Years 3 and 4, Teaching Block 1
Single honours computer science students take four topics in Years 3 and 4 TB1:
- Two topics are majors worth 20CP each. They are assessed with an in-class test worth 30% and a coursework worth 70%.
- Two topics are minors worth 10CP each. They are assessed with a final exam only.
The major and minor exams for the same topic are different.
If you are not a single honours computer science student, for example you are on a joint honours degree, an exchange student, or taking the MSci special pathway, then the rules are different for you and you should check with the school office or your personal tutor.
Teaching and Assessment Schedule 2025-26
To get this system to work in the university structure, the formalities look more complicated than they are. Ask the school office or your personal tutor if you have any questions.
During the term,
- In weeks 1 – 5 (22 Sep – 24 Oct) you have lectures in your major and minor units.
- In week 6 (27 – 31 Oct) you have the mid-term exams for your major units. There is no other teaching for you in these weeks.
- In weeks 7 – 8 (3 – 14 Nov) you have two more weeks of teaching on all your units.
- On Thursday 13 November, the coursework for your major units will be published.
- You have weeks 9 – 11 (17 Nov – 5 Dec) to do your coursework and hand it in on 4 December. There is no new teaching material in these weeks, but the units will have lab/support sessions.
- In week 12 (8 – 12 Dec) there is no teaching, this week is for you to prepare for your minor exams the following week.
The two minors are packaged in the 20CP unit Topics in Computer Science, whichever minors you pick; this unit is a container for two 10CP units in all but name. For the exam, whichever minors you picked,
- The exam will be in the December exam period (15 – 19 December).
- The exam will last two hours.
- You will get the exam questions for all minors, but you must answer the two for the minors that you have taken (you cannot get marks for the others).
- Obviously, this means that each minor exam paper is set as if it were a 1-hour exam.
For the majors, you will sit a 1-hour in-class test for each unit in week 6 (27 – 31 Oct). This test is wortk 30% of the unit, the other 70% come from the coursework which takes place in weeks 9 – 11 (17 Nov – 5 Dec).
More details are available in the optional unit guide.
Year 3 Topics
For a graphical overview, see this diagram; for the offical version, see the programme catalogue entry. Apart from whether you take an individual or team project, the same rules apply for single honours BSc and MEng students.
The link for each topic name takes you to the description of each unit in the catalogue.
| Topic and Contents | Restrictions |
|---|---|
| Advanced Algorithms | minor only; excludes Security Behaviours |
| Artificial Intelligence | excludes Design Verification |
| Computational Neuroscience | minor only; excludes Types & Lambda Calculus |
| Computer Graphics | none |
| Cryptology | excludes Human-Computer Interaction |
| Design Verification | excludes Artificial Intelligence |
| Human-Computer Interaction | excludes Cryptography |
| Image Processing and Computer Vision | none |
| Machine Learning | none |
| Security Behaviours | excludes Advanced Algorithms |
| Types and Lambda Calculus | minor only; excludes Computational Neuroscience |
Some units have one or two restrictions:
- A small number of units only have a minor version (10CP, exam only assesment).
- For scheduling reasons, some units are mutually exclusive as their lectures are at the same time. This always applies to pairs of units, so ‘A excludes B’ if and only if ‘B excludes A’.
Year 4, Teaching Block 1
The rules for CS MEng (and MSci) students in Year 4, Teaching Block 1 are the same as for Year 3 except that you take different units.
However, some of the Year 4 units have prerequisites from Year 3, for example you can only take Applied Deep Learning in Year 4 if you have already taken Machine Learning in Year 3.
| Topic and Contents | Restrictions |
|---|---|
| Advanced Cryptology | requires Y3 Cryptography |
| Advanced Topics in Programming Languages | minor only, excludes Advanced Visual AI |
| Advanced Topics in Theoretical Computer Science | minor only, excludes Sustainable Computing, requires Y3 Advanced Algorithms |
| Advanced Visual AI | excludes Advanced Topics in Programming Languages; requires Y3 Image Processing and Computer Vision and Y3 Machine Learning |
| Applied Deep Learning | excludes Cryptology, requires Y3 Machine Learning |
| Internet Economics and Financial Technology | none |
| Sustainable Computing | excludes Advanced Topics in Computer Science |
| Systems and Software Security | none |
| Cryptology | Only if you have not taken this in Y3 already |
| Cognitive Artificial Intelligence | minor only; requires Machine Learning |
Cryptology is a special case as it is offered in both Y3 and Y4, but
- You cannot take the unit again in Y4 if you have already taken it in Y3.
- To take Advanced Cryptology in Y4, you must have already taken Cryptology in Y3.