Case study

Why did you apply for the MSc CIR/ISR?
It sounded good and interesting. The University of Cyprus offered the same course one year before I went to DMU and since the MSc at the University of Cyprus was 2 years I wanted to be one of the first to graduate in this specific area. Note that the University of Cyprus is affecting and being affected by the trend in working positions in Cyprus.

What did you do before? (i.e. what degree? training? jobs? Where did you live?)
I was living in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus and I've studied mathematics at the University of Cyprus. Two years before I come to the DMU, I was teaching mathematics at a private school as well as in my own tuition.

What were the best things about the course for you, what did you get out of it?
The best thing about the course was the fact that I learned alternative methods for computational problem solving in areas where other mathematical methods were unable to. It was a great experience to connect my degree in mathematics with computational intelligence. Whereas my background in programming was not as strong as other students that had a degree in computer sciences, I obtained many programming skills in general computational directions. The Applied Computational Intelligence module, of the second semester, gave me the opportunity to concentrate more in specific areas of computational intelligence; in my case in Genetic Algorithms and evolutionary computing.

What do you plan to do next (or what are you doing if you've already finished).?
In Cyprus the chance to work in the specific area is very low. At the moment I'm teaching mathematics (due to my first degree), but I applied for a PhD in Computational Intelligence, in particular on genetic algorithms. However, holding a PhD in the specific area gives the opportunity to someone to work in an academic position at a College or a private University or even the University of Cyprus. I believe the development of computational intelligence departments will rise up soon, since the University of Cyprus started to offer he same MSc program two years ago. A proof of this is the Computational Intelligence department at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics.

Would you recommend the course to future applicants?
For applicants from countries that have already departments where they may work I recommend the course definitely. For applicants from countries like Cyprus, where it is expected that opportunities in this specific area will develop, I recommend the course so they can "blaze the trail" at a promising area of science.

What advice would you give them before they start?
The first semester may seem to be a little bit disappointing, however as you move at the second semester you start realizing things better, you will realize that it's amazing.