Part 4 Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology    

Introduction

Bachelor of Engineering

Bachelor of Information Technology

Bachelor of Software Engineering

Departments

Computer Science

Engineering

Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology

Dean: Professor Darrell Williamson, BE BSc ME N’cle, PhD Harv

Introduction

The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology was established in 1993 and comprises the Department of Engineering and the Department of Computer Science.

The Faculty represents the commitment of the ANU to developments in engineering and information technology, and recognises the strength of the university’s undergraduate and graduate programs in these disciplines. The Australian National University has a world-wide reputation in many fields including computing and engineering. Each of the two departments in the Faculty is a key participant in two Cooperative Research Centres funded jointly by the Australian Government and industry to carry out collaborative research.

Further information is available on the Faculty Web site: http://www.anu.edu.au/feit

Undergraduate Courses Offered

*may be completed in 5 years

Changes to course structures and credit point values

You will note that undergraduate degrees are now being expressed in terms of credit points, on the basis of a normal full-time load of 48 credit points per year. For a full explanation of the changes to course structures, credit point values and course legislation, please see the General Information section of this Handbook.

Course Prerequisites

Bachelor of Engineering

ACT
(a) Advanced Mathematics Extended major/minor and Physics major or

(b) Advanced Mathematics Extended double major and Physics minor

NSW
(a) 3 unit Mathematics; and 2 unit Physics or 4 unit Science or

(b) 4 unit Mathematics and 3 unit Science

Bachelor of Information Technology

ACT
Satisfactory performance in a major in Advanced Mathematics

NSW
Satisfactory performance in 2 unit Mathematics

Bachelor of Software Engineering

ACT
Advanced Mathematics Extended major/minor

NSW
3 unit Mathematics

Bachelor of Engineering

(course code 4700)

Interdisciplinary Systems Engineering

The ANU Bachelor of Engineering degree course is a four-year, IEAust accredited undergraduate program that integrates selected areas of electrical and mechanical engineering with computer systems and engineering management to produce well-rounded and multi-skilled engineering professionals. The interdisciplinary systems engineering approach at ANU is underscored by technological trends which cut across boundaries between traditional disciplines of engineering and computer science.

Aims of the BE degree course

The aim of the BE degree course is to prepare students for successful careers as professional engineering managers, designers, analysts, educators and researchers.

Building on a foundation of basic science and engineering fundamentals, the four-year BE degree program in Interdisciplinary Systems Engineering focuses on:

• telecommunications systems
• manufacturing systems
• energy systems
• materials
• engineering management.

The program of study is the same for all students in the first three years, with specialisation opportunities in Year 4 through the selection of appropriate professional electives and project work.

It is the aim that the BE graduate: has a sound and broad knowledge of basic science and engineering; is able to communicate effectively with engineers and the general public; has the capacity to acquire in-depth discipline knowledge; is able to use common sense, scientific and engineering knowledge to identify, formulate and solve problems; is able to use a systems approach to engineering analysis, design, operation and management; is able to contribute to a multidisciplinary and multicultural team; is conscious of the social, cultural, global, environmental, legal and business aspects of engineering, including a commitment to the principles of sustainable development; has an understanding of the responsibilities of an inclusive and socially aware engineering professional, including a commitment to the IEAust Code of Ethics, life-long learning and continuing professional development.

These attributes are engendered by: formal courses in basic science, engineering fundamentals, engineering management and law; final-year courses which introduce students to the cutting edge of selected disciplines; hands-on experience in the analysis, design and development of telecommunications, manufacturing, energy and management systems; final-year project work which is relevant to industry research, development, operations and management; emphasis in all units on the functions, goals and wider context of engineering; teaching and assessment processes which reflect the importance of written and oral communications, project and design work; small-group teaching that encourages collaborative learning and problem solving; group laboratory, analysis and design exercises; and a student seminar program.

Course Restructure

The BE course is undergoing a restructuring during 1999 and 2000. The course structure detailed here is relevant to students commencing their engineering studies in 1999, and also for those who completed first year in 1999. Other continuing students may need to refer to the old degree structure described in the ANU Undergraduate Handbook 1998. For further details, contact the Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology Office.

Practical Experience

The Institution of Engineers, Australia (IEAust) specifies that students are required to complete at least 60 days of engineering work experience during the course through approved professional employment taken in the vacation periods. For details, see entry for ENGN4005 Practical Experience.

Bachelor of Engineering ¾ course requirements

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

18 credit points selected from the engineering professional electives list (see Department of Engineering entry).

9 credit points selected from the engineering professional electives list or from 3000-series or 4000-series units from any faculty.

The Bachelor of Engineering degree with Honours

Honours grades in the BE degree are awarded by the Faculty on the basis of a recommendation from the Head of Engineering and may be awarded with first class honours; second class honours, division A; or second class honours, division B.

The awarding of honours in engineering is based on meritorious performance over the entire four year program. The assessment of meritorious performance is based on the calculation of an average percentage mark (APM). The APM for Years 1, 2 and 3 respectively, is the average mark awarded in each ENGN1xxx, ENGN2xxx and ENGN3xxx unit. The APM for Year 4 is the average mark awarded in ENGN4211, ENGN4221 and in each completed unit from the engineering professional electives list.

The weighting factors 0.1, 0.2, 0.35 and 0.35 respectively, are used for the Years 1, 2, 3 and 4 APMs to give the overall APM.

The following table is indicative of the basis for the award of honours:

Bachelor of Information Technology (Information Systems Program)

(course code 3405)

No new enrolments will be accepted into this program after 1999.

Bachelor of Information Technology
(Software Engineering Program)

(course code 3700)

No new enrolments will be accepted into this program after 1999.

Bachelor of Information Technology

(course code 3701)

The Bachelor of Information Technology is a three-year degree that prepares graduates to enter the computing industry work force as novice practitioners to develop software or to apply computing in human organisations. The graduate attains the technical knowledge of fundamentals of computer systems, programming languages, computer systems, computer applications, and information systems. The computing industry has always been subject to very rapid change, and so we also aim to prepare graduates to meet the changes in practice and in technology that will be met during their working careers. The graduate can enter the fields of software development and support, information systems development and support, or many other broad areas of choice in computing or general industry.

Up until 1998 the degree was structured as two distinct Programs, which required students to choose very early to specialise in either Information Systems or Software Engineering. From 1999 the demands of Software Engineering for professionals are better met by the four-year Bachelor of Software Engineering degree, and the BInfTech has been reorganised to allow more flexible choice for students between an Information Systems stream and a Software Development stream.

Both streams are founded on an introduction to computer programming, a broad perspective on the computing discipline and profession, and an introduction to the functional structure of computers. Both also require at least 18 credit points of mathematics, which is a means of developing the ability to work with abstractions, a fundamental requirement for understanding and applying ideas in computing.

In later years of the course, students can choose the Software Development stream, to develop the conceptual and practical skills for software development and the technology of computer systems, or the Information Systems stream to develop understanding of organisations, the management of computer systems applications in them, and the accompanying systems analysis and design.

Course requirements

(Note: the same requirements apply to all three BInfTech courses ¾ 3405, 3700 and 3701)

The degree requires completion of 144cp of units offered, or approved by, the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, including

(a) at least 90cp of Information Technology units, which include

1. at least 18cp of 1000-series units, including COMP1100; and COMP1200 or ENGN1211

2. at least 24cp of 2000-series units, including COMP2300

3. at least 42cp of 3000- or 4000-series units, including INFS3047 and INFS3048

4. either

• Information Systems stream:
• INFS2024
• COMP2400 (or INFS2051 and INFS2052)
• INFS3024

or

• Software Development stream:
• COMP2031 or COMP1110
• COMP2038
• COMP3018

(b) at least 18cp of maths-related units, including

1. MATH1003 or MATH1013 or STAT1006

2. MATH1005 or MATH1014

3. 6cp of 2000-series MATH or STAT or EMET units

STAT1006 and 2000-series EMET can only be taken by students in the Information Systems stream.

(c) either

• Information Systems stream:
• COMM1101
• 12cp from
• COMM1010, COMM1020,
• ECON1001,
• ECHI1005, ECHI1006

or

• Software Development stream:
• COMM1010
• 12cp of units offered within the university
  

(d) a further 12cp of 2000- 3000- or 4000-series IT units

(e) no more than 60cp of 1000-series units

IT units are

• COMP units
• INFS units
• ENGN1211, ENGN3214, ENGN3213

BInfTech (Information Systems stream) (3701) and BInfTech(IS) (3405) recommended enrolment pattern for new students in 1999:

[1] 1000-elective units to be chosen from COMM1010, COMM1020, ECON1001, ECHI1005, ECHI1006

[2] Some 3000-IT electives may need to include specific IT units to satisfy the degree requirements.

BInfTech (Software Development stream) (3701) and BInfTech(SE) (3700) recommended enrolment pattern for new students in 1999:

[1] Some 3000-IT electives may need to include specific IT units to satisfy the degree requirements.

Recommended enrolment pattern for BInfTech (Information Systems stream) (3701) and BInfTech(IS) (3405) students commencing second or third year in 1999:

Recommended enrolment pattern for BInfTech (Software Development stream) (3701) and BInfTech(SE) (3700) students commencing second or third year in 1999:

The BInfTech with Honours

The BInfTech degree with honours requires an additional year of study after the pass degree of BInfTech. Admission is by invitation based on performance in your best 36 credit points of 2000 and 3000 series Information Technology and Mathematics units and generally requires an average performance at better than Credit level. The honours program includes advanced coursework and a major individual project worth 50% of the year. Honours grades are awarded on the result of the whole year’s work.

Bachelor of Software Engineering

(course code 4708)

The Bachelor of Software Engineering course emphasises the development of professional skills in the technical area of software engineering, that is, the systematic application of analysis, design, and construction techniques for computer systems and applications.

The computing industry has grown very rapidly in the last 40 years, despite a widely acknowledged, continual state of crisis in our abilities to manage reliably the process of developing software. The need for a mixture of technical computing knowledge with the skills of the computer programmer, and the disciplined organisation and judgement of the professional engineer, has been seen as desirable for many years.

The introduction of the Bachelor of Software Engineering degree in 1999 aims to meet this need.

The BSEng graduate will acquire technical knowledge of the fundamentals of computer systems, programming languages, and the mathematical foundations of algorithms and data structures that are required to establish reliability and safety in software. Technical knowledge is honed by a selection of advanced technical topics. The principles and practices of the design and implementation of software are built up in a sequence of units combining theoretical study and practical laboratory exercises, individual projects, and group projects. Of no less importance is an introduction to the professional skills of a competent engineer: management, communication with others and teamworking in particular, and ethical and other responsibilities. Graduates will also build their own skills of individual software development in university studies and in practical work experience which is required during the course, and will learn a systems approach developed and exemplified in individual and group project work.

Mathematics is an essential component of the degree for developing the languages and ability for abstraction that is the core of the computing discipline, and to allow rigorous formal description of aspects of the software engineering process. Discrete mathematics also has significant applications in the modelling and rigorous description of software properties, computing processes and programming languages.

The best computing professionals are informed by knowledge of a wider field than computing alone. The course includes the choice of a major line of study in another discipline in the university which can broaden the understanding of the social and cultural responsibilities of the software engineer, and strengthen the ability to communicate with others, or may be used to specialise in further fundamental sciences, or in specialised engineering streams. Both develop the capacity for lifelong learning by exposure to a broader range of ways of studying at university level.

The course is offered for the first time in 1999, when all 1000-series units and a selection of 2000-series units will be offered. The other later-year units will be introduced progressively over the next 2 years, and the degree will be submitted for approval by the Institution of Engineers Australia as an accredited Engineering degree.

Course requirements

The BSEng degree requires completion of 192 credit points including

(a) completion of core BSEng units (to be specified from time to time by Faculty)

COMP1100 COMP1110 COMP2100 COMP2200 COMP2210 COMP2220 COMP2300 COMP2400 COMP3100 COMP3200 COMP3300 COMP4500 COMP1800 COMP2800 COMP3800 COMP4800 ENGN3211 MATH1013 MATH1014

(b) completion of further 4000-level COMP units to the value of 24 credit points

(c) completion of further 3000- or 4000-level Information Technology units (COMP or INFS units, ENGN1211, ENGN3213, ENGN3214) to a value of 12 credit points

(d) completion of B level mathematics units to the value of 6 credit points

(e) completion of further Science or Engineering units to the value of 12 credit points, excluding those offered by Computer Science

(f) completion of a further 36 credit points, including at least 12 credit points of 3000- or 4000-level units, from any department in the university

Recommended enrolment pattern for full-time BSEng

[1]  The elective units may be 1000-series Science or Engineering units, or the beginning of a chosen major sequence in another discipline
[2]  BSEng electives are COMP or INFS units at 3000- or 4000-level, or the units ENGN3214 Telecommunications or ENGN3213 Digital Systems

N.B. Some later-year COMP units referred to above are not yet formally approved and are not described in this Handbook. One of these, COMP4800 (Industrial Experience), will require 60 days of work experience including 20 days in a software engineering context, and 20 in a professional context. Students can accumulate this experience over 2 or 3 years between university study periods.

Bachelor of Software Engineering with Honours

Honours grades in the BSEng will be awarded on the basis of merit in the fourth year of the course.

Accreditation

The Bachelor of Engineering degree is accredited to the appropriate level by the Institution of Engineers, Australia (IEAust). The Bachelor of Software Engineering degree will be submitted for accreditation with IEAust and the Australian Computer Society.

All students who complete the BInfTech degree are eligible for associate membership of the Australian Computer Society.

Combined Courses

Detailed information about courses combined with the Bachelor of Engineering or the Bachelor of Information Technology degrees is provided in the Combined Courses section of this Handbook.

Note that there are no combined courses with the Bachelor of Software Engineering.

Status

Status towards undergraduate degree courses of the Faculty may be granted for studies completed elsewhere. Requests for status are assessed individually.