Qualification Description
Subject Area: ECONOMICS AND FINANCE
Master’s program: Artificial Intelligence for Business and Finance, 2 semesters (also available as a 4-semester program)
Tuition fees in Sofia University for the academic 2024 / 2025 year
Admission terms: Bachelor or Master’s degree in a major within either of the professional field 3.7. Administration and management and 3.8. Economics. For admission to the Master’s program, candidates appear for an oral interview to state their motivations. The admission score is formed by diploma GPA, grade from the state exam (defense of thesis) and grade from the interview. Admission is in winter term.
1. Focus, Educational Objectives
Main objective of the Master’s program is to educate competent specialists in the applications of the artificial intelligence in business and finance with realization in national and multinational companies, small, medium-sized and start-up companies, scientific and science-educational institutions, and centers with identified needs from developing, integrating, and maintaining business solutions based on artificial intelligence and data science.
Basic educational objectives of the Master’s program relate to the acquiring of current knowledge and skills in accordance with the changing conditions and innovations in science, in the field of business applications of artificial intelligence, processing, analysis and modeling of structured and unstructured sets of data and information. Special focus is on the balanced mastery of classical and modern theoretical concepts, combined with development of applied skills for solving real cases, developed with the support and active participation of the business partners of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
2. Description (knowledge and skills necessary for successful professional activity; general theoretical and special training, etc.)
The program is developed in close cooperation with national and international companies – business partners of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, operating in various business areas – trade, banking, fintech, analytical research and others. The general sponsor of the program is “Schwarz IT Bulgaria” EOOD. The established partnerships with the business effectively narrow the distance between the academy and the labor market by integrating in the training courses of guest lectures with applied orientation, real cases with presentations to the business, teamwork, including in interdisciplinary teams with students from other Master’s programs. This educational model allows the students to apply the acquired theoretical knowledge in a real environment, and the developed course projects become part of the professional portfolio of each successfully graduated student.
At the same time, the academic staff involved in the educational process includes acknowledged lecturers who are established in the international scientific community and actively working on research projects in artificial intelligence and modeling of large data sets. This gives the students the opportunity to get familiar with the latest scientific trends in science in the field of applications of artificial intelligence and analysis of large data sets in business and finance, as well as to develop skills to adapt certain scientific concepts in practice when solving applied, scientific-applied and business problems.
3. Professional Qualifications
Graduates of the program receive a Master’s degree, a qualification Master in Economics – Artificial Intelligence for Business and Finance and can hold a wide range of positions related to the application of artificial intelligence and data science, in all public and private institutions, non-governmental sector and universities. The knowledge and skills acquired during the education play an important role in the modern processes of developing, integrating, and maintaining business solutions based on artificial intelligence, which are part of the digitalization strategies of many national and international companies.
4. Professional Realization
The new generation of technologies for collecting and storing large volumes of structured and unstructured data sets, as well as the need for automation in decision-making in many business areas, constantly increase the demand for specialists with knowledge and skills that students can acquire and develop while studying in the Master’s program. The curriculum is in line with this specificity of the labor market. On one hand, it offers a variety of elective courses, guaranteeing flexibility and opportunity for implementation in the field of trade, finance, marketing, accounting, analytical studies and more. At the same time, the program focuses on mastering various methods and techniques for developing, integrating, and maintaining solutions based on artificial intelligence and data science. This allows its graduates to hold positions as specialists, managers, directors, and top-level management experts in companies operating in various areas of activity, like in manufacturing, transport, healthcare and others. Graduates can apply their knowledge and skills to start their own business, as well as in R&D departments.