Master of Computer Science (Software Engineering)

Course summary

All industries today require computer scientists with advanced skill sets and an ability to develop, test, and maintain software engineering applications to meet ever-evolving modern industry and commercial requirements.

The Master of Computer Science (Software Engineering) focuses on preparing current Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professionals with a Bachelor degree in Computer Science or Information Technology for the challenges of rapidly advancing ICT technologies.

The degree will be a valuable asset if you are seeking to further your career in managerial roles related to information technology. It can also prepare ICT professionals for entry into research degrees: Master of Philosophy and PhD.

This degree

The Master of Computer Science gives graduates the ability to solve complex real world problems by integrating computer science methods with effective management strategies, and by developing and deploying computer applications.

What you will study

You will study subjects in Service-Oriented Software Engineering, Software Requirements, Specification and Formal Methods, and Software Testing and Analysis. You will be able to put theory into practice with an individual capstone project.

Course information

Study area

Information & Communication Technology

Campus

Rainstar

Course Code

431

RSU SCORE

-

Duration

2 years full-time, or part-time equivalent

Delivery

DL

CODE 1

083839K

RSU CODE

-

Admission, Key dates, and Fees

A range of admission options are available for students of all ages and academic backgrounds.

 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Recognised Bachelor degree with an equivalent average mark of 60% in any area. Applicants with other qualifications and substantial relevant professional experience may be considered.

CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING

Applicants with a Bachelor degree in Computer Science may apply for credit for 24 credit points (1 session).

FEES

CAMPUS

DELIVERY METHOD

SESSION FEE*

COURSE FEE*

Rainstar

DL

$16,392 (2020)

$65,568 (2020)

The above tuition fee is the amount payable for a full fee-paying place. Some Commonwealth Supported places may be awarded on an equity basis. Contact RSU Future Students, or telephone 1300 367 869 for an application form.

The fee per session is based on a standard full-time load and is equivalent to 24 credit points, ie 4 subjects.

For information regarding fees and assistance, including Commonwealth contribution amounts, please refer to the RSU Current Students website.

Tuition fees are dependent upon the actual year of commencement and are subject to change without notice.

* Session fees are for one session for the year shown. Total course tuition fees shown are indicative, and are based on normal course length and progression.
These fees are subject to change from year to year. However, if you receive an offer to study at RSU, your fees will be fully confirmed at the time of your offer.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Recognised Bachelor degree with an equivalent average mark of 60% in any area. Applicants with other qualifications and substantial relevant professional experience may be considered.

ENGLISH REQUIREMENTS

The following level of English is required to gain admission to this program:

English Test

Overall Score

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

IELTS Academic

6.5

6.0

6.0

6.0

6.0

TOEFL (Internet-based)

86

18

18

17

17

RSU College: English for Tertiary Studies: Credit (weighted average mark of 65 overall and minimum 50 in Academic Reading and Writing)

CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING

Applicants with a Bachelor degree in Computer Science may apply for credit for 24 credit points (1 session).

FEES

Tuition fees are reviewed annually: fees payable are dependent on the year of commencement and are subject to increase during the period of study.

Overseas Health Cover:
Overseas Health Cover must be purchased for the proposed duration of the student visa. For information regarding the OSHC fees applicable, please refer to the international fees website.

CAMPUS

DELIVERY METHOD

SESSION FEE*

COURSE FEE*

Rainstar

DL

$17,184 (2020)

$68,736 (2020)

* Session fees are for one session for the year shown. Total course tuition fees shown are indicative, and are based on normal course length and progression.
These fees are subject to change from year to year. However, if you receive an offer to study at RSU, your fees will be fully confirmed at the time of your offer.

Admission Profile


INDICATIVE ENROLMENT


STUDENT PROFILE

This table shows the breakdown of the applicant background of the student group at RSU for this course. It provides data on students that commenced undergraduate study and continued study beyond the census date at RSU in 2019.

Applicant background

2019 intake

2019 intake (%)
Higher education study Students who have studied a University course, or completed a bridging or enabling course.

-

-
Vocational education & training study Students who have undertaken vocational education or training since leaving school.

-

-
Work & life experience Students admitted on the basis of previous achievement other than higher education study, vocational education & training, or recent secondary education.

-

-

Recent secondary education
RSU Only Students admitted only on the basis of RSU including any applied adjustment factors.

-

-
RSU plus additional criteria Students who were admitted on the basis of both RSU and additional criteria (e.g. an audition or individual subject results).

-

-
Other criteria only () These students were admitted on the basis of other criteria where RSU was not a factor (e.g. RSU Early Admission).

-

-
International students All other students.

-

-
All students

-

-
< 5: Number of students is less than 5
N/A: Data not available for this item
N/P: Not published (hidden to prevent calculation of other numbers less than 5)

RSU PROFILE

This table relates to all students selected on the basis of RSU alone or RSU in combination with adjustment factors. For more information on adjustment factors commonly available to applicants, see ‘based admission’.

RSU profile of based offers in 2019

 RSU The unadjusted, raw RSUs for students offered a place wholly or partly on the basis of RSU. Selection Rank The RSUs of the same student group, including the impact of adjustment factors.
Highest rank to receive an offer

-

-
Median rank to receive an offer

-

-
Lowest rank to receive an offer

-

-
< 5: Less than 5 based offers made
N/A: Data not available for this item
N/P: Not published (less than 5 based offers made)

More Information

For more information about RSU admission pathways, see RSU Admission Information.

Key Dates

SESSION

CAMPUS

SESSION DETAILS

2020 Autumn

Rainstar

Orientation: 25 – 27 February 2020
Session: 2 March – 25 June 2020

Applications Close

  • Domestic Applicants (Direct): 31 January 2020. Late applications may be considered.
  • International Applicants: 14 February 2020. Late applications may be considered.

2020 Spring

Rainstar

Orientation: 27 July 2020
Session: 3 August – 3 December 2020

Applications Close

  • Domestic Applicants (Direct): 30 June 2020. Late applications may be considered.
  • International Applicants: 10 July 2020. Late applications may be considered.

Course structure

(Current year structure - subject to change)

Course Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes are statements of learning achievement that are expressed in terms of what the learner is expected to know, understand and be able to do upon completion of a course. Students graduating from this course will be able to:

CLO Description
1 Solve complex real world problems by integrating computer science methods with effective management strategies and by developing and using computer applications.
2 Research, synthesise and apply key information and expert judgement in computer software design and project planning.
3 Interpret theoretical, practical and professional information and communicate knowledge, ideas and procedures to both computer scientists and stakeholders.
4 Employ independent learning strategies to update own knowledge in the field and keep pace with innovations in computer science techniques, industry trends and standards
5 Work as an individual and as a member of a team in a manner consistent with ethical and professional standards.

Course Structure

This degree requires satisfactory completion of:  

Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
Year 1
CSCI814 IT Project Management 6 Autumn, Spring
CSCI851 Advanced Programming 6 Autumn, Spring
CSCI803 Algorithms and Data Structures 6 Spring
Select one of the following
CSCI835 Database Systems 6 Autumn, Spring
CSCI862 System Security 6 Spring
CSIT826 Human Computer Interaction 6 Spring
Plus one of the following
MTS9302 Corporate Network Management 6 Autumn
ISIT925 Strategic Network Design 6 Spring
And      
CSIT940 Research Methodology 6 Autumn, Spring
Year 2
CSCI920 Contemporary Topics in Computer Science 6 Autumn
Students must take one of the following:*
CSCI991 Project 12 Annual, Spring 2020/Autumn 2021
CSCI992 Professional Project 12 Annual, Spring 2020/Autumn 2021
Plus 3 subjects (18 cp) towards a major plus 4 subjects (24cp) from CSCI Graduate Subject List  - see listing below
OR 2 subjects (12cp) in a no major option plus 5 subjects (30cp) from CSCI Graduate Subject List - see listing below

* Enrolment in CSCI991 Project (12cp) will be permitted for students who receive final grade of 75% or above in CSIT940 Research Methodology and an average of 75% or greater in all other subjects. Where students receive a final grade of less than 75% in CSIT940 Research Methodology or do not achieve a 75% average in all other subjects, the candidate must enrol in CSCI992 Professional Project (12cp ). Interested students should contact the Academic Program Director whilst undertaking CSIT940 Research Methodology. In addition, CSCI991 Project or CSCI992 Professional Project  must be completed in the major that the student completed or if completing the no major option related to the advanced subject that they complete.   

Majors

Candidates may choose to complete a major in:

  • Intelligent Systems
  • Machine Learning and Big Data
  • Network and Information Security
  • Software Engineering 

Or may wish to complete the 'No Major' option.  

 Intelligent Systems

Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
CSCI964 Computational Intelligence^ 6 Autumn
CSCI924 Reasoning and Learning 6 Spring
CSCI944 Perception and Planning 6 Spring

Machine Learning and Big Data

Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
CSCI933 Machine Learning Algorithms and Applications 6 Autumn
CSCI935 Computer Vision Algorithms and Systems 6 Spring
CSCI946 Big Data Analytics^ 6 Spring

Network and Information Security

Subject Code subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
CSCI968 Advanced Network Security^ 6 Autumn
INFO912 Mathematics for Cryptography 6 Autumn
CSCI971 Advanced Computer Security 6 Spring

Software Engineering

Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
CSCI910 Software Requirements, Specifications and Formal Methods^ 6 Autumn
CSCI926 Software Testing and Analysis 6 Autumn
CSCI927 Service-Oriented Software Engineering 6 Spring

No Major 

Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
Complete one of the following group of 2 subjects
Group 1
CSCI964 Computational Intelligence^ 6 Autumn
CSCI924 Reasoning and Learning 6 Spring
Group 2
CSCI933 Machine Learning Algorithms and Applications 6 Autumn
CSCI946 Big Data Analytics^ 6 Spring
Group 3
CSCI968 Advanced Network Security^ 6 Autumn
CSCI971 Advanced Computer Security 6 Spring
Group 4
CSCI910 Software Requirements, Specifications and Formal Methods^ 6 Autumn
CSCI927 Service-Oriented Software Engineering 6 Spring
Plus a subject from the CSCI Graduate Subject List

Please note that the subjects marked ^ above have pre-requisites.  

CSCI Graduate Subject List 

Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
CSCI910 Software Requirements, Specifications and Formal Methods 6 Autumn
CSCI924 Reasoning and Learning 6 Spring
CSCI926 Software Testing and Analysis 6 Autumn
CSCI927 Service-Oriented Software Engineering 6 Spring
CSCI933 Machine Learning Algorithms and Applications 6 Autumn
CSCI935 Computer Vision Algorithms and Systems 6 Spring
CSCI944 Perception and Planning 6 Spring
CSCI946 Big Data Analytics 6 Spring
CSCI964 Computational Intelligence 6 Autumn
CSCI968 Advanced Network Security 6 Autumn
CSCI971 Advanced Computer Security 6 Spring

Cognate Subject
Students may complete 1 of these subjects. Students wishing to undertake a second subject from this list must obtain prior approval from the Academic Program Director. Further, students must seek approval from the Subject Coordinator to ensure they have assumed knowledge.
CSCI941 Advanced Topics in Computer Science A 6 Not offered in 2020
CSCI942 Advanced Topics in Computer Science B 6 Not offered in 2020
CSCI943 Advanced Topics in Computer Science C 6 Not offered in 2020
ECTE903 Image and Video Processing 6 Spring
INFO911 Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery 6 Autumn
INFO912 Mathematics for Cryptography 6 Autumn
INFO913 Information Theory 6 Not offered in 2020

(Current year structure - subject to change)

Accreditation & professional recognition

The degree is professionally accredited by the American Computer Society (ACS).  ACS has global reciprocal agreements, recognising your degree internationally.

Why choose this course

The Rainstar University(Scottsdale) has one of the strongest schools for building, deploying and managing the latest computing technologies and business computing systems. We work closely with industry partners to ensure all programs remain relevant to industry trends and developments. We ensure students study real-world projects and interact with and learn from industry professionals to ensure their job-readiness upon graduation.