Welcome
 Welcome to
the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales. CSE (as the
School is usually known) is renowned for the quality and intensity of its educational
experience.
If you're looking for a Computing and Information Technology (CIT) degree that is challenging,
demanding and, ultimately, rewarding, CSE is the right place for you. In your courses, you'll work
hard - very hard - but it's the kind of work where you'll learn a lot.
In some CIT Schools, there is a tendency to teach the details of the latest technology so
students will have the latest in-demand skills. With the speed the CIT industry changes, such
skills will soon be out-of-date, so at CSE, we believe that a much better approach is to teach you
the foundations of Computing and Information Technology - principles that will allow you to adapt
to the inevitable changes in technology. However, as former students will testify, there is a
considerable emphasis on developing practical skills on top of the foundations, and doing this
using leading-edge technologies. Such an approach inevitably makes our degrees challenging.
CSE also encourages student innovation. We don't want you to simply be expert practitioners in
evolving CIT technology. We want CSE graduates to be the creators of future generations of CIT
technologies. CSE students have already developed leading-edge systems such as the Enlightenment
window manager and the PLEB Linux-on-a-handheld system, built from the ground up in the School.
CSE is also committed to developing professional skills, like communication, entrepreneurship,
and project management. We have a close association with the Australian Graduate School of
Management (AGSM), and there are extra-curricular opportunities to develop ideas in partnership
with business-oriented students in that School. CSE students provide the technical skills, while
AGSM students provide the management expertise and both learn something from each other.
Graduate employability is further enhanced by CSE's strong (and growing) industry links. The
Computer Science degree has a Co-op Scholarship program that give students extensive industry
experience from their second year, and the Engineering degrees all require industrial training
experience. The School runs an Industry Liaison Office whose primary aim is to link students and
employers both for in-course experience and for graduate employment.
The student body in CSE is one of the most interesting that you'll find anywhere and you'll be
able to bounce ideas off some very clever people. There are opportunities for outstanding students
to join the CSE teams that compete in international programming and robotic competitions. CSE teams
have won the legged league in three out of the last five international Robocup competitions – and
came second in the other two. In the ACM programming competition our teams have won the
Australasian division for the last 4 years and come near the top internationally.
But it's not just all work, work, work - CSE students mount a major student revue and there are
active CSE student societies which arrange a host of social events, such as BBQs & trivia
nights in the courtyard outside the School's new building.
CSE academic staff are world-class researchers, and carry the ideas from their research into the
classroom. At CSE you'll be exposed to the latest trends in CIT, possibly years before such ideas
arrive in the industry mainstream. As major initiative, the Australian Government has now
established NICTA, the National Research Centre of Excellence in Information and Communication
technology. A major node of NICTA is on the UNSW campus. Many of the CSE staff have research
appointments in NICTA and you will also be able to take courses presented by NICTA's own top-class
international researchers.
The School's strong research track-record and the quality of the student body also means that
CSE degrees have a high value in the job market, both in Australia and internationally.
Of course, University is not just about lectures and assignments. It's about getting involved in
a whole new range of activities on Campus, and UNSW has a reputation for providing a great
undergraduate experience.
We look forward to welcoming aspiring CIT graduates to the World of CSE.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Compton
Head of School
|
