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Computer Science Honours |
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MONASH UNIVERSITY
School of Computer Science and Software Engineering
Computer Science and Digital Systems Honours, 2004
Computer Science Honours Coordinator:
annn@csse.monash.edu.au,
(03) 9905 5211. Room 119, Blg 75. (Until Dec 31, 2003)
Digital Systems Honours Coordinator:
nandita@csse.monash.edu.au,
(03) 9905 3293. Room 189, Blg 75.
Computer Science and Digital Systems are two of the degree disciplines offered by the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering, which is part of the Faculty of Information Technology. This is the largest computing education organisation in Australia, with more than 3000 students and 100 academic and 30 support staff. The School of Computer Science and Software Engineering is the largest school in the faculty. It is one of Australia's premier computer science research institutions, and has a strong research profile in disciplines such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, graphics and image processing, theory, hardware and programming languages.
If you are interested in learning about research at the leading edge of computer science and digital systems, then Computer Science or Digital Systems Honours is for you. Courses are given by members of the school and visiting experts about their current areas of research, and a substantial individual project allows you to undertake your own research under the supervision of an expert in the area.
Apart from the excitement of being involved in research, an honours degree in Computer Science opens many career opportunities. Students with honours are particularly sought after by employers, and can choose from more interesting research and development positions because of their extra skills and proven abilities. An Honours degree also naturally leads on to postgraduate study which is vital for an academic career or a career in industrial research.
Due to the individual nature of the tuition, few places can be offered. Selection into the Honours programme is therefore quite competitive and the Honours year itself is also demanding. However, the intellectual rewards and feeling of camaraderie more than make up for the demands.
If you have more questions about the Computer Science Honours programme, please contact the School, look at the information available on-line or speak to the Honours co-ordinators (see cover page for contact details).
The School Ethernet LAN links a large number of Sun and Silicon Graphics Unix workstations and compute servers with major file servers sharing hundreds of Gigabytes of disk space. The Honours laboratory includes 15 dual-boot Windows NT and Linux Pentium-II PCs. In addition, a cluster of 62 networked Pentium processors is available for parallel computation. There is access to laser printers for written assignments. All computing facilities are linked to the university-wide Ethernet and world-wide InterNet. Machines may be accessed by CSSE dial-in-facilities.
Coursework units are chosen in the first week of semester. The units offered in Computer Science and Digital Systems vary from year to year, as they depend on the current research interests of the staff.
As well as coursework, the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering holds seminars regularly throughout the year (typically once a week). Honours students are expected to attend these as part of the Communication and Research Skills unit. The seminars are given by leading local, interstate and international computer scientists.
The units offered in 2004 will be detailed on the Web before the start of the 2004 academic year. A total of 24 coursework points must be taken (excluding the Communications and Research Skills Training unit CSE 417, which is considered part of the research training). You must select 4 units (each counting 6 points) from the following list:
Instead of choosing for CSE460X subjects from the list above you may choose only three and fill the remaining 6 points of coursework with a free elective. This can be a third year or fourth year subject or even a subject from another school or faculty. However, please note that the choice of such a free elective must be individually approved by the Honours coordinator and must be a reasonable addition to a Computer Science curriculum.
As you can see from the title these units cover rather broad topic areas. They are in fact flexible ``framework'' units in which you can specialise in different directions. Each of these framework units is worth 6 points for which you must elect one or two modules within the unit (some modules are worth 3 points, other ones six points).
More detailed descriptions of the CSE460X units and the modules within them is given below.
Modules typically comprise 36 or 24 hours of lectures over 12 weeks and include some practical work. Some modules are taught for a whole semester, while others are taught during only one half of a semester. Modules start dates are Week 1, Semester 1; Week 8, Semester 1; Week 1, Semester 2; Week 8 Semester 2.
The number of lecture hours is not necessarily the same for all 3 point modules or for all 6 point modules. The variation of lecture hours is balanced by, e.g., more/less reading or mor/less assignments, so that the overall workload of a six point unit will be independent of the module selection.
Assessment for each module may be based on assignments, an examination, or both, and will be clearly specified by the lecturer at the start of the module.
Note that the framework units as such have no further prerequisites if you have been admitted to the BCS Honours programme. However, individual modules that you wish to count towards these units may have additional prerequisites.
Methods from Artificial Intelligence (AI) form the basis for many advanced information systems. These techniques address problems that are difficult to solve or not efficiently solvable with conventional techniques. Building on the undergraduate curriculum this unit introduces the student to advanced AI methods and their applications in information systems. Within the framework of this unit, the student can choose between a variety of modules in the broad area of Intelligent Information Systems. Most modules relate directly to the school's research strengths and are taught by active researchers in the respective fields. Research fields covered include:
Some of these topics may not be offered in every year.
Software engineering is concerned with all aspects of effectively building reliable software systems that satisfy the requirement. It addresses the entire software life cycle including requirement analysis and specification, design, construction, testing, and operation and maintenance.
The modules in the framework of this unit cover advanced issue in software engineering, particularly the use of formal methods, ie.
Algorithms are the most fundamental area for all aspects of computer science and software engineering. Discrete structures, such as those treated in graph theory, set theory, combinatorics and symbolic logic form the mathematical underpinning of the study of algorithms. As well-designed algorithms and data structures are essential for the good performance of an information system, an in-depth understanding of the theoretical properties of algorithms is essential for any computer scientist. As importantly, the theoretical investigation of algorithms leads to a deeper understanding of problem structures and classes of problems and the knowledge of a large variety of algorithm types enables the designer to approach a new problem from different angles.
Within the framework of this unit, the student can choose between a variety of specialisation modules in Algorithms and Discrete Structures. Most modules relate directly to the school's research strengths and are taught by active researchers in the respective fields. Research fields covered include:
Some of these topics may not be offered in every year.
Advanced working knowledge of programming languages is central to most activities in computer science. As students can expect to use many different languages and types of languages in their professional work, they should acquire knowledge of more than a single paradigm.
Modules in the framework of this unit
Some of these topics may not be offered in every year.
All sciences are increasingly relying on computational support and the growth of many branches of science has only become possible due to the availability of efficient computational methods. The common basis of such methods are numerical methods and high performance computing.
Under the umbrella of this unit, the student can specialize in a particular areas of computational science by choosing from different modules including:
Some of these topics may not be offered in every year.
With the rapid growth of the internet and increasing use of company-internal networks, network-oriented computing has become a central field in the discipline. Within the framework of this unit, the student can choose between several modules which cover different advanced areas of network computing. Most of these modules relate directly to the school's research strength and are taught by active researchers in the respective fields. Topics covered include:
Some of these topics may not be offered in every year.
This unit covers advanced topics in computer graphics and visual interfaces. Within the framework of this unit, the student can choose between a variety of modules relating to these sub-fields. The topics relate directly to the school's research strength and are taught by active researchers in the respective fields. The fields covered include:
Some of these topics may not be offered in every year.
This unit covers topics in hardware architecture ranging from the gate level to processors and full computer architecture. Topics include
Within the framework of this unit, students can select individual modules to specialise in a particular domain, such as VLSI design or parallel architectures. Some of these topics may not be offered in every year.
This unit allows the student to study additional material and/or related fields pertaining to the topic of his/her chosen research project. Its contents is therefore individually defined. Please note that this is a 0 point unit, so you cannot count it towards fulfilling your degree requirements. However, the unit will appear on your transcripts so that your additional studies are documented.
This unit covers advanced current research topics in computer, new emerging trends and research directions that are not covered in any other honours unit. Enrollment requires individual approval and it may not be offered in every year.
A Research Project may be concerned with theory, program development, hardware development, evaluating and improving on a new technique, analysing performance - in fact anything associated with computing which involves a reasonable amount of intellectual and practical effort. The student is expected to read the relevant literature and carefully analyse the problem posed, to formulate a solution or proposals for a solution, and where appropriate, to implement and prove, evaluate or test the validity of their results and proposals. The project solution will usually require creative and original thinking. Typically, a project is designed for a problem in some area associated with a research programme being carried out by a member of staff. The Research Project involves substantial mentoring by a staff member, and is designed to teach research skills. These skills are particularly important if the student wishes to undertake a post-graduate research degree.
The project is chosen at the start of Semester 1, with selection forms due at the end of Week 1, however students are encouraged to talk to prospective supervisors before the start of semester. It is usually selected from a list suggested by the school but may be of the student's own devising, subject to approval. Unfortunately, students may not always be able to do the project of their choice, either due to the popularity of a project or because of constraints on available supervision. Typically, students are given a list of about 50 Research Projects to choose from. These will be available on-line at http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/hons/2004/2004resProjs.html from about mid November, 2003. (2003 research projects offered can be found at http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/hons/2003/2003resProjs.html.)
As part of the project assessment, six weeks into Semester 1, each student must submit a written project proposal around 5-10 pages to outline the project. The main purpose of the proposal is to ensure that the student has a clear understanding of the project and that a plan for completing it has been worked out together with the supervisor; it also forms a component of the CSE417 assessment. At the end of Semester 1, each student must give an approximately 10 minute presentation which describes their project, what they have done so far, and the remainder of the work to be done. The interim presentation is a hurdle requirement. At the beginning of second semester a separate literature review (about 20 pages) is submitted; this is assessed separately for CSE417. After the end of second semester, the final report is due and each student will be given approximately 15 minutes to present their results. The final presentations is assessed for CSE417, plus examiners take the seminar presentation and fielding of questions into account when assessing a project. The final report and, if relevant, a demonstration of the project provide the basis of the project assessment. The report is examined by at least two staff members, one of whom is usually the supervisor.
This subject introduces the student to independent research. Most projects are software-oriented, although some projects may be purely theoretical and others may involve hardware work.
A research project covers the whole process from initial problem analysis in a current research topic of computer science, literature study and evaluation of existing research and proposal of a research plan to carrying out the proposed research and presenting it in written and oral form. Where appropriate it includes the development of software (or hardware), from analysis through design to implementation and testing and documentation.
The project is conducted by the student in close cooperation with one or several staff members. The staff member will initially lead the project, help to formulate the initial research question and guide the student throughout the project. The staff member will arrange meetings with the student (typically weekly) in which intermediate results are reported and analysed and further directions for the project are decided on. The student is expected to read the relevant literature and carefully analyse the problem posed, to formulate a solution or proposals for a solution, and where appropriate, to implement and prove, evaluate or test the validity of their results and proposals.
The formal research skills training comprises weekly lectures as well as supervised literature study. Individual consultation is offered additionally for the improvement of presentation skills. Students also attend and evaluate regular school research seminars.
The research project is complemented by formal research training which is designed to improve the oral and written presentation skills and to teach the skills required for a critical analysis of current research. This component comprises lectures and seminars on presentation structuring, writing and editing, literature study, research methods, argument analysis and analysis of experiments and design and delivery of oral presentations.
After the final presentations, the staff meet and each project is discussed individually. The project grade is based on the marks assigned by the two examiners. The final grades are determined at an examiners meeting after all components of the assessment have been marked. An external reviewer is present to ensure that honours marking is consistent throughout Australian Computer Science courses.
ASSESSMENT: Project Evaluation by Supervisors and Additional Examiner(s) based on Deliverables, Final Report and Final Presentation (85%), Written Research Skills Assignment (5%), Presentations (10%): consisting of Initial Research Proposal (20%), First Seminar Presentation (mid-year interim presentation) (Hurdle), Literature Review (30%), Project Presentation as web site and/or poster (20%), Final Seminar Presentation (30%).
In order to be eligible for the Computer Science Honours year students should have fulfilled the requirements for the Bachelor of Computer Science (year 1 to 3) with at least a distinction average in their third year core units (including either CSE 3301 or 3302) and at least 12 other points of studies in relevant computer science units at level three or above. External applicants should have fulfilled the equivalent of these requirements. Students who undertake a major in computer science in either the Bachelor of Science or the Bachelor of Economics are eligible to apply for entry to the honours program in computer science.
In order to be eligible for the Digital Systems Honours year students should have fulfilled the requirements for the Bachelor of Digital Systems (year 1 to 3) with at least a credit average in their third year core units (CSE3120 Project, CSE3101 Digital Design III, CSE3132 Digital Signal Processing, CSE3141 Real Time System Design) and 6 other points of studies in a third year elective unit. External applicants should have fulfilled the equivalent of these requirements.
Applications for entry to the honours program are available from the Faculty of Information Technology office at your intended home campus or from the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering - email enquiries@csse.monash.edu.au.
Application forms for Bachelor of Science students majoring in Computer Science, are available from the Faculty of Science Office, Clayton Campus.
Closing date for applications are listed below. Note - you must apply for Honours before you know your final results.
Closing date: 7 November 2003
Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Closing date: 30 November 2003
Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours)
Bachelor of Digital Systems (Honours)
Bachelor of Computing (Honours)
Applications:
Applications for Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours) and
Bachelor of Digital Systems (Honours) should be submitted by
the closing date to:
School of Computer Science & Software Engineering
Building 75
Monash University Victoria 3800 AUSTRALIA
Facsimile: +61 3 9905 5146
Applications for Bachelor of Science majoring in Computer Science, should be submitted by the closing date to the Faculty of Science, Clayton Campus.
Note: Students must apply before their final results are released: if you are not sure if you will meet the cut-off but are interested in Honours, apply anyway and we will consider your application when results are released.