Presentation

Message from the Dean:

Welcome to the Faculty of Informatics of the University of A Coruña, FIC.

Our faculty began its journey in 1986, then dependent on the USC. The creation of the University of A Coruña by Law 11/1989 of 20 July on the organisation of the Galician university system enabled its integration into this new University. Shortly afterwards, in 1993, we moved to our current location in a building on the Elviña Campus, on the outskirts of A Coruña. You can find the history of our Faculty on this Galipedia link.

Currently, the following can be studied at the FIC:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering (we are the only institution in Galicia where students can study all five specialisms set out in the Council of Universities’ recommendations for this degree)
• Bachelor’s Degree in Data Science and Engineering, from the 2019/20 academic year (the only institution in Galicia offering this degree)
• Bachelor’s Degree in Artificial Intelligence, from the 2022/23 academic year (a joint programme between the three Galician universities) with its own specialisation, Smart Society and Business, during the third and fourth years
• Double Degree in Computer Engineering and Data Science and Engineering, from the 2025/26 academic year, a concurrent programme enabling students to obtain two degrees.
• Seven master’s degrees:
  • Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering, which benefits from the direct collaboration of professionals from leading ICT companies in Galicia and enables membership of the Professional Association of Computer Engineers.
  • Master’s Degree in Bioinformatics for Health Sciences, which aims to train researchers and professionals in the field of bioinformatics and bioengineering, with a particular focus on its biomedical aspects.
  • Inter-university Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity (in partnership with the University of Vigo).
  • Inter-university Master’s in High-Performance Computing (with the University of Santiago de Compostela).
  • Inter-university Master’s in Artificial Intelligence (a joint programme between the three Galician universities).
  • Inter-university Master’s in the Internet of Things (a joint programme between the three Galician universities).
  • Inter-university Master’s in Quantum Information Science and Technology (a joint programme between the three Galician universities).

Our commitment to quality is unquestionable, based largely on the research carried out by the groups established at the centre and on a strong relationship with local businesses and technology centres such as CITIC. This relationship facilitates work placements in companies (both as part of the curriculum and outside it) and enables us to organise a regular programme of talks by established IT professionals, many of whom are alumni of our centre. It has also recently led to the launch of the ‘Award for the Best Applied Final-Year Project’, which is supported by five major business groups in our local area.

We are also committed to promoting mobility programmes, which received a significant boost with the introduction of a programme taught in English in the 2015/16 academic year. These mobility programmes include both initiatives under the broader framework of the European Erasmus scheme and bilateral agreements, such as the one we have with the University of South Wales, which enables students who choose this option to complete their degree with a dual qualification – Spanish and Welsh.

We would also like to highlight our commitment to promoting computer science amongst the youngest children, seeking to foster computational thinking amongst as broad a section of the younger generation as possible, not just amongst those who will go on to become IT professionals. With this in mind, we collaborate on events such as Hour of Code, Scratch Day and the First Lego League.

The result is a modern, dynamic and open centre, driven by a desire to excel. We invite you to get to know us and, above all, we extend our warmest regards on behalf of all the students, lecturers and technical, management, administrative and support staff at the FIC.

Dean of the Faculty of Informatics