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Courses in Detail - Part II

In Part II students study a range of core and option courses. Core courses cover the essentials that every Computer Scientist should know and are broadly classified into three topic areas:
Systems Software Engineering Fundamentals

Computer Science Innovation students also take a series of courses under a fourth area:
Innovation

 

PART II ASSESSMENT
Assessment for three-year degree schemes is based on marks in eight units. For single major courses, all eight normally come from the Computing Department. For combined major schemes, the eight units come from the two major subjects. Assessment for the four-year degree scheme is based on marks for fourteen units.

 

PART II SECOND AND THIRD YEAR CORE COURSES

Title Course

Annual Lecture Hours
Assessment
Software Design and Project Skills:
software design, generic skills (group work, report writing), group project
35
Coursework
Concurrent Programming & Operating Systems:
C programming, programming with multiple threads, operating system internals
30
Exam/Coursework
Software Engineering:
requirements engineering, formal specification
30
Exam/Coursework
Databases:
relational models, object-oriented and XML-based systems
30
Exam/Coursework
Networks:
internetworking, reliable and high performance networks
30
Exam/Coursework
Human Computer Interaction:
interactive systems engineering, designing for usability
30
Exam/Coursework
Distributed Systems:
principles of distributed systems; practical studies of distributed systems software (including Java RMI)
30
Exam/Coursework
Languages and Compilation:
languages and machines, the compilation process
30
Exam/Coursework
Computing Project:
normally developing a prototype of a computer-based solution to a problem, and writing a report
-
Coursework
Computer Science Innovation:
problem solving, grand challenges of computer science
small group tuorials
Coursework
Exploiting the Results of Innovation:
technology transfer, academic publication, exploitation
30
Exam/Coursework
Scientific Methods in Computer Science:
techniques for advanced computer science research, methods and measurements, ethics and human subjects
30
Exam/Coursework
Innovation Projects:
significant independent research projects
-
Coursework

OPTION COURSES

A range of option courses are available that allow you to customize your degree to match your own personal interests. The option courses available vary year by year but example courses include Artificial Intelligence, Information Retrieval and Multimedia Computing.

For students on certain degree schemes some of these option courses may, in fact, be mandatory. For example, students taking G4P3 must take the Multimedia Computing option course.

PART II SECOND & THIRD
YEAR OPTION COURSES
Title of Course
Annual Lecture Hours
Information Retrieval
30
Advanced Networking
30
Artificial Intelligence
30
Software Project Management
30
Advanced Database Technology
30
Critical Systems Engineering
30
Multimedia Computing
30
Component Based Systems
30
Embedded Systems
30
Special Topics in Computer Science
30

COMPUTER SCIENCE INNOVATION
MSci OPTION COURSES

PART II MSci FOURTH YEAR
OPTION COURSES
Title of Course

Annual
Lecture Hours
Advanced Distributed Systems
30
Advanced Interactive Systems Design
30
Network and System Security
30
System Dependability
30
Advanced Networking & the Internet
30
Multimedia Systems Engineering
30
Mobile Computing
30
Ubiquitous Computing
30
Systems Engineering
30
Advanced Network and the Internet
30
Aspect-orientated Software Development
30
Contemporary Operating Systems
30

MSci CORE COURSE

PART II MSci FOURTH YEAR
CORE COURSE
Title of Course

Annual
Lecture Hours
Computing Project
-

COMPUTER SCIENCE / EUROPE
COMPUTER SCIENCE / NORTH AMERICA - AUSTRALASIA
 

Students who wish to add an international experience to their degree, can spend their second year abroad at one of Lancaster's world-class partner institutions in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Europe. The year abroad is not an add-on to your degree; it is fully integrated in our international schemes (G402 for North-America/Australasia, and G403 for Europe) so that you can complete your BSc in just three years. During your study abroad you take courses equivalent to those at Lancaster. Students who have used this opportunity often say that their year abroad has been a unique life-changing experience that has considerably increased their employment prospects in a world-market economy. It is also an incredible opportunity to discover a foreign culture, broaden one's personal horizons, meet new friends, and better understand the very rich world we live in.