<< 2012-3 >>
Department of
Computer Science
 

MSc in Advanced Computing MS51
(Machine Learning, Data Mining and High Performance Computing)

This is part of the MSc in Advanced Computing.

Contacts

Units on offer in 2012-13

The MSc is built out of 3 themes: High Performance Computing, Intelligent Systems, and Data Mining. Students will take any 2 of the 3 themes.

First semester Second semester
HPC Algorithmic and Economic Aspects of the Internet
Advanced Algorithms 		Server Software
High-Performance Computing
Intelligent Systems Autonomous Systems
Image Processing & Computer Vision
Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing 		Computational Neuroscience (MSc students please use this link not this one)
Robotic Systems
Data Mining Introduction to Machine Learning (Mandatory)
Computational Genomics [EMATpage and SAFE progress page]
Uncertainty Modelling [SAFE progress page] 		Pattern Analysis and Statistical Learning [SAFE progress page]
Artificial Intelligence with Logic Programming

All units in the table above are worth 10 credits. Each student takes units from 2 of the 3 themes (rows in the table).

1st semester: 60 credits

In the first semester all students take 2 units from each of their two rows above (for a total of 40 credits). In addition:

2nd semester: 60 credits

In the second semester all students take 2 units from each of their two rows (40 credits) and COMSM2202 Research Skills (20 credits) for a total of 60 credits.

Summer: 60 credits

All students take COMSM3100 MSc Advanced Project (60 credits) over the summer.

Semester 1 Unit Codes and Links

Unit Code CP Unit Title MS51
COMS30121 10 Image Processing and Computer Vision o
COMS30301 10 Introduction to Machine Learning o
COMS31900 10 Advanced Algorithms o
COMSM0106 10 Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing o
COMSM0305 10 Learning in Autonomous Systems o
COMSM1211 20 Programming in C o
COMSM2006 10 Algorithmic and Economic Aspects of the Internet o
EMATM0004 10 Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Algorithms o
EMATM1120 10 Uncertainty Modelling for Intelligent Systems o

Key: o - Option Choice

Semester 2 Unit Codes and Links

Unit Code CP Unit Title MS51
COMSM0005 10 Artificial Intelligence with Logic Programming o
COMSM2001 10 Server Software o
COMSM2127 10 Computational Neuroscience o
COMSM2202 20 Research Skills c
COMSM2400 10 High Performance Computing o
COMSM4111 10 Robotic Systems o
EMATM1400 10 Pattern Analysis and Statistical Learning o

Key: o - Option Choice, c - Core Choice

Project

Unit Code CP Unit Title MS51
COMSM3100 60 MSc Advanced Project c

Key: c - Core Choice

Streams

Students are assigned to either the Experienced or Foundation stream following a programming test during the introductory week.

Optional units

You will need to register yourself on your optional units. You can initially register for and take as many optional units from your themes as you like. This is so you can try them out. You must finalise your semester 1 options by unregistering from the extra units by the end of week 2 (specifically, by 09:00 Monday of week 3). Full time students will have exactly 60 credits in semester 1 after deregistering from the extra units. You can check your registration here by replacing the xxxxxx with your login name and you can change your registrations by clicking on the "unit choice" link. Any changes will be listed as "pending" until the faculty approves them. That is ok. You don't need to do anything else. Please note that the mybristol page may take a few days to be updated with any unit changes, so use the link above instead. If you need any help changing your unit registrations please contact the graduate school office in room 2.19 MVB.

You do not need to register for semester 2 options until about January 15, but please make sure you do so by then. Otherwise you may miss emails from the unit organisers. As with semester 1, you will have 2 weeks to try out any optional units and you must unregister from the extra ones by 09:00 on the Monday of week 15. Full time students will have exactly 60 credits in semester 2 after deregistering from the extra units.

Course Information

Please note that although most units in computer science only have lectures in teaching weeks 1-10, there may be exceptions. In particular, EMATM0004 Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Algorithms, which is run by the Engineering Mathematics department, has had lectures in weeks 11 and 12 in the past. These weeks are after Christmas. Other first semester units may schedule assignments which are due after Christmas, although this is unusual.

Also note that the official timetable for lectures and lab sessions is not always followed. Lectures are occasionally moved to different times and places if, for example, the lecturer is not available at the scheduled time. Lab sessions may simply be times when you are given priority access to the computer labs. Alternatively, there may be a lab demonstrator who is there to help with the material you are working on. Some units have a demonstrator some weeks but not others.

In short you should check the lecture plan and list of assignments on each unit's home page to make sure you know what is going on. You should also check your email at least once a day as sometimes changes are made at short notice.

Part-time students

Unfortunately the university timetabling office makes no attempt to optimise the schedule for part-time students, because the timetable is heavily constrained and already difficult to produce. So, although it would be convenient to have all the relevant lectures grouped into 2 or 3 days each week, no attempt is made to do that. As a result you may need to compromise on which units you select in order to have a schedule which suits you. Timetables are usually finalised in late September.

Fortunately we can be fairly flexible about how you divide the MSc across years, which may help you produce a suitable timetable.

The teaching year is basically 20 weeks of teaching plus a few weeks of exams. Between the June exams and October you will have only your project to work on, which you do in your own time. See the University Almanac for details.

Please note that the MSc is a lot of work and it's not possible to complete it while working 4 days a week on something else.

Personal Tutor

As programme director I am also your personal tutor. You can see me about any problems you're having, both academic and non-academic. For example, if an illness has delayed your work on an assignment get in touch as it may be possible to make special arrangements such as an extension to the deadline. Please note it is easier to arrange extensions and other things before the deadline than after. In general, it's better to sort out problems sooner than later. Unfortunately, students often wait longer than they should before doing anything about a problem. Please DO NOT DELAY getting in touch.

Another way that the department takes things like illness into consideration is the "special circumstances committee", sometimes called the "extenuating circumstances committee". This committee meets in June to look at special circumstances which have resulted in your work not being an accurate measure of your ability. Sometimes when there are borderline decisions on, for example, whether resits will be allowed, or what degree class to award, a record of a special circumstance can tip the balance. Special circumstances are recorded in SAFE in your filestore. It's best to record them during or just after the event, especialy in the case of illness since a note from your doctor will normally be needed. However, the deadline for recording special circumstances is in June.

Unfortunately, every year I find out about problems long after the event. Sometimes a student has stopped studying entirely without telling me, which is unfortunate because there are often ways to avoid it. For example, we can sometimes suspend your studies, so that you can complete them later, perhaps the next year. You can also get a degree with either 120 or 60 credits. If you do withdraw from the program then you may be able to get a partial refund of your student fees. In any case it is worth talking with me to see what your options are before you make any big decisions (or, better yet, before problems get serious). It is quite possible that I will have some suggestions you have not thought of.

So, to repeat, I know people are often reluctant to discuss problems, but please talk to me sooner rather than later. I hate to see people making the same mistake every year.

How you will spend your time

Ten-credit units typically have 2 hours of lectures per week for 10 weeks. With 60 credits per semester that's 12 hours of lectures per week. There are few if any mandatory lab sessions. Most lab sessions are just times when that unit has priority in the lab. Most of your time will be spent reading and doing coursework.

Jobs and PhD study

Many companies will advertise for employees with a PhD in a relevant area. There are not many specialist MSc programmes like this one and some employers are not aware they exist at all. As a result it may be worth contacting them to ask if a job would be suitable for someone without a PhD.

Some good places to look for jobs and PhD places are:

If you are interested in studying for a PhD in the UK you should start making applications in January. (To study in the USA you should apparently start 1 year in advance, i.e. in October.) The two main difficulties are finding funding and finding a suitable supervisor. The Intelligent Systems research group lecturers can give you advice. You should read the aims, objectives and guidelines for PhD students to get a feel for what a PhD involves. You may also want to read these books:

Preparing for the MSc

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