Minors | Guild of Automation and Systems Technology

Welcome to read AS's own minor guide book! The guide was created by other guild members, and is based on their experiences from various studies.

For this, many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this creation.

The most popular minors have just been added to the guide, and if you have a minor that is not on the list, please let the master of studies know (opintomestari at as.fi). In addition, other feedback, correction suggestions and unnecessary wishes are always welcome.

The guide was originally created according to the 2022 - 2024 curriculum, so take into account that, for example, course names may have changed.

Curriculum: 2022-2024Link to the minor's website

The Bioinformation Technology (BioIT) minor in English provides an introduction to various topics that are relevant in the field of bioinformatics and similar fields. Such topics include physiology and cell biology, biophysics, machine learning, statistical tests, electronic circuits, organic chemistry, and more. It should be noted that the minor in English is organized in a more hands-off fashion than other English minors, since some courses such as NBE-C2201 Physiology and ELEC-C8722 Molecular and Cell Biology are available in English, but only offer lectures in Finnish, thus requiring adequate time for self-learning.

Why should this minor be chosen and how does it support major studies?

The minor itself is fairly different from other ELEC curricula, but it serves as an interesting sidegrade from standard ELEC education and more common minors such as Computer Science. Courses from these fields are available in this minor, such as ELEC-C9600 Electronic Circuits and CS-C3240 Machine Learning, as well as the mathematics course MS-C1620 Statistical Inference. As such, the BioIT minor incorporates many concepts that should be familiar to most engineering students, while also introducing them to more minor-specific topics such as physiology, cell biology, and biophysics. If you're considering a minor that blends familiar engineering topics with a unique focus on biology, then this minor might just be the one for you.

What master's programs does the minor enable?

One of the biggest incentives for taking the BioIT minor is that it enables you to take the Life Science Technologies master's programme, which contains six different study tracks. Most of these tracks contain several study paths of their own, and contain quite a bit of overlap in their first-year curricula. Certain tracks require certain courses to be taken in the minor during bachelor's studies, with many of them requiring Machine Learning, for example.

Bioinformatics & Digital Health (SCI) - focuses on data analytics, data science/CS, and machine learning in the context of working with biological
Biomedical Engineering (SCI) - focuses on physics, data science, and technology in the context of biological systems & medical technology
Biosensing & Bioelectronics (ELEC) - focuses on electrical & material technologies used in biosensors and bioelectronics
Biosystems & Biomaterials Engineering (CHEM) - adapts chemical engineering knowledge in the context of biological phenomena and material production
Complex Systems (SCI) - focuses on mathematical computations and biological networks to concentrate on complex systems such as the human brain and various biological and social systems
Human Neuroscience & Technology (SCI) - focuses on building a conceptual background for understanding the human brain and technologies associated with researching and analyzing it

What minor courses are recommended?

For the English-language implementation of the minor. It should also be noted that the English implementation of this minor requires the student to take NBE-C2103 Biophysics II: Light & Imaging, as opposed to NBE-C2101 Biophysics, which is only offered in Finnish. However, to my knowledge, the content of the two courses doesn't overlap that much, and a baseline understanding of physics/mechanics should suffice as a prerequisite, along with first-year mathematics and programming skills.

CS-C3240 Machine learning - a prerequisite for several tracks of the Life Science Technologies master's programme. Introduces ML programming in Python with Jupyter notebooks and offers practice with Pandas dataframes and other important packages. Only prerequisite is basic programming skills, and it only lasts one period.
MS-C1620 Statistical Inference - a less math-heavy and more theory- and writing-heavy statistics course compared to the first-year probability and statistics course, less calculations and more programming and testing. Teaches students about various tests used in statistics, and assignments often consist of interpreting scenarios, running suitable tests and drawing conclusions from said scenarios. The first-year Introduction to probability and statistics course is a prerequisite, and basic programming knowledge helps as well when learning to use R.
CHEM-C1220 Principles of General and Organic Chemistry - Haven't taken this one, but it consists of basic laboratory work, writing and balancing chemical equations, and understanding reactions, bonds, and the periodic table. The only prerequisite is a lab safety course (either CHEM-A1010 or CHEM-E0140), and this course also only lasts one period.

Curriculum: 2022-2024Link to the minor's website

Computer science

Why should this minor be chosen and how does it support major studies?

Computer science is an extremely versatile field that is useful in virtually every discipline related to engineering. This enables bachelors' students to gain more perspective on courses that they are required to take, like Basic Course in C programming, Object oriented programming with C++, Data Structures and Algorithms, by understanding the theoretical knowledge underlying them. Furthermore, there are courses like Web Software Development and Machine Learning D that provide different perspectives on their future work and enable students to use these features to enhance their future project work.

What master's programs does the minor enable?

This minor is required to transfer to various majors in the Master's Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences (CCIS). More specifically, it is required to transfer to the majors of:

Computer Science SCI3042
Human-Computer Interaction SCI3097
Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence SCI3044
Security and Cloud Computing SCI3084
Software and Service Engineering SCI3043

What minor courses are recommended?

Human-Computer Interaction
Web Software Development
Programming Parallel Computers D,
Machine Learning D
Programming 2
Software Engineering

Curriculum: 2022-2024Link to the minor's website

Mathematics is a very flexible minor, where you are free to choose to study as proof-based pure mathematics or as practical as you like. Our math department offers a wide range of courses which lead to the main 3 modern areas of math studies: algebra, analysis, and topology. If you find some of the courses interesting, you might as well consider pursuing a math minor.

Why should this minor be chosen and how does it support major studies?

Most of the mandatory mathematics courses are computational in nature. Beyond the scope of them, sometimes there is a lack of intuition or a gap in abstract understanding when we encounter certain concepts in major studies. Some examples include Fourier Transform in Signals and Systems, Complex Variables in Electronics, and Advanced Linear Algebra concepts in Photonics, to name a few. Understanding why things are the way they are certainly helps build a solid foundation.

What master's programs does the minor enable?

None. For Master's Programme in Mathematics and Operations Research, Aalto students in the field of technology are eligible without any prerequisites. However, it makes sense to do this master's program when you have a more mathematical background.