Cardiff School of Computer Science & Informatics Postgraduate Programmes www.cardiff.ac.uk/computerscience Contents Cardiff University Main Building Contact Us Welcome from the Head of School 1 Email: [email protected] Meet the Team 1 Tel: +44 (0)29 2087 4812 Cardiff: Capital City of Wales 2 Fax: +44 (0)29 2087 4598 Cardiff: the University 4 Stay connected Accommodation 6 Introduction to the School 8 facebook.com/csicardiff Postgraduate Study at the School 10 MSc Advanced Computer Science 12 @csicardiff MSc Information Security & Privacy 14 linkedin.com/groups/ MSc Conversion Courses Cardiff-School-Computer- Science-Informatics- – Computing and Computing and IT Management 16 4529987 Joint degree: MSc Computational Journalism 18 Professional Placement 19 Postgraduate Student Support Services 20 Getting Involved 21 Student Profiles, Alumni and Employability 22 Research 24 PhD, MRes and University Graduate College 27 International Students and English Language Programmes 28 www.cardiff.ac.uk/ Funding and Scholarships 30 computerscience Application and Entry Requirements 32 www.cardiff.ac.uk/computerscience Welcome to the Cardiff School of Computer Science & Informatics Professor It gives me great Alun Preece pleasure to welcome Director of you to the School of Research Computer Science & Informatics here at Cardiff University. Dr Stuart Allen Director of Based in Europe’s youngest capital city, Teaching we are blessed with a great location and excellent facilities for you to reach your full potential. Indeed, our students consistently vote us among the top three in the UK for Alongside this, our staff are technologists Dr Wendy Ivins learning resources and environment and and computer scientists, being leaders in Postgraduate we are seeing increasing international areas of their expertise and keen to share Programme interest from students overseas wishing to their skills, knowledge and understanding. Operation's Team join the School. Much of the research that our School Leader undertakes is internationally leading and Now more than ever the prospects for part of our mission is to share the employment post studying Computer excitement of discovery and the state of Science remain very strong indeed. the art with our students. Across most of our MSc programmes, Dr Leigh Hodge we offer the opportunity to study with a If you want to learn more about life in Postgraduate placement which allows students the our School, please feel free to join us Admissions Tutor opportunity to gain valued experience in on Facebook and Twitter. It would be a paid employment. We are proud of our pleasure to see you in Cardiff, and on employability record and have recently behalf of all staff here at the School of seen our graduates move on to some of Computer Science & Informatics, may G the major UK recruiters - you are welcome I wish you the best of luck with your emma Murphy I to check out what our alumni are doing on future studies. nternational LinkedIn. Student Professor Stephen Hurley Recruitment Officer Head of School www.cardiff.ac.uk/computerscience 1 Cardiff: the Capital City of Wales 6 1 2 3 5 Key Cardiff City Centre 1 Cardiff University 2 Bute Park 4 3 Cardiff Castle 4 Millennium Stadium 5 Shopping centre 6 Student neighbourhood Cardiff is a thriving and attractive city which is widely recognised as an outstanding place in which to live and study. Location Cardiff is located on the coast of South Wales, which has beautiful national parks and beaches only 30 minutes away. Cardiff is approximately 230km (145 miles) west of London and is easily accessed by train in about 2 hours. Cardiff has excellent transport links (ranked 1st in the UK for the most transport friendly city) with an international airport that has flights to many cities in Europe. The perfect student city Cardiff is a small city with a population of about 340,000 people. Approximately 20% of the population are students, which makes it safe, friendly and affordable (see pages 6-7). Cardiff, however, is also a capital city with all the culture, sports, shops, entertainment, work opportunities and atmosphere you would expect of a modern European metropolis. 2 www.cardiff.ac.uk/computerscience 12 Facts About Cardiff Q Cardiff University is in the city centre of Cardiff. Q Cardiff Airport has more than 30 flights a day to UK and European cities. Q Cardiff is only 2 hours from London by train. Q Cardiff has a new £675 million shopping centre in the city centre. Q Voted the UK's seventh best nightlife city in 2011 by TripAdvisor users. Q Cardiff has a 70,000 seated stadium, an international sports village and a football league soccer club: Cardiff City FC. Q Cardiff has more than 330 parks and gardens. Q Cardiff was one of National Geographic’s top 10 summer destinations 2011. Q The popular TV shows Doctor Who and Torchwood are filmed in Cardiff. The University is surrounded by Q Selected as the European Capital of attractive parkland and is adjacent to Sport for 2014. Cardiff Castle and the city centre Q Named as 6th best shopping destination in the UK. Q Home to Europe’s oldest living language, Welsh is spoken by 20% With its distinctive character, good quality Dr Who Experience in Cardiff Bay is a of the population, but don’t worry of life, and growing national and popular new attraction. everybody speaks English! international reputation, it hosts many This means you get a small inexpensive high-profile sporting and cultural events, city you can easily walk around, but also including international rugby, soccer, an exciting city where there is always cricket and motor sport, Cardiff Singer of something to do. To find out more about the World and is home to the biannual the city of Cardiff visit: Artes Mundi exhibition and prize (the UK’s www.cardiff.ac.uk/postgradlife biggest art prize). Home to the world-renowned Welsh A diverse, international city National Opera, it boasts prestigious Cardiff was one of the UK’s first multi- Weather in Cardiff concert venues such as the Wales cultural cities and an estimated 94 The average temperature in Cardiff in Millennium Centre, St David’s Hall and the languages are spoken here. This is a real Winter is 7°C, and in Summer Motorpoint Arena, as well as the iconic benefit for international students because temperatures can reach up to 30°C. Millennium Stadium, the National Museum many of the food and ingredients you have With four seasons, the weather in the and Gallery of Wales, several theatres and in your country are also sold in Cardiff. UK is generally unpredictable and can the historic Cardiff Castle. You can also be assured that there are vary considerably, however, Cardiff Cardiff is the location for award-winning many religious and cultural facilities across experiences less rainfall than other television productions, including Dr Who, the city, including mosques, synagogues, areas of Wales and is consistent with Sherlock, Torchwood and Casualty, and the churches and temples. the rest of the UK. www.cardiff.ac.uk/computerscience 3 Cardiff: the University Cardiff University has an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research, built on a history of service and achievement since 1883, and recognised by our membership of the Russell Group of leading research-led universities. The Complete University Guide 2015 A History of Achievement Location Top 30 British universities The University was founded in 1883 when The University’s Cathays Park campus is (Complete University Guide 2015) it was granted its own Royal Charter. Today, located in and around the impressive Rank University Cardiff is a member of the Russell Group, Portland stone buildings, parks and wide 1 University of Cambridge the UK’s top 24 research intensive tree-lined avenues that form Cardiff’s 2 University of Oxford universities. It attracts students from more attractive civic centre. The majority of 3 London School of Economics than 100 countries and substantial academic schools are located here - just a 4 University of St Andrews research funding from the Research few minutes’ walk from the city centre. 5 Durham University Councils, public bodies, industry, The four academic schools offering 6 Imperial College London commerce and other sources. healthcare courses (excluding Optometry and Pharmacy) are based at the Heath 7 University of Warwick Cardiff University has celebrated a number Park campus, approximately one mile 8 University of Bath of notable achievements during the past away, which is also home to the University 9 University College London few years. Foremost among these was the Hospital of Wales. 10 University of Exeter award of the Nobel Prize for Medicine to 11 Lancaster University Professor Sir Martin Evans of the School of The School of Computer Science & 12 University of Surrey Biosciences; Sir Martin becoming Cardiff Informatics is located in the Cathays Park 13 Loughborough University University’s second Nobel Prize winner, campus and is in very close proximity to 14 University of York joining Professor Robert Huber of the the city centre. Further details can be 15 University of East Anglia School of Chemistry. The University was found on page 6. 16 University of Southampton also awarded its fifth Queen’s Anniversary 17 University of Birmingham Prize – an award which recognises Facilities 18 University of Bristol universities and colleges across the UK for Although dating from 1883, Cardiff is 19 University of Leicester work of outstanding excellence. focused on the 21st century, and has 20 Newcastle University modern state-of-the-art buildings and 21 Edinburgh Looking to the future, further increasing facilities. The University has invested 22 University of Kent partnerships and collaboration are central £200 million in its estate in recent years =23 Cardiff University to the University’s mission to be a world- and most academic schools have benefited =23 University of Leeds leading university; both internally – through from major refurbishment, including new =23 University of Nottingham interdisciplinary teams – and externally, and well-equipped laboratories, lecture 26 University of Sheffield through links with organisations of all theatres, libraries and computing facilities.