Suggested Enrolment Patterns in MITS/MCOMP COURSES for 2013

When you officially enrol for the first time at ANU (if for semester 1), you will be required to choose courses for a full year. In actual fact the first semester is the most important one. You can change your enrolment as the year progresses and you can actually change your first semester enrolment up until (about) week 3 without penalty.

You can choose any courses which are within the rules for the program that you are taking. You should do your best to ensure that your enrolment pattern is legal (if it is not, you might possibly not be able to graduate when the time comes; or, at best, you may have to take extra courses). The rules for the programs are defined by the relevant StudyAt pages are accessible from the main page.

You should make your choice of any electives (including project courses for the MCOMP) very carefully, considering your abilities (technical and language), and the nature of the assessment of the course. It is strongly recommended that you study the course home pages, attend the first few lectures, and speak to the lecturers of any courses that you are seriously considering.

The following are suggested, legal enrolment patterns for the MITS and MCOMP. These are designed for full-time enrolment beginning semester 1 2013. Note that full-time enrolment at ANU is defined to be 18 units and more. Standard full-time enrolment is 24 units. Standard part-time enrolment is 12 units.

The course ESEN6101 Extended University English (6 units) is available in any semester as an elective and is recommended if you are from a linguistically diverse background and require training in technical writing and presentation.

MITS Pattern - Standard Full Time

Semester 1

Notes:

• Students without experience in object-oriented programming should take COMP6700; those with should take COMP6442. It is now difficult to take the course concurrently, as COMP6442 starts at the same time as COMP6700 and assumes equivalent knowledge.
• MITS students seeking to upgrade to the MCOMP (i.e. those who would have otherwise qualified for the MCOMP except for insufficient grades) should seek exemption for any MITS core courses (e.g. COMP6700) already covered in previous studies. Once this is granted by the Masters convenor, their first semester enrolments should be changed to include not more than two COMP6000-level courses.

Some possibilities for the free choice courses (in order of increasing technical difficulty - note you can choose a 6000-level non-computing course as well) are:

With permission from the respective course co-ordinator, 8000-level COMP courses may also be taken, e.g. COMP8100.

Semester 2

Some possibilities for the free choice courses are (in order of increasing technical difficulty) are:

Notes:

• Students without experience in object-oriented programming should take COMP6710; those with may take COMP6730. It is permitable to do both however. Part-time students, or those entering in semester 2, should aim to take COMP6442 in semester 1 of the following year.

Full-time students requiring further choice may consider the possibilities below. With permission from the respective course co-ordinator, 8000-level COMP courses may also be taken, e.g. COMP8110. It is also possible for up to two 6000+ -level non COMP courses be taken as part of the MITS (provided approval is given by the MITS convenor). Recommended courses include the following ENGN courses (however, students intending to enrol in these courses should check with the respective course coordinator that their background is sufficient. Permission from the course coordinator may be required before enrolment):

MCOMP Pattern - Standard Full Time

The Masters of Computing is more flexibly structured. The main guideline is to have a minimum of 36 units of 8000-series computing or `advanced' 6000-level computing courses, or `transitional' 6000-level computing courses listed in the MCOMP Schedule 1. An important consideration is whether to specialise in one of the designated areas (Artificial Intelligence, Computer Systems, Information & Human Centered Computing or Software Engineering). While this can be done at any time until graduation, it is better decide as soon as possible and enrol in courses accordingly.

The 12-unit project courses (COMP8740, COMP8750, COMP8780, COMP8790) will require Departmental consent (e.g. from the coordinator of the respective course). See the MCOMP Projects page for more details on this, noting the intention for the project courses to be undertaken in the second semester of full-time study. Note that, in order to gain a specialisation in the MCOMP, the corresponding project course must be taken. The choice of whether to enrol in a project course is a critical one, as project courses may be more demanding in terms of time, technical ability, self-sufficiency and communication skills than regular courses. The subsequent choice of the project topic (and supervisor) is also very critical, and should be taken with care (note also that the project topic must be suitable for the desired specialisation area). For this reason, if you are intending to enrol in a project course, it is recommended that you begin to seek a suitable topic/supervisor well before the semester starts (ideally towards the end of the previous semester).

If you intend to take a project course, it is recommended that COMP8110 be taken in semester 2 (before or concurrently with the project course) as good project management practices are expected. Furthermore, in order to pass, you will need to demonstrate high levels of written and verbal communication in your project presentation and report. Implementation-oriented projects, particularly for COMP8790, should also exhibit high standards of software engineering practice (e.g. in requirements, risk analysis, design, and testing). Finally, in your report, you should also demonstrate your knowledge of the area of your specialisation, as the project forms a `capstone' for your degree.

Semester 1 - MCOMP Schedule 1 (non-project)

Semester 2 - MCOMP Schedule 1 (non-project)

$: Autumn or Spring intensive course, starting from mid-April or early October, with assignets set over April-June and October-November, respecitvely.