AUT - Master of Computer and Information Sciences
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Master of Computer and Information Sciences
The Master of Computer and Information Sciences is designed to meet the needs of applicants interested in advancing their undergraduate qualification, in bettering their career opportunities, or in exploring a specialist area of interest.
The degree combines a research and professional approach to deliver skills and knowledge that can be applied in industry practice, and industry or academic research. Its aim is to produce graduates with the capability, credibility and judgement to manage and lead teams of IT professionals. Successful graduates can pursue higher studies at doctoral level.
Quick facts
Programme Code:AK3688
Level: 9
Points: 240
Duration: Four semesters full time
Venue: City Campus
Start date: 16 July 2012 and 4 March 2013
AUT encourages early application. There are limited places available. Late applications will be accepted if the programme is not full. Applicants will normally be selected on the basis of their level of academic achievement and may be required to attend a selection interview.
Entry requirements
Structure
The first year includes two compulsory Research Methods papers. Students can then focus their studies on one of the discipline clusters, which underpin the degree, or they can choose to follow a more generic pathway combining papers from different clusters. Discipline clusters include:
- Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge Engineering
(including Bioinformatics, Health Informatics, Data Mining and Knowledge Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Nature Inspired Computing, GeoComputation); - Information Systems and Technology
(including Data Warehousing, IT Strategy and Policy, ICT Issues in the SME sector, eSystems Design and Development, Multimedia Signal Processing, Information Visualisation, Human Computer Interaction). - Software Systems Engineering
(including Usage Centred Design, Software Requirements Engineering, Software Architecture, Collaborative Computing, Search Based Software Engineering);
Also offered are broader papers such as Information Security, Net-centric Computing, Ubiquitous Computing Contemporary Issues in Computer and Information Sciences and Co-operative Education.
The second year of the degree is dedicated to independent research work under the guidance of an experienced supervisor and comprises a one-year Master's thesis. The thesis is normally developed as a full scale research project often involving the creation of a software artefact.
Research topics can vary from interdisciplinary to specialised within a number of research areas such as data mining, knowledge engineering, information systems, robotics, bioinformatics, health informatics, mobile applications, RFID, artificial intelligence, information security, computational astronomy, geocomputation and others.
Student research is often aligned with one of the school’s research institutes and laboratories, where students are given access to specialist tools and facilities and work alongside world-class research experts.
Suggested and current thesis topics
PapersCOMPULSORY CORE PAPERS
408220 Research Methods I (15)
408221 Research Methods II (15)
AND ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:
OPTION ONE
Elective Papers (90 points)
409102 Thesis (120)
OPTION TWO
Elective Papers (120 points)
409105 Thesis (90)
THESIS
Enrolment in a thesis is subject to achieving at least a B- (70%) average in course work papers including a pass in Research Methods I and in Research Methods II, and submitting an approved research proposal.
ELECTIVE PAPERS
Enrolment in papers is subject to meeting all requirements and availability of papers.
408200 Readings (30)
408203 Net-centric Computing (15)
408204 Usage Centred Design (15)**
408207 Ubiquitous Computing (15)
408208 Information Technology Strategy and Policy (15)
408211 ICT Issues in the SME Sector (15)
408212 Service Relationship Management (15)**
408214 Special Topic 3DDisplays & Spatial Interaction (15)
408215 BioInformatics (15)
408216 Data Mining and Knowledge Engineering (15)
408217 Information Security (15)
409009 Special Topic B (15)
409217 Data Warehousing (15)
409219 Health Informatics (15)
409220 Software Requirements Engineering (15)
409221 eSystems Design and Development (15)
409224 Artificial Intelligence (15)
409225 Nature Inspired Computing (15)
409226 Geocomputation (15)
409227 Video and Image Processing (15)**
409228 Search Based Software Engineering (15)
409229 Human Computer Interaction (15)
409230 Information Visualisation (15)
409231 Autoidentification (15)
409232 Software Development Methods (15)**
409233 Natural Language Processing (15)**
409234 Intelligent Surveillance (15)
718304 Software Architecture (15)
** Papers not open for enrolment in 2012
Please contact the Programme Administrator, Ann Wu for programme information
Career opportunities
- Chief information officer/Chief technology officer
- Database architect
- E-Commerce solutions architect
- General manager IT
- Integration architect
- IT director/manager
- Programme manager
- Project director/manager/leader
- Senior technical consultant
- Software developer/architect