The Women's Bachelor Programme “Computer Science and Business Administration” and its Consistent Orientation to Practical Training

This paper describes the teaching and learning experiences made at the women's Bachelor degree programme ‘Computer science and business administration’. It focuses on the consistent orientation towards practical experiences. Different courses are described showing the strong emphasis on practical training. One special course is described in more detail: ‘Industrial project’, which is held in both semesters, third and fifth, and where teams of students perform real projects for private clients from industry.It is shown that the entire programme is geared to offer practical experiences as much as possible to the students. After two semesters of teaching foundations of computer science, the students carry out the first industrial project supported jointly with advanced students from the fifth semester. At the fourth semester the students complete their 4-5 months internship, the fifth semester students attend the industrial project again and in the sixth semester the students write their Bachelor thesis, usually at an industrial partner's site. The women-only Bachelor degree programme has started in 2009 and has been developed to a success story since then. Almost all graduates have found a job immediately after the studies, or have continued a subsequent Master programme.