Advanced Computing (Honours)

If you want to find out what drives (and how to work for) companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple or Facebook, you are looking at the right degree.

This is a unique, interdisciplinary program that will prepare you to be a future leader of the information and communications technology revolution.

You will not only learn advanced computing techniques and have the opportunity to complete a unique major, but also develop exceptional professional skills in areas of entrepreneurship and management. 

While some of our students are flying unmanned aerial vehicles 15,000 kilometres away, others are busy writing algorithms to mine through Petabytes of data. If mastering challenging projects is your thing, the ANU Bachelor of Advanced Computing can launch you into a spectacular career.

Employment Opportunities

The best computing professionals often have knowledge or a wider field than computing alone. BAC graduates will be ideally positioned to shape their chosen sector of the computing industry now and into the future. They will acquire the skills and knowledge to become leaders in the ICT industry.

Opportunities exist in high tech industries, software start-ups computing research and developement as well as specialist computing organisations. Examples include, software developers, data mining specialists for insurance, banking and health sectors, human-computer interction specialists for software services industries, embedded systems developers for defence, and automotive industries.

The Bachelor of Advanced Computing (Honours) requires completion of 192 units, of which:

A maximum of 60 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 192 units must include:

78 units from completion of compulsory courses from the following list:

COMP2100 Software Construction

COMP2130 Software Design and Analysis

COMP2300 Introduction to Computer Systems

COMP2310 Concurrent and Distributed Systems

COMP2600 Formal Methods in Software Engineering

COMP3100 Software Project (12 units)

COMP3120 Managing Software Development

COMP3530 Systems Engineering for Software Engineers

COMP3600 Algorithms

COMP3630 Theory of Computation

ENGN1211 Discovering Engineering

MGMT3027 Entrepreneurship and Innovation

6 units from completion of one course from the following list:

COMP1100 Introduction to Programming and Algorithms

COMP1130 Introduction to Programming and Algorithms (Advanced)

6 units from completion of one course from the following list:

COMP1110 Introduction to Software Systems

COMP1140 Introduction to Software Systems (Advanced)

6 units from completion of one course from the following list:

STAT1003 Statistical Techniques

STAT1008 Quantitative Research Methods

6 units from completion of one course from the following list:

MATH1013 Mathematics and Applications 1

MATH1115 Mathematics and Applications 1 Honours

6 units from completion of one course from the following list:

MATH1014 Mathematics and Applications 2

MATH1116 Mathematics and Applications 2 Honours

12 units from completion of further courses from the subject area COMP Computer Science

Either:

24 units from completion of COMP4550 Advanced Computing Research Project

Or:

12 units from completion of COMP4560 Advanced Computing Project

12 units from completion of 4000-level courses from teh subject area COMP Computer Science

48 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU

Majors

• Computational Foundations
• Computer Engineering

• Human-Centric Computing
• Information-Intensive Computing

• Intelligent Systems

Specialisations

• Algorithms and Data
• Artificial Intelligence

• Computer Systems
• Human-Centric Computing

Admission to all programs is on a competitive basis. Admission to undergraduate degrees is based on meeting the ATAR requirement or an equivalent rank derived from the following qualifications:

• An Australian year 12 qualification or international equivalent; OR

• A completed Associate Diploma, Associate Degree, AQF Diploma, Diploma, AQF Advanced Diploma or Graduate Certificate; OR

• At least one standard full-time year (1.0 FTE) in a single program of degree level study at an Australian higher education institution; OR

• An approved tertiary preparation course unless subsequent study is undertaken.

Requirements for domestic applicants:

ATAR:90

QLD Band:6

International Baccalaureate:34

For international students:

Refer to the table to see if you meet the requirements:

http://www.anu.edu.au/files/resource/IntAdmissTabl2014e.pdf 

English Language Requirements:

ANU recognizes a number of English language tests as meeting the University’s English language requirements. The acceptable tests are IELTS (an overall score of 6.5 with at least 6 in each component of the test), TOEFL-paper based test (a score of 570), TOEFL-internet based test (a score of 80, with a minimum of 20 in Reading and Writing and 18 in Speaking and Listening), Cambridge CAE Advanced (80, grade A), PTE Academic (overall 64, minimum 55 in each section.) 

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to current and future students to assist with the cost of their studies. The University is committed to enabling all students, regardless of their background, to achieve their best at ANU and realise their potential. 

Eligibility for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

The computing industry has grown very rapidly in the last 40 years, with various specialized areas requiring advanced computational techniques emerging. The pervasiveness of computers and computer-enabled devices is rapidly becoming established in modern society. Humans are interacting with computers in ever more profound and sophisticated ways. Allied with this, computers are having to act more intelligently in many different contexts. As the scale and complexity of these computer systems increases, so too do challenges in their engineering. As the amount of data increases exponentially, new challenges in the mining and warehousing of information emerge. In all areas of computing, increasingly sophisticated algorithms underpin all of the resulting technologies.  The resulting hardware and software systems in these areas are complex; hence a systems engineering perspective on their design and construction is valuable.  

In these areas of computing, another emerging trend is linkages with other disciplines. Valuable perspectives on artificial intelligence are emerging from the study of natural intelligence and biological systems. Psychology is a central element in human-computer interaction. The explosion in the volume and utility of information from bioinformatics is a key driver of large-scale data systems. An engineering approach, with emphasis on both hardware and software, is needed for the design of embedded computing technology. In all cases, reliable and systematic software development remains as a key element.

The Bachelor of Advanced Computing graduate will posses technical knowledge of programming, With these as a foundation, their technical knowledge will have been honed by the study of a selection of advanced computing topics. Professional and practical skills in software development will be gained through a series of courses in software analysis, design and construction, capped off with a group software project, With professional skills developed in the areas of entrepreneurship and management, the graduate will be in a position to apply their in-depth technical knowledge to become innovators in industry.

The best computing professionals are informed by knowledge of a wider field than computing alone. Graduates fulfilling a Major in an area of advanced computing and a cognate interdisciplinary area will be ideally positioned to shape the respective sector of the computing industry as it evolves over the near future. This will also imbue a capacity for lifelong learning by exposure to a broader range of perspectives and of ways of studying.

The degree also offers a research pathway for graduates wishing to pursue careers with a high emphasis on research.