Science Degrees Online

Admission to the graduate program in epidemiology is governed by the “General Regulations” of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS).

Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:

a) Hold a bachelor’s degree with a specialization or a major (or equivalent) in a field related to epidemiology (e.g. psychology) or a degree in a health profession (medicine, nursing, rehabilitation) with a minimum average of 75% (B+);

b) Demonstrate a good academic performance in previous studies as shown by official transcripts, research reports, abstracts or any other documents demonstrating research skills;

c) Provide a statement of purpose demonstrating ability to write reports, and indicating the career goals and the interests in the proposed research area;

d) Possess competence in a defined list of statistical topics (a self-assessment tool and a non credit self-study course will be available for those who need it, prior to the beginning of courses).

Collaborative Program in Biostatistics at the Master’s Level

The Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine is one of the participating academic units in the collaborative program in biostatistics at the master’s level. For further details, please consult the Biotatistics program.

The Department is also involved in other graduate interdisciplinary programs in medicine and health.

The Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine is located in the Faculty of Medicine and offers a graduate program leading to the Master of Science (MSc) degree in Epidemiology.

The purpose of the program is to provide a scholarly environment for the health sciences community that will stimulate and enhance learning and expand knowledge by conducting research. Graduates are professional experts or consultants who can advice persons and agencies in other fields.

The faculty members of the Department come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds and interests. The Department has an active research program, involving extensive collaborations with other groups, which includes three broad areas:

Etiological Epidemiology;
Social Epidemiology;
Clinical Epidemiology & Health Services Research.

The Department is a participating unit in the following collaborative programs: the biostatistics program (at the master’s level) and the graduate diploma in health services and policy research.

The programs operate within the general framework of the “General Regulations” of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) of the University of Ottawa, which are posted on the FGPS website.

Systèmes d’information / Information Systems
ADM6272 PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS

CSI5114 (COMP 5504) AUTOMATED OFFICE SYSTEMS (3cr.)
Study of office automation and its extension into commerce and marketing. Tools for collaboration, information transformation, data gathering, storage and retrieval, office agents and CSCW, funds transfer, electronic mail systems and messaging, use of WWW. Ergonometric, legal and regulatory aspects, social and economic factors.

CSI5514 (COMP 5504) BUREAUTIQUE (3cr.)
Une étude de la bureautique. Les systèmes de bureautique, réseaux locaux, systèmes de traitement de texte, transferts de fonds, messageries et échanges de documents. La politique économique, sociale et légale des systèmes bureautiques.

CSI5115 (COMP 5503) DATABASE ANALYSIS AND DESIGN (3cr.)
The dimensional and multidimensional data models for data warehousing. Data dependencies and decompostition. Structure and use of data definition and manipulation languages. Database economics, engineering, deployment and evolution. Issues in integrity, security, the Internet and distributed databases. Relationships to decision support systems. Prerequisite: CSI 3317 or equivalent.

CSI5170 (COMP 5800) DISTRIBUTED DATA PROCESSING (3cr.)
Graph- and non-graph-related algorithms in a distributed environment, such as breadth-first-search, selection in a ring, distributed file sorting, etc. Approaches to distributed database managment design: distributed query and update processing, concurrency control, optimal allocation of resources and users, etc. Modelling techniques for distributed systems, such as Petri-nets, etc. Security in a distributed environment.

CSI5180 (COMP 5100) TOPICS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (3cr.)
A programming-oriented introduction to selected topics in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Topics for consideration include: A.I. programming techniques, pattern matching systems, natural language systems rule-based systems, constraint systems, learning systems, and cognitive systems. Assignments will be both (a) programming-oriented, requiring implementation and/or extensions of prototypes in Lisp and/or Prolog and (b) research-oriented, requiring readings of special topics in current A.I. journals.

CSI5386 (COMP 5505) NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING (3cr.)
Definitions, applicatons, challenges, lexicons, thesauri, corpora and other linguistic resources. Morphological analysis; tagging. Selected syntactic theories: phrase structure grammars, unification-based grammars. Parsing techniques: chars, deterministic parsing, logic grammars. Selected semantic representations: logic, logical forms, conceptual graphs, Element of semantic and pragmatic analysis: reference, scope, focus. Elements of statistical language processing and text mining. Introduction to corpus linguistics. Term projects, one on syntax and one on semantics, will be done in Prolog and logic grammars. Prerequisite: CSI 4106 or permission of the program director.

CSI5387 (COMP 5706) DATA MINING AND CONCEPT LEARNING (3cr.)
Data mining as finding associations, clustering, and concept learning. Basic issues of associations and selected concept representations. Introduction to data warehousing. Concept learning viewed as a search problem. Standard concept induction algorithms. The use of neural networks for representing and learning concepts. Knowledge-intensive concept learning. Introduction to the formal theory of concept learnability. Instance-based learning. Selected applications of data mining and concept learning. Prerequisite: CSI 4106 or permission of the program director.

ELG5170 (EACJ 5501) INFORMATION THEORY (3cr.)
Measure of information: entropy, relative entropy, mutual information, asymptotic equipartition property, entropy rates for stochastic processes; Data compression: Huffman code, arithmetic coding; Channel capacity: random coding bound, reliability function, Blahut-Arimoto algorithm, Gaussian channels, colored Gaussian noise and “water-filling”; Rate distortion theory; Network information theory. Prerequisite: ELG 5119 (EACJ 5109) or SYSC 5503 (ELG 5119) or the equivalent.

Gestion de la production / Production Management
ADM6280 CURRENT PRACTICES IN OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT (1.5cr.)

ADM6281 SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT (1.5cr.)
Introduction to supply chain management; overview of its role in the organization as an operational, a strategic, and a competitive tool; role of information systems and technology in supply chain management; managing the flow of materials, and inventory management across the supply chain; developing and maintaining supply chain relationships; future challenges including sharing risks in inter-organizational relationships, managing the global supply chain and design for supply chain management. Prerequisite: MBA 5380 or equivalent for MBA students or EMP 5101 for EMP students.

ADM6282 INTRODUCTION TO QUALITY MANAGEMENT (1.5cr.)

EMP5159 / MCG5159 ADVANCED PRODUCTION PLANNING AND CONTROL (3cr.)
The principles of production management. Methods engineering, manufacturing control. Recording and evaluation of operations. Financial and production planning. Inventory control. Automation. Factory planning.

EMP5169 / MCG5169 ADVANCED TOPICS IN RELIABILITY ENGINEERING (3cr.)
Overview of classical reliability concepts. Fault tree construction and evaluation. Common-cause failure analysis of engineering systems. Human reliability modelling in engineering systems. Human unreliability data banks. Reliability of information and communication systems.

EMP5179 / MCG5179 MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS ANALYSIS (3cr.)
Introduction to manufacturing systems. Manufacturing system selection and cost justification. Analysis of manufacturing operations. Flexible and agile manufacturing. Group technology and cellular manufacturing. Transfer line and assembly line systems. Analysis of material transport and storage systems. Manufacturing Process Planning. Tolerance analysis and Taguchi methods. Design for manufacturing and assembly. Just in time production. Quality function deployment.

Modélisation de la gestion de l’entreprise / Corporate Managerial Modelling
ADM6262 TECHNOLOGY IN THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS (1.5cr.)

ADM6263 TECHNOLOGY ADAPTATION AND INNOVATION IN A CORPORATE ENVIRONMENT (1.5cr.)

MAT5307 (MATH 5804) TOPICS IN OPERATIONS RESEARCH (3cr.)
Systèmes économiques de l’environnement / Environmental Economic Systems
Les systèmes économiques de l’environnement étudient l’impact des décisions en matière de gestion sur l’écosystème. Ce programme est mené conjointement avec plusieurs départements de l’Université et l’Institut de recherche sur l’environnement et l’économie (IREE). Les étudiants de ce domaine sont encouragés à participer aux séminaires et ateliers de cet institut pour parfaire leurs connaissances.

Environmental Economic Systems examines the impact of management decision making on the ecosystem. This study program is carried out in conjunction with several University departments and the Institute for Research on the Environment and Economy (IREE). Students in this area are invited to attend the IREE’s regular seminars, and to participate in workshops as part of their systems study in this area.

ECO6143 (ECON 5803) ECONOMICS OF NATURAL RESOURCES (3cr.)
Elements of dynamic optimization. Microeconomic theory of exhaustible natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable: exploration, development and production. Uncertainty: sources, types, the value of information, informational externalities, search. Optimal jurisdiction over regulation and taxation of natural resources. Canadian case studies. Macroeconomic theory: intergenerational equity, technological substitution and impact upon growth.

ECO6543 ÉCONOMIE DES RESSOURCES NATURELLES (3cr.)
Éléments d’optimisation dynamique. Théorie microéconomique des ressources naturelles épuisables, à la fois renouvelables et non renouvelables : exploration, développement et production. Incertitude : sources, types, valeur de l’information, les externalités liées à l’information, fouinage. Juridiction optimale pour la réglementation et la fiscalité des ressources naturelles. Étude de cas canadiens. Théorie macroéconomique : équité intergénérationnelle, substitution technologique et impact sur la croissance.

ECO6151 (ECON 5804) ECONOMICS OF THE ENVIRONMENT (3cr.)
The environment as natural capital; environmental valuation techniques; elements of environmental income accounting; sustainable development theories and practice; institutional questions and policy issues.

ECO6551 ÉCONOMIE DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT
L’environnement comme capital naturel; techniques d’évaluation environnementale; comptabilité environnementale; théorie et pratique de développement durable; questions institutionnelles et problèmes de politique publique.

GEG5102 RESTRUCTURING AND GLOBALISATION
Advanced analysis of the global systems and their consequences at the international, national, regional and intra-urban scales.

GEG5502 RESTRUCTURATION ET MONDIALISATION
Analyse approfondie des systèmes mondiaux et de leurs conséquences aux échelles internationale, nationale, régionale et intra-urbaine.

GEG6101 DATA ANALYSIS AND MODELLING (3cr.)
Techniques of analysis of empirical data: quantitative, semi-quantitative and qualitative. Multivariate and time-series data analysis.

GEG6103 SPATIAL DATA ANALYSIS (3cr.)
Visualisation and analysis of spatial data: point-pattern analysis, spatial interpolation and estimation, spatial autocorrelation. Analysis of spatial interaction and spatio-temporal dynamics.

GEG6501 ANALYSE DE DONNÉES ET MODÉLISATION (3cr.)
Modes de traitement appropriés à différents types de données empiriques : quantitatives, semi-quantitatives et qualitatives. Examen des méthodes d’analyse multivariées et temporelles.

GEG6503 ANALYSE DES DONNÉES SPATIALES (3cr.)
Visualisation et analyse de données spatiales : analyse de configurations spatiales, interpolation et estimation spatiales, autocorrélation spatiale. Analyse des interactions dans l’espace et de la dynamique spatiotemporelle.

Cotes générales – Science des systèmes / General Codes – Systems Science
SYS5180 TOPICS IN SYSTEMS SCIENCE (3cr.)

SYS7990 PROPOSITION DE THÈSE DE MAÎTRISE / MASTER’S THESIS PROPOSAL

SYS7999 THÈSE DE MAÎTRISE / MASTER’S THESIS
Prerequisite: SYS7990

Systèmes de communications / Communication Systems
ADM6270 SYSTEMS FOR ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

ADM6271 BUSINESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS (1.5cr.)
Concepts of voice, data, image and video communications and their integration into local and long distance networks. Business communication systems examples.

CSI5169 (COMP 5304) WIRELESS NETWORKS AND MOBILE COMPUTING (3cr.)
Computational aspects and applications of design and analysis of mobile and wireless networking. Topics include Physical, Link Layer,Media Access Control, Wireless, Mobile LANs (Local Area Networks), Ad-Hoc, Sensor Networks, Power Consumption optimization, Routing, Searching, Service Discovery, Clustering, Multicasting, Localization,Mobile IP/TCP (Internet Protocol/Transmission Control Protocol) , File Systems, Mobility Models,Wireless Applications. (Cannot be combined for credit with ELG 6168)

CSI5171 (COMP 5303) NETWORK ARCHITECTURES, SERVICES, PROTOCOLS AND STANDARDS (3cr.)
Contemporary network architectures and protocols, with special consideration of telephony and mobility standards. Wireline and wireless network evolution. Telephony features and the feature interaction problem. Intelligent network architecture. Cellular networks and personal communications systems. Seamless network architectures. Mobile data communications. The Open Distributed Processing Reference model and derived architectures. Discussion of sample current architectures and issues, such as General System for Mobile Communication, IEA/TIA 41, Wireless Intelligent Networks, International Mobile Telephony 2000, migration towards the Internet. Prerequisites: No prerequisites except the general maturity and knowledge of data communications principles that should have been acquired by Computer Engineering and Computer Science graduates.

CSI5174 (COMP 5604) VALIDATION METHODS FOR DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS (3cr.)
Review of formal specification and description techniques for distributed and open systems. Verification techniques. Correctness proofs. Verification of general properties of distributed systems. Analysis and relief stragegies. Testing techniques. Test generation strategies. Test architectures.

ELG5103 OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS (3cr.)
Optical communication system concepts and basic characteristics. Optical Transmitters. Optical detection. Optical noise sources and their mathematical models. Non-coherent (direct) detection: system model, direct detection of intensity modulation, application of photo-multiplication, optimal post-detection processing, and subcarrier systems. Coherent detection: heterodyne receivers, the field matching problem and receiver performance. Optical binary digital system, single-mode binary and heterodyne binary systems. Block coded digital optical communication systems: PPM, PAM, PSK, and FSK signalling. Integration of device technology and system architecture. Selected topics in optical communications and networking. Prerequisites: ELG 5119, and ELG 5375 or the equivalents.

ELG5119 (EACJ 5109) STOCHASTIC PROCESSES (3cr.)
Probability. Random variables. Distribution and density functions. Expectation. Functions of random variables. Moments and characteristic functions. Random vectors. Sequences of random variables and convergence. Limit theorems. Stochastic processes: basic notions. Stationarity. Ergodicity. Poisson and Gaussian processes.Second order processes. Representation theorems. Markov processes and chains. Precludes additional credit for SYSC 5503 (ELG 6153).

ELG5122 (EACJ 5202) MODELLING, ANALYSIS AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION IN COMPUTER COMMUNICATIONS (3cr.)
Network performance issues and their mathematical analysis techniques. Intermittently available server model, probing and tree search, delay cycle, switch/network topology and reliability. Analysis of controlled and random access methods, routing allocation/ control, topological design. Selected topics from current literature on various network applications. Precludes additional credit for ELG 7186 (EACJ 5606). Prerequisites: ELG 5120 (EACJ 5200), ELG 5374 (EACJ 5607), or SYSC 5201 (ELG 6121), or the equivalents.

ELG5125 (EACJ 5205) QUALITY OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT FOR MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS (3cr.)
Design principles: layering, protocols, interface; models for open distributed processing; real-time requirement; request-response and stream processing, real-time scheduling, design for performance and scalability; other quality of services issues; user perspective versus system performance parameters, cost/performance trade-off, negotiations; adaptive and mobile applications; examples of multimedia applications and protocols. Prerequisite: ELG 5374 (EACJ 5607) or SYSC 5201 (ELG 6121) or equivalent.

ELG5180 (EACJ 5704) ADVANCED DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS (3cr.)
Techniques and performance of digital signalling and equalization over linear bandlimited channels with additive Gaussian noise. Fading multipath channels: diversity concepts, modelling and error probability performance evaluation. Synchronization in digital communications. Spread spectrum in digital transmission over multipath fading channels. Precludes additional credit for SYSC 5605. Prerequisite: SYSC 5504 or ELG 5375 or the equivalent.

ELG5382 (EACJ 5108) SWITCHING AND TRAFFIC THEORY FOR INTEGRATED BROADBAND NETWORKS (3cr.)
Principles of switching theory. Asynchronous Transfer Mode switching architectures. Principle of teletraffic engineering. Queueing theory and performance evaluation techniques as applied to the study of computer network architectures. Current topics in computer network modelling analysis and traffic control for high-speed multimedia networks. Prerequisite: ELG 5374 (EACJ 5607) or ELG 6121 (SYSC 5201), or the equivalent. Co-requisite: ELG 5119 (EACJ 5109) or ELG 6153 (SYSC 5503) or ELG 6103 (SYSC 5003), or the equivalent.

ELG5375 (EACJ 5506) PRINCIPLES OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATION (3cr.)
Elements of communication theory and information theory applied to digital communications systems. Characterization of noise and channel models. Analysis of digital data transmission techniques for additive Gaussian noise channels. Efficient modulation and coding for relable transmission. Spread spectrum and line coding techniques. Prerequisite: ELG 5119 or SYSC 5503, or the equivalent (may be taken concurrently).

ELG5376 (EACJ 5507) DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING (3cr.)
Review of discrete time signals and systems, A/D and D/A conversions, representation in time, frequency, and Z domain, DFT/FFT transforms, FIR/IIR filter design, quantization effects. Correlation functions. Cepstrum analysis. Multi-rate signal processing. Power spectrum estimation. Introduction to joint time-frequency analysis. DSP architecture: implementation approaches. Applications. Precludes additional credit for Engineering SYSC 5602 (ELG 6162).

ELG5776 (EACJ 5508) TRAITEMENT NUMÉRIQUE DES SIGNAUX (3cr.)
Revue des signaux/systèmes en temps discret, conversions A/N et N/A, représentation en temps, fréquence et domaine Z, transformées DFT/FFT, design filtres FIR/IIR, effets de quantification. Fonctions de corrélation. Analyse cepstrale. Traitement à taux multiple. Estimation de puissance spectrale. Introduction analyse temps-fréquence. Architectures DSP: réalisations. Applications. Préalable : ELG 4172 ou équivalent.

ELG5378 (EAJC 5509) IMAGE PROCESSING AND IMAGE COMMUNICATIONS (3cr.)
Image acquisition, display and perception: sampling and reconstruction, quantization, human vision. Discrete image representations: color spaces, block, subband and wavelet representations. Image transformations, enhancement and restoration. Image analysis: edge detection, motion estimation. Image and video compression: lossless coding, predictive and transform coding, motion compensation. Prerequisite: ELG 5376 or SYSC 5602, or the equivalent.

Génie logiciel / Software Engineering
CSI4106 INTRODUCTION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (3cr.)
Basic concepts and methods of Artificial Intelligence. Representation of knowledge. Natural language processing. Games and search strategies. Planning. Deduction and reasoning. Machine learning. Basic notions of expert systems.

CSI4506 INTRODUCTION À L’INTELLIGENCE ARTIFICIELLE (3cr.)
Concepts et méthodes de base de l’intelligence artificielle. Représentation des connaissances. Traitement du langage naturel. Stratégies de jeux et de recherches. Planification. Raisonnement et déduction. Apprentissage. Notions de base des systèmes experts.

CSI5109 (COMP 5701) SPECIFICATION METHODS FOR DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS (3cr.)
Concepts of process algebras, specially with relation to the specification language LOTOS. Equivalence concepts: observation equivalence, testing equivalence. Data algebras. Rewriting systems. Verification of specifications. Specifications styles. Applications to distributed systems: communications protocols, telephone systems. Related models CSP, CCS, ACP. Relation to temporal logic and model checking.

CSI5110 (COMP 5707) PRINCIPLES OF FORMAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT (3cr.)
Methodologies in formal software specification, development, and verification. The use of theorem proving, automated deduction, and other related formal methods for software correctness. Applications in program verification, mobile code safety, and protocol verification.

CSI5111 (COMP 5501) SOFTWARE QUALITY ENGINEERING (3cr.)
Software quality issues. Quality components and metrics. Software process quality. Software reliability engineering. Software design for testability. Requirements capture and validation. Systematic design validation; grey-box approach, test design, implementation and management, case studies in validation and verification of communications software. Object-oriented design and test. Theoretical aspects.

CSI5112 (COMP 5207) SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (3cr.)
Topics of current interest in Software Engineering, such as software development systems, structured systems analysis and design, management of software, software tools, validation and verification, programming environments.

CSI5118 (COMP 5302) AUTOMATED VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION OF SOFTWARE (3cr.)
Topics in formal test derivation methods, test management, high-level, CASE-based verification and validation, data-flow & control-flow measures and metrics for assessing quality of designs and code, regression analysis & testing. Prerequisite: a four-year undergraduate degree in computer science, computer engineering, or software engineering.

CSI5122 (COMP 5301) SOFTWARE USABILITY (3cr.)
Design principles and metrics for usability. Qualitative and quantitative methods for the evaluation of software system usability: Heuristic evaluation, usability testing, usability inspections and walkthroughs, cognitive walkthroughs, formal usability experimentation. Ethical concerns when performing studies with test users. Economics of usability. Integration of usability engineering into the software engineering lifecycle.

CSI5125 SIMULATION
Topics in modelling and simulation within the context of both discrete and continuous systems. Estimation of model parameters. Experiment design and statistical analysis of simulation results. Distributed simulation. Stiffness and discontinuity handling in continuous system simulation. Artificial Intelligence in modelling and simulation. Validation and quality assurance of simulation models.

CSI5180 (COMP 5100) TOPICS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (3cr.)
A programming-oriented introduction to selected topics in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Topics for consideration include: A.I. programming techniques, pattern matching systems, natural language systems rule-based systems, constraint systems, learning systems, and cognitive systems. Assignments will be both (a) programming-oriented, requiring implementation and/or extensions of prototypes in Lisp and/or Prolog and (b) research-oriented, requiring readings of special topics in current A.I. journals.

CSI5304 (COMP 5602) KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING (3cr.)
Review of basic concepts from artificial intelligence for knowledge engineering. Types of knowledge and knowledge representations. The importance of logic and natural language. Expert systems and other knowledge-based software. Knowledge acquisition tools and techniques. The relation to software engineering. Exercises in knowledge acquisition, representation, and processing will be given.

CSI5307 EXPERT SYSTEMS
Survey of some landmark expert systems; types of architecture and knowledge representation; inferencing techniques; approximate reasoning; truth maintenance; explanation facilities; knowledge acquisition. A project to implement a small expert system will be assigned.

CSI5386 (COMP 5505) NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING (3cr.)
Definitions, applicatons, challenges, lexicons, thesauri, corpora and other linguistic resources. Morphological analysis; tagging. Selected syntactic theories: phrase structure grammars, unification-based grammars. Parsing techniques: chars, deterministic parsing, logic grammars. Selected semantic representations: logic, logical forms, conceptual graphs, Element of semantic and pragmatic analysis: reference, scope, focus. Elements of statistical language processing and text mining. Introduction to corpus linguistics. Term projects, one on syntax and one on semantics, will be done in Prolog and logic grammars. Prerequisite: CSI 4106 or permission of the program director.

CSI5510 (COMP 5707) PRINCIPES DE DÉVELOPPEMENT FORMEL DE LOGICIELS (3cr.)
Une présentation de méthodologies courantes dans les domaines de spécification, développement et vérification de logiciels. Programmes itératifs: la méthode de l’invariant. Programmes récursifs: méthodes inductives. Spécification de logiciels: abstractions procédurelles et de données. Types algébriques abstraits. On mettra l’accent sur les logiciels répartis.

CSI5580 (COMP 5100) SUJETS EN INTELLIGENCE ARTIFICIELLE (3cr.)
Concepts et méthodes de base de l’intelligence artificielle. Représentation des connaissances. Traitement de langage naturel. Stratégies de recherches et de jeu. Action de planification. Déduction et raisonnement. Applications. Programmation en PROLOG.

SYS5100 SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (3cr.)
Controllability and observability, Euler-Lagrange equations, Pontryagin maximum principle, dynamic programming, linear quadratic regulator problem, matrix Ricatti differential equations and properties of their solution, design of optimal regulator based on steady state solution of the Ricatti differential equation, time optimal control, LaSalle bang-bang principle, applications to motor speed control, satellite attitude control, etc. Prerequisites: CSI 1100 and MAT 2341 and (MAT 2324 or MAT 2331) and MAT 2371 and MAT 2375.

SYS5110 / CSI4124 FOUNDATIONS OF MODELLING AND SIMULATION (3cr.)
Fundamental aspects of systems modelling and the simulation process. Elements of continuous system simulation. Issues relating to the numerical solution of ordinary differential equations. Elements of discrete event simulation Generation of random numbers and variates. Simulation validation and quality assurance. Introduction to simulation languages. Prerequisites for Systems Science students: CSI 1100 and MAT 2341 and (MAT 2324 or MAT 2331) and MAT 2371 and MAT 2375.

SYS5120 / MAT4371 APPLIED PROBABILITY (3cr.)
An introduction to stochastic processes, with emphasis on regenerative phenomena. Review of limit theorems and conditioning. The Poisson process. Renewal theory and limit theorems for regenerative processes; Discrete-time and continuous-time Markov processes with countable state space. Applications to queueing. Prerequisites: MAT 2341 and MAT 2371 and MAT 2375.

SYS5130 SYSTEMS OPTIMIZATION AND MANAGEMENT (3cr.)
Analysis of user requirements and model design. Formal methods; algebraic specifications, mathematical, constraint, object-oriented programming; transformations, decompositions, parametrization and model inheritance. Applications to network optimization and management. Prerequisites: CSI 1100 and MAT 2341 and (MAT 2324 or MAT 2331).

SYS5140 / ECO6108 ECONOMIC SYSTEM DESIGN (3cr.)
Introduction to the epistemology of systems thinking and its application to economic systems. Basic concepts of complex systems thinking including hierarchical systems and economic systems simulation and behaviour. Soft systems thinking. Examples from other fields of application will be reviewed from an interdisciplinary perspective. Prerequisites: CSI 1100 and MAT 2341 and (MAT 2324 or MAT 2331) and MAT 2371 and MAT 2375.

SYS5160 SYSTEMS INTEGRATION (3cr.)
Planning, design of complex systems from continuous to discrete time. Synthesis of systems methodology. State estimation. Parameters indentification. Discretization and stochastic effects. Dynamic, logic control. Modelling, discrete event, simulation examples. Prerequisites: Two of the following: SYS 5100, SYS 5110, SYS 5120, SYS 5130, SYS 5140.

Cours au choix / Elective Courses
La liste suivante des cours au choix est agencée pour suggérer des programmes d’études dans les domaines clés de la recherche appliquée en science des systèmes. La description de chaque cours est donnée dans la brochure consacrée à l’unité scolaire qui l’offre.

ADM = Administration
CSI = Informatique
ECO = Science économique
ELG = Génie électrique
EMP = Gestion en ingénierie
GEG = Géographie
MAT = Mathématiques
MCG = Génie mécanique
SYS = Science des systèmes

Les cours durent une session et ont une valeur de 3 crédits, à moins d’une indication contraire. Les cours mentionnés ci-dessous ne sont pas nécessairement offerts chaque année. Les étudiants sont invités à consulter leur conseiller scolaire quant à la sélection du domaine de recherche et des cours au choix, dont les cotes peuvent se rapporter à d’autres unités scolaires de l’Université, par exemple BIO = Département de biologie, SEG = École d’ingénierie et de technologie de l’information.

Note sur les cours préalables: il revient aux étudiants de s’assurer qu’ils satisfont aux préalables des cours au choix qu’ils désirent suivre. Après consultation avec le conseiller scolaire, ils devront, le cas échéant, obtenir la permission des professeurs enseignant ces cours.

The following lists of elective courses are provided as suggested programs of study in key areas of Applied Systems Science. Course descriptions may be found in the listing of the academic unit concerned.

ADM = Administration
CSI = Computer Science
ECO = Economics
ELG = Electrical Engineering
EMP = Engineering Management
GEG = Geography
MAT = Mathematics
MCG = Mechanical Engineering
SYS = Systems Science

Courses last one session and carry 3 credits, unless otherwise noted. The courses listed below are not necessarily offered each year. Students are asked to confer with their academic advisers concerning their area of choice and selection of elective courses, which may have codes related to other academic units of the University, e.g. BIO = Department of Biology, SEG = School of Information Technology and Engineering.

Note on prerequisite courses: It is the students’ responsibility to verify that they have the prerequisites for the elective courses that they wish to take. After consultation with the academic adviser, they may be required to obtain permission from the professors teaching these courses.

Core courses (15 credits):

Four among the following five courses:

SYS5100 SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (3cr.)
SYS5110 FOUNDATIONS OF MODELLING AND SIMULATION (3cr.)
SYS5120 APPLIED PROBABILITY (3cr.)
SYS5130 SYSTEMS OPTIMIZATION AND MANAGEMENT (3cr.)
SYS5140 ECONOMIC SYSTEM DESIGN (3cr.)

and

SYS5160 SYSTEMS INTEGRATION (3cr.)

One elective course (3 cr.)

SYS 7990 Master’s Thesis Proposal

SYS 7999 Master’s Thesis (12 cr.).

The regulations for the thesis and for the selection of elective coursesare given below.

Thesis Proposal (SYS 7990)
Candidates registered for the MSc degree must submit to the program committee, by the middle of their first session of registration in the MSc program, a clearly defined research proposal that has been approved by their thesis director. Approval of the proposal must normally be obtained by the end of the session. A student must register in the Master’s Thesis (SYS7999) in the session immediately following the approval of the proposal. A student whose proposal is not approved on the first attempt may be permitted to submit a second proposal. Failure to obtain approval following the second submission will lead to withdrawal from the MSc program. Students required to withdraw from the MSc but who have successfully completed all the core courses are eligible to receive the graduate certificate.

Thesis Committee
Upon submission, the completed thesis will be examined by a committee of at least two professors who are members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

2. MASTER’S IN SYSTEMS SCIENCE - (30 credits)
Students are normally admitted initially to the graduate certificate and are admitted to the master’s in systems science only upon successful completion of the core courses and a positive recommendation from the program committee.

All students must complete 30 credits as follows:

Core courses (15 credits):

Four among the following five courses:

SYS5100 SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (3cr.)
SYS5110 FOUNDATIONS OF MODELLING AND SIMULATION (3cr.)
SYS5120 APPLIED PROBABILITY (3cr.)
SYS5130 SYSTEMS OPTIMIZATION AND MANAGEMENT (3cr.)
SYS5140 ECONOMIC SYSTEM DESIGN (3cr.)

and

SYS5160 SYSTEMS INTEGRATION (3cr.)

Five elective courses (15 cr.)

See “Elective Courses” within the course list for the regulations for the selection of elective courses.

Students enrolled in the Master’s who have successfully completed the core courses (15 credits) and who are not continuing in the Program, may be awarded the Graduate Certificate in Systems Science.

A four-year undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Mathematics, Operations Research, Science or a related area with at least a “B” average is required for admission to the Program.

Undergraduate courses in probability, linear algebra, differential equations and computer programming are prerequisites for the core courses of the Program. Details regarding the level and content of prerequisite courses are included in the information package which is sent to all applicants. If a student lacks any of these courses, he will normally be required to complete them as a condition of admission. Entering students who lack the required undergraduate preparation may be permitted to enter a qualifying program.

Admission is offered either on a full-or part-time basis. Students admitted full-time to the master’s are required to register full-time for three sessions. Specific admission requirements are listed at the beginning of the description of each stream.

Students should specify on the application form whether they are applying for the graduate certificate, the MSc in systems science or the master’s in systems science.

Students are normally admitted initially to the graduate certificate and are admitted to the master’s only upon successful completion of the core courses and a positive recommendation from the program committee.

No equivalencies or advanced standing are granted. A student who has already successfully completed some of the compulsory credits, may be allowed to replace those credits with elective credits. For details, see the general regulations of the FGPS, section B 2.7 c).

Applicants to the MSc in systems science must submit a research outline not to exceed 350 words and clearly select the program with thesis on their application form.

Applicants to the master’s in systems science are invited to include with their application a letter of intent stating their motivation for studying systems science and outlining their preferences for key areas of study in the program. They must clearly select the program without thesis on their application form.

The Systems Science Program provides qualified students with the opportunity for master’s-level study in a broad range of areas that emphasize transdisciplinary work in the context of general systems analysis. The emphasis in Systems Science is on the development of analytical and integration skills for use in the resolution of complex applied problems that require a broad-based perspective.

Many professors in Information Technology and Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics, Administration, Economics, and other disciplines are active in the Systems Science program as instructors, student advisers and thesis directors. Others are interested in ongoing Systems Science activities including the seminar series, and Systems Science applications days. Their areas of research, both theoretical and applied, span a wide variety of fields in operations research, deterministic and probabilistic modelling, optimization, computer science, information systems, control, and economic modelling.
General Information

The graduate program in Systems Science is specially designed for those who are interested in the analysis and modelling (mathematical and computer) of natural and man-made systems. It provides the professional with skills and knowledge required to understand, control, predict and optimize behaviour in a variety of fields from engineering and computer science to management and applied economics. An interdisciplinary program of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, it is supervised by a Committee composed of representatives from the Department of Economics, the School of Information Technology and Engineering, the Telfer School of Management, and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

The Program offers streams leading to three different credentials: a graduate certificate; a master’s in Systems Science; an MSc. Each stream is described separately below. To accommodate part-time students, the core courses are usually offered in the late afternoon or evening.

Systèmes économiques de l’environnement / Environmental Economic Systems
Les systèmes économiques de l’environnement étudient l’impact des décisions en matière de gestion sur l’écosystème. Ce programme est mené conjointement avec plusieurs départements de l’Université et l’Institut de recherche sur l’environnement et l’économie (IREE). Les étudiants de ce domaine sont encouragés à participer aux séminaires et ateliers de cet institut pour parfaire leurs connaissances.

Environmental Economic Systems examines the impact of management decision making on the ecosystem. This study program is carried out in conjunction with several University departments and the Institute for Research on the Environment and Economy (IREE). Students in this area are invited to attend the IREE’s regular seminars, and to participate in workshops as part of their systems study in this area.

ECO6143 (ECON 5803) ECONOMICS OF NATURAL RESOURCES (3cr.)
Elements of dynamic optimization. Microeconomic theory of exhaustible natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable: exploration, development and production. Uncertainty: sources, types, the value of information, informational externalities, search. Optimal jurisdiction over regulation and taxation of natural resources. Canadian case studies. Macroeconomic theory: intergenerational equity, technological substitution and impact upon growth.

ECO6543 ÉCONOMIE DES RESSOURCES NATURELLES (3cr.)
Éléments d’optimisation dynamique. Théorie microéconomique des ressources naturelles épuisables, à la fois renouvelables et non renouvelables : exploration, développement et production. Incertitude : sources, types, valeur de l’information, les externalités liées à l’information, fouinage. Juridiction optimale pour la réglementation et la fiscalité des ressources naturelles. Étude de cas canadiens. Théorie macroéconomique : équité intergénérationnelle, substitution technologique et impact sur la croissance.

ECO6151 (ECON 5804) ECONOMICS OF THE ENVIRONMENT (3cr.)
The environment as natural capital; environmental valuation techniques; elements of environmental income accounting; sustainable development theories and practice; institutional questions and policy issues.

ECO6551 ÉCONOMIE DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT
L’environnement comme capital naturel; techniques d’évaluation environnementale; comptabilité environnementale; théorie et pratique de développement durable; questions institutionnelles et problèmes de politique publique.

GEG5102 RESTRUCTURING AND GLOBALISATION
Advanced analysis of the global systems and their consequences at the international, national, regional and intra-urban scales.

GEG5502 RESTRUCTURATION ET MONDIALISATION
Analyse approfondie des systèmes mondiaux et de leurs conséquences aux échelles internationale, nationale, régionale et intra-urbaine.

GEG6101 DATA ANALYSIS AND MODELLING (3cr.)
Techniques of analysis of empirical data: quantitative, semi-quantitative and qualitative. Multivariate and time-series data analysis.

GEG6103 SPATIAL DATA ANALYSIS (3cr.)
Visualisation and analysis of spatial data: point-pattern analysis, spatial interpolation and estimation, spatial autocorrelation. Analysis of spatial interaction and spatio-temporal dynamics.

GEG6501 ANALYSE DE DONNÉES ET MODÉLISATION (3cr.)
Modes de traitement appropriés à différents types de données empiriques : quantitatives, semi-quantitatives et qualitatives. Examen des méthodes d’analyse multivariées et temporelles.

GEG6503 ANALYSE DES DONNÉES SPATIALES (3cr.)
Visualisation et analyse de données spatiales : analyse de configurations spatiales, interpolation et estimation spatiales, autocorrélation spatiale. Analyse des interactions dans l’espace et de la dynamique spatiotemporelle.