Foundations of Computer Science

This semester is recommened for students who want to study fundamental and abstract computer science subjects. This semester is preparing students who are especially interested in a pre-master from the Computer Science Graduate Programme at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). It is the Fontys ICT version of what TU/e refers to as the HBO-TOP minor.

It is possible to do Foundations of Computer Science in the Free Study Area of either semester 4 or 7. The semester does not count as a minor, so it can be combined with a minor or, of course, a pre-master. The logical route is to complete Foundations of Computer Science in semester 4 and one of the four pre-master’s from the Computer Science Graduate Programme (CSE, DSAI, ES, IST) at the TU/e in semester 7.

This semester is a preparation for academia, thus, assessment has been tailored to fit the academic standards. There are weekly courses which may include written assignments in the form of quizzes, exercises or projects for each course. There are also oral or written examinations at the end of the courses. The student should realise that this semester (and the accompanying pre-master) might have a higher study load and abstraction level than some regular bachelor of IT routes.

CSE = Computer Science and Engineering
DSAI = Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
ES = Embedded Systems
IST = Information Security Technology

To participate in a TU/e pre-master please contact the pre-master coordinator in an early stage.

The programme consists of nine separate educational units.

• 1a. Logic & Set Theory (4 credits). Week 1-9 of each semester.
• 1b. Data Science Mathematics (4 credits). Week 10-18 of each semester.
• 2a. Data Structures & Algorithms 1 (4 credits). Week 1-9 of each semester.
• 2b. Automata (3 credits). Week 10-18 of each semester.
• 3a. Statistics (4 credits). Week 1-9 of each semester.
• 3b. Decision Theory (4 credits). Week 10-18 of each semester.
• 4a. Functional Programming (2 credits). Week 1-6 of each semester.
• 4b. Synchronization (2 credits). Week 7-12 of each semester.
• 4c. Data Structures & Algorithms 2 (3 credits). Week 13-18 of each semester.

If the final assessment is Unsatisfactory (U) you may repeat the units where you did not receive a passing grade. The grades from completed units will be kept, thus, you do not need to restart the full semester. To be able to repair units alongside other semesters, you need to contact the Exam Board for permission.

Note: previously this semester was known as Academic Preparation. The name Foundations of Computer Science applies from September 2026 onwards.

As there is a lot of programming in this semester, we advise students from to validate that they have sufficient software skills.