An Approach for Minimizing Time to Degree Based on University Course Timetabling Problem

This paper addresses the solving of the University Course Timetabling problem (UCTTP), considering some of the needs of university students. The aim of this problem is to define the best schedule for offering each course subject in each period to allow the students completing the degree in less time. For this, the constraints of the course curriculum are considered, as well as the current academic background of each student, to avoid the student delaying subjects or taking them outside the regular period in which they are offered. The solution approach presented is a mathematical modeling of a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP). For the computational implementation, real data from an undergraduate course at a public Brazilian university was used. The results obtained showed that the solutions served the intended purpose within a feasible computational time and, they also highlighted the main factors that cause students to delay the course degree.