MSc Advanced Computing Science

Course Code DNT1G404101
Duration 1 Year
Attendance Full Time
Award Degree of Master of Science

Overview
Why Choose Us
Requirements
Course Profile
Fees and Funding
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Overview

Why take this course?

Student doing a presentation (picture by Richard Ingram)
The rapid development of computing in all its forms is prompting many recent graduates to broaden and deepen their knowledge through studying a MSc course. Many practitioners also want to
expand their expertise and refresh their skills.

The MSc Advanced Computing Science offers a flexible programme that covers a broad spectrum of computing, reflecting the research interests and specialisms of the School. It is a full-time, one-year taught programme, which can also be taken part-time over two years. The course is aimed at students with a first degree in computing science wishing to broaden and deepen their knowledge of the subject.

Download CMP course brochure (PDF, 3Mb)

Contact time

Students have on average 15 hours of contact time per week with teaching staff through lectures, laboratory sessions and seminars, though this may vary depending on module choices. Additionally, students should allocate at least 25 hours per week for study, coursework assignments and projects.

Teaching and Assessment

The course offers greater flexibility than our other more specialised MSc courses. Once on the programme you will affiliate with one of the broad areas of the School’s research. You will normally take five optional modules, of which at least two are related to your chosen research area. Other modules are designed to complement these and to allow you to broaden your knowledge. You will choose your dissertation topic and undertake preliminary work on it during the spring semester and work on it full-time after the exams until mid-September. This course will give you enhanced technical and analytical skills in your chosen area of specialisation.

Some project work may be done with companies and could involve paid placement at a company

Some recent dissertation titles

Systems and Internet Security
Video shot detection
Web-based interface for a static remote sensor configuration

Career opportunities

Your prospects as a graduate will therefore depend on your specialisation and may include consultancy, software development, project management, web services designer or builder, etc. Computing scientists are generally sought after and well paid and work in diverse environments including small and large international businesses, government agencies and research institutions. The programme will also prepare you for further education through a PhD in order to pursue a career in industrial or academic research.

I enjoyed studying the MSc. course in Computing. I gained lots of valuable knowledge as well as many transferable skills. The lecturers and staff were very helpful. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.

Reham Abualhamayel, former student

Course Organiser

Dr Wenjia Wang

Year 1

Year 1

Compulsory Study (100 credits)

Students will select 100 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Advanced Programming Concepts and Techniques The module covers advanced programming as well as state of the art software engineering methodologies. It starts with an introductory lecture followed by an update on the (Rational) Unified Process and more recent agile programming methods such as extreme programming and Scrum. The Unified Modelling Language (UML) tool is covered as well. Then we move onto Objected Orientation and Design Patterns including their implementation in C++ and Java. We then cover advanced concepts of programming languages including templates in C++ and generics in Java. Next on the menu is Functional Programming including F#. Further coverage includes Microsoft's .NET architecture and its CLR (Common Language Runtime), dynamic link libraries, exception handling, runtime type identification (RTTI), memory management, multithreading and parallel programming on the GPU (CUDA and OpenCL). more...	CMPSMC31	20	Semester 1
Dissertation In this module, Masters students are required to carry out project work with substantial research and practical elements on a specified topic for their MSc dissertation. The topic can be chosen and allocated from the lists of proposals from faculty members, and/or determined by agreement between the students and their supervisor. The work may be undertaken as part of a large collaborative or group project. A dissertation must be written as the outcome of the module. more...	CMPSMP6X	60	Semester 2
Research Techniques This module aims to prepare postgraduate students with necessary intellectual and practical skills for successfully carrying out research work for their MSc Dissertation in Computing Sciences and Computational Biology. Specifically, it teaches research methodologies, techniques and tools used in computing sciences, and more importantly, provides systematic trainings to enhance students' transferable skills and their understanding in ethics, social and legal issues involved in computing professions. more...	CMPSMP2Y	20	Year Period

Option A Study (40 credits)

Students will select 40 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmics This module introduces the student to core techniques in Artificial Intelligence and some topics in algorithmics. Topics to be covered include state space, search techniques, algorithmic paradigms, NP-completeness, metaheuristics, logic and knowledge representation and expert systems. more...	CMPSMA24	20	Semester 2
Computer Games Development This module covers 2D Animation and 3D Computer Animation, Special Effects, Virtual Reality (VR) Systems including Virtual Environments, VR hardware, Augmented Reality and Applications, Physical Modelling of Animation, Dynamics Simulations, Motion Capturing, Character Animation, Games Development, and Shader languages. Coursework includes the use of 3D StudioMax and software development on C/C++ with OpenGL platforms to develop a 3D computer game. more...	CMPSME27	20	Semester 1
Computer Networks This module introduces the important concepts in data transmission and computer network design, implementation and management. Architectures and protocols for both local and wide-area networks are studied in detail with an emphasis on performance evaluation and real-time use. A emphasis is placed on issues concerned with real-time delivery of data and maintaining quality of service, for example through study of applications such as voice over IP. more...	CMPSMD22	20	Semester 2
Data Mining This module is designed for postgraduate students studying on MSc courses. The module explores the methodologies of Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD). It aims to cover each stage of the KDD process, including preliminary data exploration, data cleansing, pre-processing and the various data analysis tasks that fall under the heading of data mining. Through this module, students should gain knowledge of algorithms and methods for data analysis, as well as practical experience using leading KDD software packages. more...	CMPSMC24	20	Semester 2
Distributed Computing Single computer systems have limited processing power and are vulnerable to failure. Using distributed computing, processing speeds exceeding the limits of any single computer, and systems that continue to be available when individual computers fail can be realised. Achieving these features requires use of adequate algorithms, software architectures and networking techniques. This is the subject of this module. more...	CMPSMC34	20	Semester 2
Human Computer Interaction An overview of Human Computer Interaction, including user interfaces on conventional computers and small footprint devices (e.g. smartphones). Human-Computer interactions are approached from a variety of perspectives, with an empasis on experimental evaluation. The module covers aspects of cognitive psychology and ethnographic methods necessary to understand and evaluate HCI. more...	CMPSMM23	20	Semester 1

Option B Study (40 credits)

Students will select 40 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Applied Statistics This is a module designed to give students the opportunity to apply statistical methods in realistic situations. While no advanced knowledge of probability and statistics is required, we expect students to have some background in probability and statistics before taking this module. The aim is to introduce students to R statistical language and to cover Regression, Analysis of Variance and Survival analysis. Other topics from a list including: Extremes and quartiles, Bootstrap methods and their application, Sample surveys, Simulations, Subjective statistics, Forecasting and Clustering methods, may be offered to cover the interests of those in the class. more...	CMPSMC28	20	Semester 2
Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmics This module introduces the student to core techniques in Artificial Intelligence and some topics in algorithmics. Topics to be covered include state space, search techniques, algorithmic paradigms, NP-completeness, metaheuristics, logic and knowledge representation and expert systems. more...	CMPSMA24	20	Semester 2
Audio and Visual Processing This module examines computer processing of audio and visual signals. The theoretical basis of analysis and processing of digital signals is explored in depth. This is then applied to the design of systems to achieve certain effects on signals representing audio and visual data. This also enables us to understand how one of the most significant technologies of recent times, the mobile telephone, is able to transmit speech at a low data-rate (speech coding). Other application areas to be covered include speech recognition and synthesis, image coding and audio-visual processing, including audio-visual synthesis (talking heads) and recognition (speech-recognition augmented by lip-reading). This module assumes that students have studied sound/image/signal processing to at least level 2 at undergraduate level. more...	CMPSMI05	20	Semester 1
Computer Games Development This module covers 2D Animation and 3D Computer Animation, Special Effects, Virtual Reality (VR) Systems including Virtual Environments, VR hardware, Augmented Reality and Applications, Physical Modelling of Animation, Dynamics Simulations, Motion Capturing, Character Animation, Games Development, and Shader languages. Coursework includes the use of 3D StudioMax and software development on C/C++ with OpenGL platforms to develop a 3D computer game. more...	CMPSME27	20	Semester 1
Computer Games Laboratory This module is lab based and draws heavily on the CMPSME27 module (which is a prerequisite). It aims to make the student familiar with Virtual Reality (VR) hardware and related technologies, the Virtual Environment (VE), and Games and Entertainment platforms. Laboratory tasks should include a maximum of two of the following topics: Computer Animation, Collaborative/Networked Virtual Environments, Haptic/Force Feedback systems, Motion Capturing, Augmented Reality (AR), Stereoscopic Displays, Entertainment and Games Development using advanced programming techniques such as Shaders; Xbox development, and Medical Simulation and Visualisation. more...	CMPSME22	20	Semester 2
Computer Networks This module introduces the important concepts in data transmission and computer network design, implementation and management. Architectures and protocols for both local and wide-area networks are studied in detail with an emphasis on performance evaluation and real-time use. A emphasis is placed on issues concerned with real-time delivery of data and maintaining quality of service, for example through study of applications such as voice over IP. more...	CMPSMD22	20	Semester 2
Computer Vision (For Digital Photography) This module covers the various stages in processing the image recorded at the sensor level in a camera so that the output is an attractive photographic image. The first half of the course will cover topics including demosaicking, denoising, white point correction, dynamic range compression and image rendering. The second half will look at higher level functions such as finding faces in images, content recognition (including face recognition) and facial coding in images. The last topic is particularly interesting in the context of mobile phone applications. more...	CMPSMI16	20	Semester 2
Data Mining This module is designed for postgraduate students studying on MSc courses. The module explores the methodologies of Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD). It aims to cover each stage of the KDD process, including preliminary data exploration, data cleansing, pre-processing and the various data analysis tasks that fall under the heading of data mining. Through this module, students should gain knowledge of algorithms and methods for data analysis, as well as practical experience using leading KDD software packages. more...	CMPSMC24	20	Semester 2
Distributed Computing Single computer systems have limited processing power and are vulnerable to failure. Using distributed computing, processing speeds exceeding the limits of any single computer, and systems that continue to be available when individual computers fail can be realised. Achieving these features requires use of adequate algorithms, software architectures and networking techniques. This is the subject of this module. more...	CMPSMC34	20	Semester 2
E-Business Systems Development This module explores the development of industrial-strength distributed information systems for Web-based implementations, using date-centric software engineering principles. Topics include: dynamic object-oriented system design, the use of persistent objects with relational databases, business models, business objects, XML and practical design and implementation for an architected n-tier, server-based systems environment. The use of these techniques for both e-Commerce and other systems will be discussed, using the Java Enterprise Edition Version 5 (Java E-E 5) platform for practical exercises. Considerable use is made of both advanced Java programming and relational databases, requiring prior knowledge of these subjects. more...	CMPSMB22	20	Semester 2
Embedded Systems Embedded processors are at the core of a huge range of products e.g. mobile telephones, cameras, passenger cars, washing machines, DVD players, medical equipment, etc. The embedded market is currently estimated to be worth around 100x the `desktop' market and is projected to grow exponentially over the next decode. This module considers the design and development of real-time embedded system applications for commercial off the shelf (COTS) processors running real time operating systems (RTOS) such as ARM-RT, uCLinux etc. more...	CMPSMD01	20	Semester 1
Human Computer Interaction An overview of Human Computer Interaction, including user interfaces on conventional computers and small footprint devices (e.g. smartphones). Human-Computer interactions are approached from a variety of perspectives, with an empasis on experimental evaluation. The module covers aspects of cognitive psychology and ethnographic methods necessary to understand and evaluate HCI. more...	CMPSMM23	20	Semester 1
Information Retrieval Information Retrieval technologies have been driven by large increases in on-line documents and the success of Internet search engines. This module explores the development of surveys in a range of IR topics and the use of natural language processing techniques and their role in IR. Some experience of a high level programming language (e.g. Java) is required. more...	CMPSMB29	20	Semester 1
Internet & Multimedia Techniques This module surveys the current and emerging technologies of the Internet and its impact on society, particularly e-commerce. The practical part of the module concentrates on the design and integration of web sites, using a range of tools and techniques in current use. more...	CMPSMB13	20	Semester 1
Systems Engineering Issues This module draws together a wide range of material and considers it in the context of developing modern large-scale computer systems. It will introduce, and put into context, topics crucial to the discipline of computer-based systems engineering (CBSE). Topics include: outsourcing; process improvement; the nature of systems; computer-based systems (CBS); systems failure; managing both systems and computer-based systems projects; total quality management; quality assurance and quality control; the maintenance of CBS; metrification, and risk management in CBS. This module is supported by a series of industrial case studies and includes speakers from industry (as available). more...	CMPSMB20	20	Semester 2

Disclaimer

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave. Where this is the case, the University will endeavour to inform students.

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Computing Sciences Courses

Computing Sciences