COMP3902 Special Project in Computer Science

This proposal aims to regularize the situation (which has occurred recently) of a bright student being permitted to undertake an 12UoC project in third year. A risk with such a precedent is that it might start a rush of applications from students to do such projects.

However, as JAS points out:
"As long as we set down a significantly difficult entry criteria, I think we can limit the number of applications to a small number of very bright students (which, I presume, is the target audience for this project anyway). We should have done this in the TC meeting where we discussed this case, but I don't recall a concrete proposal, so here's a suggestion:

3rd year CS students can undertake COMP3902 Special Project (12UoC) provided that:

  1. they are in the final semester of their program
  2. they have completed all 1st and 2nd year requirements
  3. they have already completed >= 5 level 3/4 COMP subjects
  4. they have attained an average of 85 or better over all subjects in their program
  5. they can find a supervisor for their proposed project

Relationship of this project to CS Hons:

  1. the project is counted as a 12UoC level3 for Hons entry score (or maybe it should not be counted towards entry to CS Hons?)
  2. it does not count in the 6 COMP3 subject requirement for Hons entry
  3. the project cannot count as a component of the Hons year
  4. an Hons project could be an extension of the work done here"

COMP3902 would use the full range of grades (FL/PS/CR/DN/HD). Assessment by project report, to be marked in the same sort of way as a COMP4910/1 project.

The proposal that went to Faculty in 2003 differed in some regards (prerequisites, etc.) and included a 6 UoC version (COMP3901). The original proposal was for an 18 UoC project. Students who are approved for such a project could do COMP3901 and COMP3902 together. Students in any of our programs can take COMP3901/2, provided they have the permission of their program director, which of course may not be forthcoming.

The final version of the prerequisites:

Prerequisites: Permission of program director. Students proposing to take this course must have an average of at least 80% in COMP, SENG, and BINF courses that they have taken, and they must have completed at least 48 UoC of such courses, and have obtained the agreement of a project supervisor.