Part III of the Computer Science Tripos

Information for Directors of Studies and students

Module self-selection form (online)

At the stage students are submitting an application to progress to Part III, students will be asked to complete an indicative module selection form. They may, if they choose, also include a brief proposal for a project.

At the end of July, Part II students continuing to Part III in October will be sent a personalised link to an in-house online selection form to help them select their modules, balance the modules between terms and to assist the Postgraduate Education Committee with the balancing of class sizes. This form is not part of CamSIS and students must still complete CamSIS exam entries in October. The relevant dates are as follows.

Induction

It is helpful if Part III students and ACS students meet early in Michaelmas. We have a full schedule of activities for MPhil students. While M.Phil students should attend all the sessions, Part III students should attend all but the Health and Safety courses and particularly the Registration on the first Monday, and the Group Activities. See the Induction Schedule for full details.

Dates for module enrolment

As in other Tripos parts, students must make final exam entries on CamSIS. See below for dates.

Please refer to the Module change webpage for details on how to request changes to modules and the dates. Requests for changes must be approved by the Postgraduate Education Committee. Part III students will be given a list of modules to use when completing their CamSIS exam entry forms. Students are advised not to make any CamSIS exam entries until this date; Directors of Studies are asked similarly not to approve exam entries without seeing this department list. This avoids having to unpick entries on CamSIS.

*Adjustments for over-subscription/course capacity or under-subscription/course cancellations
† Same date for M.Phil in Advanced Computer Science students

Study and assessment weeks

Most modules will include an end-of-module assessment. This might take the form of a sit-down test, a take-home test or a more substantial piece of coursework. By and large, end-of-module assessment occurs at the end of the term in which it was taught or, more rarely, in the first week of Lent Terms and commences on the first Tuesday of full term. All students are encouraged to use the weeks after the end of lectures to revise and to complete coursework. Directors of Studies may be asked to grant permission for Part III students to submit work for module assessment outside full term.

Part III project

Part III students are expected to complete a project worth four modules. The formal requirements of this are given via a Head of Department's Announcement, but note that this project and its associated project report will focus more on research or research preparation rather than the Software Engineering aspects of a Part II project and write-up.

A Project Briefing meeting for Part III students will be held at at the beginning of Michaelmas term. There is an expectation that Directors of Sudies will be available to advise their advisees in the selection of projects and in finding a suitable supervisor.

Relation to M.Phil in ACS

Directors of Studies are reminded that Part III shares many modules with the M.Phil in ACS but that M.Phil students, being graduates, have Course Advisers (appointed by Department) rather than Directors of Studies.