The world around us is becoming more and more complex. A small change in one variable can have a significant impact, resulting in e.g. traffic jams, a sudden epidemic or a financial crisis. Complex Systems are often the driving force behind these phenomena. As a whole they possess characteristics which cannot be deducted simply from its individual parts, but only from the way in which these are combined together. Predicting a traffic jam is e.g. hardly possible by only studying the behavior of individual drivers. The whole is bigger than the sum of its parts.
The profile Complex Systems is an interdisciplinary profile for ambitious students from different Master’s programmes, who want to work on modelling solutions within the field of Complex Systems. The profile gives you the opportunity to broaden your view and knowledge from an interdisciplinary angle and widens your opportunities for further development. It prepares you for a career in interdisciplinary fields at, for instance, financial companies
This profile can be fitted into your Master’s programme, 30 EC in total. You will receive a Complex Systems certificate.
In order to qualify for the annotation, the following requirements must be fulfilled:
Courses (15 EC)
Having passed the examinations of two (elective) courses:
- Systems Thinking, Scenarios and Indicators for SD (GEO4-2331; 7,5 EC)
- a choice of one from the following courses:
- Introduction to Complex Systems (WISM484; 7,5 EC)
- Algorithms in finance (WISM410: 7,5 EC)
- Seminar Modelling Health Effects of Ionizing Radiation (WISM409; 7,5 EC)
- Understanding Complexity: Economy and the Planet (NS-MO450M; 7,5 EC)
Research Project (15 EC)
A research project/literature study on a topic in the field of complex systems. Focus should be on interdisciplinary aspects and at least two supervisors from different departments/faculties should be involved. The topic may not correspond with the topic of your Master’s thesis. The topic should be approved by the steering group members of the Foundations of Complex systems focus area who are involved and by the programme director of your Master’s programme. The total number of EC will NOT be increased by completing the Master profile Complex Systems.
If you have questions about the profile, please ask your Master’s programme leader for more information. You can apply for this Master profile by sending an email to the coordinator Complex systems, dr. Arie Staal.
For more information about the research on Complex Systems, look here.
