MSE Master of Science in Engineering

The Swiss engineering master's degree


Each module contains 3 ECTS. You choose a total of 10 modules/30 ECTS in the following module categories: 

  • 12-15 ECTS in technical scientific modules (TSM)
    TSM modules teach profile-specific specialist skills and supplement the decentralised specialisation modules.
  • 9-12 ECTS in fundamental theoretical principles modules (FTP)
    FTP modules deal with theoretical fundamentals such as higher mathematics, physics, information theory, chemistry, etc. They will teach more detailed, abstract scientific knowledge and help you to bridge the gap between abstraction and application that is so important for innovation.
  • 6-9 ECTS in context modules (CM)
    CM modules will impart additional skills in areas such as technology management, business administration, communication, project management, patent law, contract law, etc.

In the module description (download pdf) you find the entire language information per module divided into the following categories:

  • instruction
  • documentation
  • examination 
Machine Learning and Data in Operation (TSM_MachLeData)

 

This module presents powerful techniques to manage the lifecycle of machine learning models, covering in particular baseline models, infrastructure (clusters, cloud, edge AI and resource management) and tooling (frameworks), model training and debugging, model evaluation and tuning, data management (sources, storage, versioning, privacy), systems testing (CI/CD) and explainability, deployment (batch, service, edge), monitoring (data drift) and continual learning. Emphasis is placed on practical tools, real use-case scenarios, and the relevant hardware and software platforms.

Additional topics such as business requirements and objectives, project management for ML, team structure, user experience as well as responsible use of ML systems, including sustainable AI, are also considered.

Prerequisites

 

  • Basic knowledge of machine learning, deep learning, data management and data engineering.
  • Good command of an imperative programming language, basic knowledge of Python.
  • Basic knowledge of probability, statistics, linear algebra (vectors, matrices).

 

Learning Objectives

 

  • Recognising the complete lifecycle of machine learning projects, from data requirements to development, deployment, and monitoring.
  • Demonstrating skills in maintaining ML code and data, version and integrate it, and define appropriate environments, with emphasis on practical applications such as data cleaning and preprocessing.
  • Deploying ML models at scale, monitoring their performance and adapting models to changing requirements, with a focus on assessing and adjusting to data drift and shifts in data distribution.
  • Analysing relevant tools and real use-case scenarios, such as real-time services management; critically analysing the implications and applications in practical scenarios.
  • Selecting software and hardware platforms based on the requirements of different scenarios, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the needs and constraints of each.
  • Extracting and integrating insights from guest lectures by industry professionals (subject to availability), demonstrating the ability to interpret expert knowledge from scientific literature and online resources, and applying it effectively to complement their hands-on experience.

Contents of Module

 

  • Brief recap of machine learning and deep learning.
  • Introduction to the lifecycle of a Machine Learning project.
  • Understanding data needs and requirements for ML projects (e.g. versioning, storage, processing, labeling, augmentation, simulation).
  • ML Development: defining the environment, maintaining the ML code, integrating ML code (versioning, evaluation, baselines).
  • ML Deployment: running models at scale (e.g. batch vs online, model compression, cloud / edge deployment), ensuring system availability, monitoring performance, adapting to changes (data distribution shifts, failures, metrics, logging, continual learning).
  • Exploration of tools and real-world scenarios.
  • Overview of relevant hardware and software platforms.
  • Selection of advanced topics such as:
    • Trustworthy AI (incl. regulatory aspects).
    • Guest lecture(s) from industry professionals (subject to availability).
    • Project management and business perspective (e.g. job roles, teams).


Teaching and Learning Methods

 

Classroom teaching; programming exercises using MLOps tools and Python (among others); guest lectures from industry professionals (subject to availability).


Literature

  • Chip Huyen , “Designing Machine Learning Systems: An Iterative Process for Production-Ready Application”, O-Reily, 2022
  • Noah Gift & Alfredo Deza, “Practical MLOps - Operationalizing Machine Learning Models”, O’Reilly, 2021
  • Scientific literature and articles as discussed during the lectures

Download full module description

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