Programme

Computing Stream

If you have a computing background and you are interested in the technical aspects of data protection, data governance, cybersecurity and AI, the computing stream is the right pathway for you. Please double-check here the entry requirements for this stream.

Computing stream students will complete the first year at DCU, gaining an introduction to the main topics related to law, data and AI. Students in Study Tracks A and B will spend both semester 3 and 4 in AU or ULE. These students will specialise in either data governance (Study Track A, taught in French and offered by AU), cybersecurity (Study Track B, taught in Spanish and offered by ULE). Students in Study Tracks C and D will spend semester 3 focusing on either fundamental rights and sustainability (Study Track C, taught in English and offered by EUR), or global digital regulation (Study Track D, taught in English and offered by FGV). In semester 4, they will focus on human-centric and accountable AI and complete your dissertation at UNIPI (no prior knowledge of Italian is required as modules are taught in English).

Please click on the tabs below for a detailed description of the programme:

Study Stream

Computing

Year

1

Area of Specialisation

Introduction to Law, Data and Artificial Intelligence

Partner University

Dublin City University

Language

English

Summer Period

Optional language module (non credit-bearing)

English for Academic Purposes (3 weeks; 20 hours per week; offered in August at DCU)

Semester 1

Compulsory modules (30 ECTS)

  1. Professional and Research Practice (10 ECTS)
  2. EU Data Protection Law (10 ECTS)
  3. Data Management and Visualisation (10 ECTS)

Optional language modules (5 ECTS; non-contributory)

  1. Advanced English Language Skills 1 (5 ECTS)
  2. Intermediate French Language Skills 5 (5 ECTS)
  3. Intermediate Spanish Language Skills 5 (5 ECTS)

Semester 2

Compulsory modules (20 ECTS)

  1. Artificial Intelligence, Information and Information Seeking (10 ECTS)
  2. Data Governance (10 ECTS)

Optional modules (10 ECTS)

  1. Comparative Digital Law: Privacy, Data and AI (10 ECTS)
  2. Law and Politics of Brexit (10 ECTS)
  3. European and International Human Rights Law (10 ECTS)

Optional language modules (5 ECTS; non-contributory)

  1. Advanced English Language Skills 2 (5 ECTS)
  2. Intermediate French Language Skills 6 (5 ECTS)
  3. Intermediate Spanish Language Skills 6 (5 ECTS)

Summer Period

Compulsory modules (non credit-bearing)

Summer school (organised on a rotating basis by one of the PUs)

Optional modules (non credit-bearing)

Work placement (May-August)

Study Stream

Computing

Year

2

Study Track

A

Area of Specialisation

Data Governance

Partner University

Avignon Université

Language

French

Summer Period

Optional language module (non credit-bearing)

Intensive French Language Course (1 week, 12 hours, offered during the Welcome Week in September at AU)

Semester 3

Compulsory modules (30 ECTS)

  1. Leveraging Private Data (10 ECTS)
    1. Fundamental rights and digital societies (2 ECTS)
    2. Platform economy (2 ECTS)
    3. Digital marketing (1 ECTS)
    4. Gig economy (2 ECTS)
    5. Data discrimination clinic (3 ECTS)
  2. Protecting Data (9 ECTS)
    1. Intellectual property applied to digital activities (3 ECTS)
    2. Economic intelligence and cyberspace (2 ECTS)
    3. Digital Actors (2 ECTS), Digital labour market and portfolio (2 ECTS), Tutorial (2 ECTS)
  3. Analysing data (11 ECTS)
    1. Big data and visualisation (indexation, research, OLAP) (3 ECTS)
    2. Sociology of data quality (2 ECTS)
    3. Statistical data services (2 ECTS)
    4. Data visualisation tools (2 ECTS)
    5. Dissertation methodology (2 ECTS)

Optional language module (non credit-bearing)

French as a Foreign language (weekly, 18hrs over the semester at AU)

Semester 4

Compulsory modules (30 ECTS)

  1. Governing Data (9 ECTS)
    1. Corporate data governance (3 ECTS)
    2. Open data project management (2 ECTS)
    3. Digital environmental impact (2 ECTS)
    4. Artificial Intelligence (2 ECTS)
  2. Managing Compliance (5 ECTS)
    1. Digital tax law (2 ECTS) 
    2. Digital risk management (cybersecurity) (1 ECTS) 
    3. Cyberspace and sovereignty (2 ECTS)
  3. Data Analysis Methods (16 ECTS)
    1. Digital humanities and digital methods (3 ECTS)  
    2. AI data exploitation (3 ECTS) 
    3. Inferential statistics (2 ECTS) 
    4. Dissertation review (2 ECTS)
    5. Internship (4 months) and dissertation (3 ECTS)
    6. Research Project Clinic (3 ECTS)

Optional language module (non credit-bearing)

French as a Foreign language (weekly, 18hrs over the semester at AU)

Summer Period

Compulsory module (non credit-bearing)

Summer school (organised on a rotating basis by one of the PUs)

Study Stream

Computing

Year

2

Study Track

B

Area of Specialisation

Cybersecurity

Partner University

Universidad de León

Language

Spanish

Summer Period

Optional language module (non credit-bearing)

Summer Spanish language courses (offered during the Summer months before the semester at ULE)

Semester 3

Compulsory modules (29 ECTS)

  1. Foundations of Cybersecurity, Cyber Defence and Cybercrime (4 ECTS)
  2. Secure Design and Programming (4 ECTS)
  3. Trustworthy Systems (5 ECTS)
  4. Cryptography (4 ECTS)
  5. Forensic Analysis (4 ECTS)
  6. Security in Cyberphysical Systems (4 ECTS)
  7. Software Analysis I (4 ECTS)

Optional modules (3 ECTS)

  1. Practicum I (3 ECTS)
  2. Industrial Cybersecurity I (3 ECTS)
  3. Deep Learning Foundations (3 ECTS)

Optional language module (non credit-bearing)

  1. Three-month Spanish language courses (offered during the semester)
  2. Reinforcement Spanish language courses (offered during the semester)

Semester 4

Compulsory modules (22 ECTS)

  1. Cybersecurity Law (4 ECTS)
  2. Mobile and Distributed Systems (4 ECTS)
  3. Security Audit (4 ECTS)
  4. New Trends and Research in Cybersecurity (4 ECTS)
  5. Dissertation (6 ECTS)

Optional modules (6 ECTS)

  1. Practicum II (3 ECTS)
  2. Practicum III (3 ECTS)
  3. Foundations of Machine Learning and Cybersecurity Applications (3 ECTS)
  4. Network Modelling and Applications to Cybersecurity (3 ECTS)
  5. Software Analysis II (3 ECTS)
  6. Authentication Technologies (3 ECTS)
  7. Industrial Cybersecurity II (3 ECTS)
  8. Machine Learning Applied to Cybersecurity and Cybercrime (3 ECTS)

Optional language modules (non credit-bearing)

  1. Three-month Spanish language courses (offered during the semester)
  2. Reinforcement Spanish language courses (offered during the semester)

Summer Period

Compulsory module (non credit-bearing)

Summer school (organised on a rotating basis by one of the PUs)

Study Stream

Computing

Year

2

Study Track

C

Area of Specialisation

Fundamental Rights and Sustainability

Partner University

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Language

English

Semester 3

New study track – all modules are compulsorys (30 ECTS)

  1. Research Practicum (15 ECTS)
  2. Ethics, Technology and the Lawyer (5 ECTS)
  3. Governance and Regulation of Digital Technology (5 ECTS)
  4. AI, Democracy and Fundamental Rights (5 ECTS)

Semester 4

Semester in Università di Pisa (UNIPI) – 30 ECTS

    1. Robotics (6 ECTS) – optional
    2. Social and Ethical Issues in Information Technology (6 ECTS) – optional
    3. Computational Neuroscience (6 ECTS) – optional
    4. Introduction to Quantum Computing (6 ECTS) – optional
    5. Algorithmic Game Theory (6 ECTS) – optional
    6. Continual Learning (6 ECTS) – optional
    7. Laboratory on ICT Startup Building (6 ECTS) – optional
    8. Dissertation (24 ECTS) > Only compulsory module

Study Stream

Computing

Year

2

Study Track

D

Area of Specialisation

Global Digital Regulation

Partner University

FGV Rio Law

Language

English

Semester 3

New study track – all modules are compulsorys (30 ECTS)

  1. Global Personal Data Regulations (10 ECTS)
  2. Digital Platform Governance (10 ECTS)
  3. Research Seminar ‘From Digital Sovereignty to AI Sovereignty’ (10 ECTS)

Semester 4

Semester in Università di Pisa (UNIPI) – 30 ECTS

    1. Robotics (6 ECTS) – optional
    2. Social and Ethical Issues in Information Technology (6 ECTS) – optional
    3. Computational Neuroscience (6 ECTS) – optional
    4. Introduction to Quantum Computing (6 ECTS) – optional
    5. Algorithmic Game Theory (6 ECTS) – optional
    6. Continual Learning (6 ECTS) – optional
    7. Laboratory on ICT Startup Building (6 ECTS) – optional
    8. Dissertation (24 ECTS) > Only compulsory module