Induction

There will be various induction sessions in orientation week; see the orientation calendar for details. Attendance at all relevant sessions, including the briefing on good academic practice, is compulsory.

Masters Programmes

The School offers a number of MSc programmes in Computer Science and in Information Technology. Students are registered for one of these programmes, but it is sometimes possible to move between programmes: contact the appropriate MSc Adviser for more information.

The School also offers the European Masters in Dependable Software Systems, in which students spend one year studying in the School, and another year at another institution. Students take a total of 120 credits in the School, including a 45 credit dissertation module.

The School also offers the MSci, which is a 5-year integrated Masters undergraduate programme.

Masters Structure

The information in this section does not apply to the Erasmus Mundus MSc programme.

Each MSc programme is in two parts. In the taught phase (semesters one and two), a number of modules are taken, for a total of 120 credits. In the dissertation phase, students complete an individual or group dissertation project for 60 credits.

A student who is not allowed to, or who does not wish to, proceed to the dissertation part may be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma in the corresponding subject.

Coursework

Masters students may use any of the School’s laboratories, if you want physical access to our labs. In the current climate, you may prefer to complete your coursework using your own machine entirely while working from the comfort of your own residence or by accessing the School labs remotely via SSH.

If you are working entirely on your own machine, we expect you to backup your work at least every 24 hours. As a registered student, you have access to OnceDrive via Office365 which may suffice for many smaller projects. If you are using SSH to access the lab and are storing your files in the right place on the host machines, then they will automatically be backed up. More details on lab provision can be found here.

Each individual piece of coursework has its own deadline defined in MMS. After this deadline, lateness penalties apply, and work may not receive formative feedback.

As already described, failure to achieve an overall continual assessment average of at least 4, taking into account lateness penalties, will result in failing a module without right to reassessment.

External Examiner

The School’s External Examiner for Masters is Professor Tim Griffin of Cambridge University.

Distinguished Lecture Series

All students on MSc programmes in Computer Science are encouraged and welcome to attend all lectures in the Distinguished Lecture Series.

Projects

As part of their studies, MSc students undertake a substantial project over the summer. More information on these can be found on the MSc/MSci Project page.

There is a project library showcasing selected MSc dissertations from previous years.

Marking and Reassessment of 5000-level modules

The policy on Taught Postgraduate Guidelines for Credits, Grades, and Awards can be found here.

Reassessment of 5000-level modules is permitted for PGT students who have failed 5000 level modules with grades between 4.0 – 6.9, other than the dissertation component. PGT students who have successfully completed module reassessments and met all other programme requirements will be able to graduate with a PGT Masters. A pass in such a reassessed module will be capped at 7.0, which will be included when calculating the credit-weighted mean for classification.

Classification of PGT Masters Degrees

PGT Masters Degree Classification is on the basis of the award of Pass, Merit, and Distinction where:

Pass is awarded on the basis of acquiring 180 credits (of which at least 150 are 5000 level, depending on programme requirements).
Merit is awarded on the basis of both fulfilling the criteria for a Pass, as well as achieving a credit-weighted mean between 13.5 and 16.4 across all taught and dissertation credits.
Distinction is awarded on the basis of fulfilling the criteria for a Pass, as well as achieving a credit-weighted mean between 16.5 and 20.0 across all taught and dissertation credits.