. Read more Data Analytics (3ECTS) Statistics - Descriptive statistics - Probability - Probability distributions Data Mining / Machine Learning - Regression - Classification - Clustering Read more Web Technology, Security and Honeypot (6ECTS) Working with different types webservers (Apache, NGINX, IIS) Setup of a webserver: request & response model HTTPS Authentication Use of modern server side scripting technologies Security aspects of a webserver Security aspects of a modern web application Advanced web techniques Security OWASP top 10 Read more Datacenter Virtualization (3ECTS) SAN / NAS Windows storage management Server Virtualisation (ESXi) Hyper-V KVM Datacenter Deployment Read more Windows and Linux Server Security (3ECTS) Linux Different Linux distros and shells Network configuration / firewalling (eg iptables, ...) Authentication (eg NSS, PAM, ... ) Other security techniques (eg SELinux, ...)Windows Windows Server Auditing and Logging (eg audit GPOs, ...) Update management (eg WSUS, ...) Security (eg Bitlocker, ...) Mixed Linux/Windows environments (eg Powershell on Linux, Linux in AD, ...) Read more Network Infrastructure Security (3ECTS) Knowledge of possible security problems (incl. data privacy) related to an IT solution or system in an organisation will be indetified. - actors, stakeholders and external systems that will integrate with the to-be developed IT system. - exceptional situations (necessity of a monitoring system) of an IT-solution/system. - necessary IT components and solutions in an IT system. IT component - adaptive design - installation / configuration Read more Security Management, Threat and Risk Assesment (3ECTS) Requirements and risk management System model Security objectives Risk assessmentThreats: attacker model Attack patterns: CAPEC, MAEC, ... Threat modeling: STRIDE-LM, LINDDUN, DREAD, ... Threat intelligence: Pyramid of pain, Lockheed Martin Kill chain, Diamond, ATT&CK (incl ICS), CAR, CAPEC, CWE, CVE, OWASP, ...Mitigations: Defense model Security controls Security and data protection by design Incident responseCompliance and governance Frameworks: ISO 27K, COBIT, COBIT Risk, COBIT Information Security, NIST SP 800.53, NIST CSF, CMMI, CIS, PCI DSS, ... Legal: GDPR, LED, NIS, EIDAS, E-privacy, EU cybersecurity act, PSD2, PNR, ... Security organisation and conclusionsCase study Threat identification (information security and data protection) Threat risk assessment Controls Read more Cryptography and Blockchain (5ECTS) Cryptography algorithms Theory: Galois, prime numbers, Fermat, Euclidean Symmetric block ciphers : Feistel, DES , AES , ... Symmetric ciphers mode of operation: ECB, CBC, CFB, OFB, XTS-AES, GCM, CCM, KW Hashing: SHA2, SHA3, perceptual hashing, ... Random numbers: TRNG, PRNG, ANSI X 9.17 Stream ciphers: RC4, others, ... Asymmetric cyphers : RSA , Diffie-Helman , El-Gamal, ECC , ... Data integrity algorithms : Hash functions , MAC , DSA, ECDSA, RSA-PSS, ... Mutual trust : Distribution of keys , X.509, PKI , ...Applying crypto Cryptography protocols Cryptography applications: files, messages, databases, disks, e-id Achieving privacy in a distributed network Use of crypto in bitcoin and blockchain Modern crypto / blockchain / distributed: secret sharing, secure multiparty, post quantum, homomorphic, attribute based / identity based encryption, electronic voting, light-weight crypto, zero-knowledge proof, oblivious RAM, blockchain Differential privacy and other privacy preserving methods: PPDM, PPDP, PPML, federated learningCryptanalysis Crypto libraries Crypto guidelines Using Python modules to apply these concepts Read more IT Governance (3ECTS) Read more Emergent Security Techniques (3ECTS) In this course, we’ll look at a number of innovative and emergent subjects within the security domain: 1. Industrial security Introduction to industrial control systems Introduction to PLC programming Industrial fieldbus protocols Security and auditing techniques for industrial installations 2. Cyber artificial intelligence The history of AI Basic concepts Practical methods Applications in intrusion detection 3. Software Defined Radio Introduction to radio communication Analog data radio communication Digital data radio communication 4. Near-Field Communication (NFC) Introduction to NFC Security risks of NFC Read more Course overview ETS II (spring) The standard programme consists of the courses marked with *** and **. Cultural & socio-economic introduction to Belgium marked with *** is mandatory. The other courses, marked with **, can only be replaced by the elective courses part of the English Taught Bachelor Applied Computer Science mostly from the major Cyber Security after an online intake interview and a positive advice. As we have the experience that the elective courses are quite difficult for some exchange students, we want to make sure you have the required prior knowledge. No intake interview is needed if you apply for the standard programme. Cultural & socio-economic introduction to Belgium (3ECTS) *** You will learn about Belgian and Flemish culture (history, architecture, literature, music, ...), political structure and socio-economic data, all in comparison to the socioeconomic data of your home country. This course includes a survival course Dutch, a cultural and historical walk through Bruges, and if possible, also a visit to the Parlamentarium and the European Parliament in Brussels and an additional visit specifically linked to the English-taught semester you follow. - History of Flanders & Belgium - Political system in Belgium & Europe - Belgian Economy - Health & Wellfare system in Belgium - Crash course Dutch Read more International Project (6ECTS) ** Participation to the international project held at Howest. The project is multi disciplinairy and the topic is in the domain of business and IT. Read more Object Oriented Programming (6ECTS) ** Classes and Objects Objects and Equality Objects and order Algorithms and data structures: Collections Software Design: turn a text into an OO design and an OO program Polymorphism, inheritance and interfaces Exception handling Testing: write and use unit testing Algorithms and data structures: trees, traversal and search Basic version control Read more Web Development Essentials (3ECTS) ** Advanced JavaScript techniques Server-side scripting Cascading Style Sheets Read more Web Pentesting Fundamentals (3ECTS) ** Web Pentesting based on the OWASP top 10. - Fingerprinting - XSS - SQLi - ... Read more Application Prototyping (3ECTS) ** The student is able to produce a software solution concept based on a minimal non-technical briefing. The student is expected to conduct both functional as well as non-functional analysis. This entails: Flow charts Use cases, use case diagrammes and their companion user stories and example mapping High level software modelling by application of context, deployables and component diagrammes Producing clickable wireframes Ethical design in software solutions, based on given philosophies Read more Computer Networks (6ECTS) ** - Introduction (terminology, types of computer networks, network components etc.) - Usage of a NOS (network operating system) - Network models and protocols - Network access (wired vs wireless) - Ethernet - Network layer - Transport layer - IP addressing and subnetting - Application layer - Network security - Static routing - VLAN - NAT Read more Server System Management (6ECTS) Windows Server Lab - Installation and configuration of a (virtual) Windows network (domain model) - Querying, entry, adapting and removing Active Directory information using a GUI & Windows PowerShell cmdlets - Installation, configuration en usage of server roles on a server in a domain model (file server, DHCP server, DNS server, web server...) - Users and Group maintenance in a domain model - Setting up share- & NTFS-permissions on shared folders - Configuring users and computers through Group Policies - Introduction and exploration of the Microsoft Azure platform - Scripts Linux Server Lab - Command line principles - Working with files & directories - Archiving and compression - Pipes & redirection - Managing packages & processen - Network Services configuration (incl. SSH, DHCP & DNS) - Managing users and groups - Ownership & permissions (including sudo) - Special permissions, links & file locations - Scripts - Network Booting (PXE) Read more Network and System Pentesting (3ECTS) Reconnaissance Scanning Enumeration System Hacking Sniffers Password Auditing Hacking Wireless Networks Pivoting Post Exploitation Read more Forensic Analysis (3ECTS) The forensic process Hard Drives - hardware details Volumes analysis File systems Application level forensics Windows registry forensics Data Recovery Secure data-removal Data Hiding, steganography Anti-Forensic tools Read more .NET Technology Fundamentals (3ECTS) .NET Ecosystem C# Fundamentals and OO Libraries creating consuming LinQ Entity Framework Web Application viewmodels forms and taghelpers sessions master/view sections Security identity OAuth Read more Practical Reverse Engineering and Malware Analysis (3ECTS) Computerhardware & Operating Systems Recap Basic Static Basic Dynamic Advanced Static Advanced Dynamic Malware Overview Reverse Engineering Exploit Development Read more Data Privacy and IT Law (3ECTS) Study of the most important legal points of interest - Intellectual Property - Electronic commerce - Law of obligations & in detail IT contracts - Proof and electronic signature - Open source software - Privacy and data processing - Camera legislation - Computer crime law Read more Cybercrime (3ECTS) The course covers the following topics: General law in Belgium Judicial organisation Police forces in Belgium Criminal law and criminal proceedings International computer crime Relevant legislation Cybercrime law Law of the electronic economy E-privacy Directive KSZ Cybersquatting Typical forms of cybercrime Cyberbullying Child pornography Internet fraud Read more Mobile Security (3ECTS) Securing and pentesting of mobile (web) applications. Android: (adb, root, inspect apk's, ...) General: Code obfuscation, Malware, ... Read more Course unit descriptions for this study programme Welcome international students! Discover everything you need to know about Howest. Read more How to apply Procedures, deadlines and tuitions: you will find all the information here. Read more Programme in pictures Register now! Have you decided? We look forward to welcoming you to our Howest community! You can find all information about registering via the link below. Apply now FAQ If you still haven't found what you are looking for, feel free to contact us. Corneel Theben Tervile International Coordinator Contact What laptop and other hardware do I need? In the case you buy a laptop through Howest, you can look here which laptop is recomended by your course. In the case you already own a laptop or wish to buy a new one yourself, it needs to qualify to the same specifications. Can I study abroad in this program? Would you like to study abroad for a semester? Or are you interested in an international internship? You can! You will discover all the opportunities to go abroad within Howest on this page. During your studies, we will work together to make your international adventure a reality! What prior knowledge do I need? Prior computer science knowledge is useful, but not a necessity. If you still want to prepare a bit, there is our introductory course on programming and web, but this content is also covered in the lessons. For maths, we expect you to have had at least 4 hours of maths per week in secondary school. If this is not the case, the entry-level maths courses are recommended. In order to help you further, we also set up monitor sessions during the academic year. Is Applied Computer Science theoretical? Or rather very practical? We take the term applied in Applied Computer Science very literally. As a professional bachelor, you are meant to understand things to some extent but the absolute added value is in executing and doing! The many project work, the many working lectures and labs prove that you get to work yourself. We therefore believe that passion and motivation is the key to success. The euphoric feeling after all the hard work of a project is therefore not to be underestimated. The further you progress in the course, the more the importance of practical tasks comes to the fore. At the very end, there is then the icing on the cake with the internship. From which fields do most of the students come from? Is the course feasible if I did not get computer science in high school? Most students come from science disciplines in ASO or from computer science and accounting-informatics in TSO. Didn't have computer science? No problem. Do you want to prepare yourself a bit before classes start anyway? Then take one of the introductory courses in programming or web. There are also entry-level maths courses if you have had less than 4 hours of maths in secondary school. How does TI at Howest excel over other professional bachelors in computer science? We use state-of-the-art development techniques from day one. Our code AND projects are managed by market leaders in the field. We always follow the principles of Continuous Development & Integration. This helps us build a true DevOps culture, and embrace new technology such as GitHub Copilot and chatGPT, for example. In the early years, the focus is mainly on using these capabilities, but later we build on this to integrate everything and also set it up ourselves. We also differentiate ourselves by offering our specialisation domains. For instance, we are a market leader in cybersecurity and offer a full-fledged Artificial Intelligence (AI) graduate course. In the Software Engineering track, a lot of innovative development technologies are covered and the DevOps story can be fully explored. In addition, the unique Web3 track teaches you to set up software securely and distributed (democratically), as well as to provide the principles of digital ownership and identity in existing applications.