In the region, there is a dearth of taught, specialist Computer Science/Information Communication Technology (ICT) postgraduate programmes that are expressly designed to consider research problems encountered in real life business and industrial settings. It is this gap that the Master of Science in Computer Science seeks to fill thereby building appropriate capacity nationally and regionally. In this programme, scholars will be given the necessary theoretical and conceptual foundation and thereafter be expected to proceed with research into problems that are experienced in our region. This focus will offer unique opportunities to key development problems thereby contributing to knowledge by responding to established and emerging challenges.
The objectives of the programme are to:
- create new opportunities for postgraduate research in Computer Science
- contribute to the production of Computer Science professionals required at the various levels of our industrial development.
- inculcate a proactive and relevant information communication technology (ICT) research and development community.
- foster national and regional collaboration in Computer Science
- collaborate with industry to develop ICT products, systems and services that address key economic needs.
- produce high quality education, research, systems and products that competes effectively at the global level.
- provide an exit point in the form of a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science for those candidates who do not wish to undertake a substantive project upon successful completion of the core course units.
Entry Requirements
- The common regulations for the Masters degree in all faculties shall apply.
- The minimum requirements for eligibility into the Master of Science in Computer Science are:
- Holders of a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, of at least Upper Second Class Honours or an equivalent qualification from an institution recognised by Senate.
- Holders of a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science with a Lower Second Class Honours or an equivalent qualification from an institution recognised by Senate. In addition the applicant should have at least 2 years relevant experience.
- Holders of a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science with a Pass degree or an equivalent qualification from an institution recognised by Senate. In addition the applicant should have at least 4 years relevant experience.
- Holders of a Bachelor's degree in a related discipline Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics and Physics of at least Upper Second Class Honours or an equivalent qualification from an institution recognised by Senate. In addition the candidate must hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science, of a minimum Credit grade or an equivalent qualification from an institution recognised by Senate.
Exemptions of Courses
A candidate may be exempted from some course units from institutions recognised by Senate, subject to the following conditions:
Must have passed similar units at postgraduate level.
Requests for exemption should be made in writing, on admission, to the Director of Board of Postgraduate Studies, through the Director, School of Computing and Informatics and should be accompanied by officially endorsed supporting documents for the relevant courses.
Payment of the prescribed exemption fee.
No candidate shall be exempted for more than one third of the total number of units required in the course.
Course Structure and Duration
Each academic year shall have three semesters of 15 weeks each.
The programme shall extend over a minimum of four semesters and a maximum of twelve semesters
The Master of Science in Computer Science shall be offered by coursework, examination and project.
The programme shall consist of twelve and a half taught course units and the project.
For those opting to exit with a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science, the programme shall consist of nine and a half compulsory course units and a project
A course unit shall be defined as 60 contact hours comprising of lectures, tutorials and laboratories.
A candidate shall take nine and a half compulsory course (units) and three electives.
The choice of the three electives shall be approved by the School.
The research project shall be equivalent to six course units.
For those opting to exit with a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science, the research project shall be equivalent to two course units.
A candidate shall be required to take a minimum of two course units and a maximum of four course units in any given semester.
Course Outline
Core Course Units
| Code | Title | Hours |
| SCS 701 | Design and Analysis of Algorithms | 60 |
| SCS 702 | Research Methodology | 30 |
| SCS 703 | Computer Logic and Symbolic Reasoning | 60 |
| SCS 704 | Theory of Computation | 60 |
| SCS 705 | Distributed and Parallel Computing | 60 |
| SCS 706 | Multi-agents Systems | 60 |
| SCS 707 | Information Systems Strategic Management | 60 |
| SCS 708 | Business Process Re-engineering | 60 |
| SCS 709 | Human Computer Interaction | 60 |
| SCS 710 | Modeling and Simulation | 60 |
5.2 Elective Course Units
Choose any three units
| Information Systems Elective | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
| SCS 720 | Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing | 60 |
| SCS 721 | Data Warehousing and Data Mining | 60 |
| SCS 722 | Information Systems Security and Audit | 60 |
| SCS 723 | Legal & Ethical Aspects of Computing | 60 |
| Software Engineering Electives | ||
| SCS 724 | Systems Engineering | 60 |
| Distributed Systems Electives | ||
| SCS 730 | Distributed Systems Design | 60 |
| SCS 731 | Network Performance | 60 |
| SCS 732 | Distributed Computing Algorithms | 60 |
| SCS 733 | Computer Networks Design | 60 |
| Computer Architecture Electives | ||
| SCS 734 | Digital Signal Processing | 60 |
| SCS 735 | Real-time Systems and Embedded Systems | 60 |
| SCS 736 | Advances in Parallel Computer Architectures | 60 |
| SCS 737 | Fault Tolerant Computing | 60 |
| Artificial Intelligence Electives | ||
| SCS 740 | Machine-Learning | 60 |
| SCS 741 | Evolutionary Computation | 60 |
| SCS 742 | Natural Language Processing | 60 |
| Scientific Computing Electives | ||
| SCS 743 | Methods in Bioinformatics | 60 |
5.3 Project
| Code | Title | Hrs |
| SCS 759 | Project (Postgraduate Diploma) | 120 |
| SCS 799 | Project (MSc) | 360 |
Examination Regulations
All taught course units shall be examined at the end of the respective semesters.
A candidate for the degree shall satisfactorily complete such coursework and practical assignments as may be required for the scheme of study. Satisfactory completion of any such requirements shall be a condition of admission to the examination at the end of that semester of study.
A written examination for a course unit shall have a minimum duration of three hours.
Each course unit or its equivalent shall be graded independently out of a maximum of 100 marks and the pass mark shall be 50%.
The complete assessment of a taught unit shall consist of course work (assignments, laboratories and continuous assessment tests) and a compulsory written examination. The contribution towards the unit aggregate shall be 50% for course work and 50% for written examination.
A candidate who fails to satisfy the examiners in any unit(s), may on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners and approval by Senate, be allowed to take up to two re-sit/retake examinations in the unit(s) failed during the ordinary examination time, within the stipulated study period.
A pass obtained in any re-sit examination will be recorded as 50% in the candidate's academic record.
A candidate shall be required to pass in all the taught course units before being allowed to undertake the research project.
The project shall be graded independently out of a maximum of 100 marks and the pass mark shall be 50%.
A pass obtained in any resubmitted project will be recorded as 50%
A candidate who fails to satisfy the examiners in the project may, on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners and approval by Senate, be allowed to resubmit the project not more than twice. Any re-submission(s) must be done within a period of two consecutive semesters starting from the first submission.
The grading system of individual courses will be as follows:
A 75% - 100%
B 65% - 74%
C 50% - 64%
F below 50%
A candidate who
- has failed any course or its equivalent after three attempts or
- has failed to take any prescribed examination without good cause or
- fails to complete the programme within twelve semesters, or
- fails on second re-submission of the project
- shall, on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners and approval by Senate, be discontinued from the programme.
Degree Award
The final degree awarded shall be Master of Science in Computer Science.