University of Pretoria Yearbook 2017

BIT Information Technology (02130082)

Duration of study 4 years
Total credits 683

Admission requirements
● The following persons will be considered for admission: a candidate who is in possession of a certificate that is
deemed by the University to be equivalent to the required Grade 12 certificate with university endorsement; a
candidate who is a graduate from another tertiary institution or has been granted the status of a graduate of
such an institution; and a candidate who is a graduate of another faculty at the University of Pretoria.
● Life Orientation is excluded when calculating the APS.
● Grade 11 results are used in the provisional admission of prospective students.
● A valid qualification with admission to degree studies is required.
● Minimum subject and achievement requirements, as set out below, are required. On first-year level a student
has a choice between Afrikaans and English as language medium. In certain cases, tuition may be presented in
English only, for example in electives, where the lecturer may not speak Afrikaans or in cases where it is not
economically or practically viable.
● Should a candidate obtain an APS of 26 to 29, consideration for admission will be based on the results of the
NBT, provided the quotas regarding student numbers have not been reached.

Minimum requirements for 2017

Achievement level
Afrikaans or English Mathematics
APS
NSC/IEB HIGCSE AS-Level A-Level NSC/IEB HIGCSE AS-Level A-Level
30
(26-29
5 3 C C 5 3 C C admission
based on the
NBT)

Other programme-specific information

Note that a student who wishes to continue with an MSc(Computer Science) or MCom(Informatics) or
MIS(Information Science) should take four of the five honours modules from that specific department in their
fourth year of study.

Promotion to next study year

Also consult the G Regulations.

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(i) A student is promoted to the following year of study after obtaining the required credits as mentioned
below:
• Second year of study after obtaining at least 70% of the credits of the first year of study.
• Third year of study after obtaining at least 70% of the credits of the second year of study.
• Fourth year of study after obtaining at least 70% of credits of the third year of study.
(ii) The degree is conferred if all the prescribed modules have been passed.

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Curriculum: Year 1
Minimum credits: 176

Fundamental modules
Academic information management 101 (AIM 101)
Module credits 6.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Faculty of Humanities
Service modules Faculty of Law
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Faculty of Theology
Faculty of Veterinary Science
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
Find, evaluate, process, manage and present information resources for academic purposes using appropriate
technology. Apply effective search strategies in different technological environments. Demonstrate the ethical
and fair use of information resources. Integrate 21st-century communications into the management of academic
information.

Academic literacy for Information Technology 121 (ALL 121)

Module credits 6.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules
Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 web-based period per week, 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Unit for Academic Literacy
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
By the end of this module students should be able to cope more confidently and competently with the reading,
writing and critical thinking demands that are characteristic of the field of Information Technology.

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Academic orientation 112 (UPO 112)
Module credits 0.00
Language of tuition Afrikaans and English is used in one class
Academic organisation EBIT Dean's Office
Period of presentation Year

Core modules
Program design: Introduction 110 (COS 110)
Module credits 16.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Prerequisites COS 132 , COS 151 and Maths level 5
Contact time 1 tutorial per week, 1 practical per week, 3 lectures per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
The focus is on object-oriented (OO) programming. Concepts including inheritance and multiple inheritance,
polymorphism, operator overloading, memory management (static and dynamic binding), interfaces,
encapsulation, reuse, etc. will be covered in the module. The module teaches sound program design with the
emphasis on modular code, leading to well structured, robust and documented programs. A modern OO
programming language is used as the vehicle to develop these skills. The module will introduce the student to
basic data structures, lists, stacks and queues.

Introduction to computer science 151 (COS 151)

Module credits 8.00
Faculty of Education
Service modules
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Prerequisites APS of 30 and level 5 (60-69%) Mathematics.
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 1 practical per week
Language of tuition Afrikaans and English is used in one class
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1

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Module content
This module introduces concepts and terminology related to the computer science discipline. General topics
covered include the history of computing, machine level representation of data, Boolean logic and gates, basic
computer systems organisation, algorithms and complexity and automata theory. The module also introduces
some of the subdisciplines of computer science, such as computer networks, database systems, compilers,
information security and intelligent systems. The module also focues on modelling of algorithms.

Philosophy 120 (FIL 120)

Module credits 12.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules
Faculty of Law
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 discussion class per week, 3 lectures per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Philosophy
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
Introduction to Philosophy
The two semester modules at first-year level introduce students to the four main subfields of Philosophy, namely
epistemology and metaphysics, ethics and political philosophy. This module introduces students to two of these
subfields. Students must contact the Department of Philosophy to ascertain which two subfields are covered in
each semester as the choice may change from time to time due to availability of teaching staff. Students will
become acquainted with the nature of philosophical reflection by exploring a number of classical philosophical
themes in each subfield. Throughout the module there is an emphasis on developing those critical thinking,
reading and writing skills that are required in Philosophy, while students become acquainted with the power of
critique as critical judgment and discernment.

Financial accounting 111 (FRK 111)

Module credits 10.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Faculty of Education
Service modules
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 4 lectures per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Accounting
Period of presentation Semester 1

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Module content
The nature and function of accounting; the development of accounting; financial position; financial result; the
recording process; processing of accounting data; treatment of VAT; elementary income statement and balance
sheet; flow of documents; accounting systems; introduction to internal control and internal control measures;
bank reconciliations; control accounts; adjustments; financial statements of a sole proprietorship; the accounting
framework.

Information science 110 (INL 110)

Module credits 12.00
Service modules Faculty of Humanities
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 practical per week, 3 lectures per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
This module is an introduction to the study field of information science and its various professions. Key concepts
that will be discussed include the following: the human as information processor and user; the life-cycle of
information in terms of processes, products and role-players; as well as the communication of information. The
social-ethical impact of globalisation is included as a key concern, with reference to Africa.

Business management 114 (OBS 114)

Module credits 10.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Faculty of Education
Service modules
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Prerequisites May not be included in the same curriculum as OBS 155
Contact time 3 lectures per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Business Management
Period of presentation Semester 1

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Module content
Introduction to business management as a science; the environment in which the enterprise operates; the field
of business, the mission and goals of an enterprise; management and entrepreneurship. Responsible leadership
and the role of a business in society. The choice of a form of enterprise; the choice of products and/or services;
profit and cost planning for different sizes of operating units; the choice of location; the nature of production
processes and the layout of the plant or operating unit.
Introduction to and overview of general management, especially regarding the five management tasks: strategic
management; contemporary developments and management issues; financial management; marketing and
public relations. Introduction to and overview of the value chain model; management of the input; management
of the purchasing function; management of the transformation process with specific reference to production and
operations management; human resources management and information management; corporate governance
and black economic empowerment (BEE).

Discrete structures 115 (WTW 115)

Module credits 8.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules Faculty of Education
Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Refer to Regulation 1.2: A candidate must have passed Mathematics with at least
Prerequisites
50% in the Grade 12 examination
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 1 tutorial per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Mathematics and Applied Maths
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
Propositional logic: truth tables, logical equivalence, implication, arguments. Mathematical induction and well-
ordering principle. Introduction to set theory. Counting techniques: elementary probability, multiplication and
addition rules, permutations and combinations, binomial theorem, inclusion-exclusion rule.

Mathematics 134 (WTW 134)

Module credits 16.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules Faculty of Education
Faculty of Veterinary Science
Refer to Regulation 1.2: At least 50% for Mathematics in the Grade 12
Prerequisites
examination .
Contact time 4 lectures per week, 1 tutorial per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Mathematics and Applied Maths
Period of presentation Semester 1

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Module content
*Students will not be credited for more than one of the following modules for their degree: WTW 134, WTW 165,
WTW 114, WTW 158. WTW 134 does not lead to admission to Mathematics at 200 level and is intended for
students who require Mathematics at 100 level only. WTW 134 is offered as WTW 165 in the second semester
only to students who have applied in the first semester of the current year for the approximately 65 MBChB, or
the 5-6 BChD places becoming available in the second semester and who were therefore enrolled for MGW 112
in the first semester of the current year.
Functions, derivatives, interpretation of the derivative, rules of differentiation, applications of differentiation,
integration, interpretation of the definite integral, applications of integration. Matrices, solutions of systems of
equations. All topics are studied in the context of applications.

Imperative programming 132 (COS 132)

Module credits 16.00
Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Service modules
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Prerequisites APS of 30 and level 5 (60-69%) Mathematics
Contact time 1 tutorial per week, 1 practical per week, 3 lectures per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
This module introduces imperative computer programming, which is a fundamental building block of computer
science. The process of constructing a program for solving a given problem, of editing it, compiling (both
manually and automatically), running and debugging it, is covered from the beginning. The aim is to master the
elements of a programming language and be able to put them together in order to construct programs using
types, control structures, arrays, functions and libraries. An introduction to object orientation will be given. After
completing this module, the student should understand the fundamental elements of a program, the importance
of good program design and user-friendly interfaces. Students should be able to conduct basic program analysis
and write complete elementary programs.

Financial accounting 122 (FRK 122)

Module credits 12.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules Faculty of Law
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Prerequisites FRK 111 GS or FRK 133, FRK 143
Contact time 4 lectures per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Accounting
Period of presentation Semester 2

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Module content
Budgeting, payroll accounting, taxation – income tax and an introduction to other types of taxes, credit and the
new Credit Act, insurance, accounting for inventories (focus on inventory and the accounting entries, not
calculations), interpretation of financial statements.

Informatics 171 (INF 171)

Module credits 20.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules Faculty of Education
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Regulation 1.2: A candidate must have passed Mathematics with at least 4 (50-
Prerequisites
59%) in the Grade 12 examination
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Year
Module content
General systems theory, creative problem solving, soft systems methodology. The systems analyst, systems
development building blocks, systems development, systems analysis methods, process modelling.

Linear algebra 146 (WTW 146)

Module credits 8.00
Service modules Faculty of Education
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 1 tutorial per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Mathematics and Applied Maths
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
*Students will not be credited for more than one of the following modules for their degree:
WTW 124, WTW 146 and WTW 164. The module WTW 146 is designed for students who require Mathematics at
100 level only and does not lead to admission to Mathematics at 200 level.
Vector algebra, lines and planes, matrix algebra, solution of systems of equations, determinants. Complex
numbers and polynomial equations. All topics are studied in the context of applications.

Operating systems 122 (COS 122)

Module credits 16.00
Prerequisites COS 132
Contact time 1 tutorial per week, 3 lectures per week, 1 practical per week

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Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
Fundamental concepts of modern operating systems in terms of their structure and the mechanisms they use
are studied in this module. After completing this module, students will have gained, as outcomes, knowledge of
real time, multimedia and multiple processor systems, as these will be defined and analysed. In addition,
students will have gained knowledge on modern design issues of process management, deadlock and
concurrency control, memory management, input/output management, file systems and operating system
security. In order to experience a hands-on approach to the knowledge students would have gained from
studying the abovementioned concepts, students will have produced a number of practical implementations of
these concepts using the Windows and Linux operating systems.

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Curriculum: Year 2
Minimum credits: 170

COS 222 has replaced COS 122

Core modules
Data structures and algorithms 212 (COS 212)
Module credits 16.00
Service modules Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Prerequisites COS 110
Contact time 1 practical per week, 4 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
Data abstraction is a fundamental concept in the design and implementation of correct and efficient software. In
prior modules, students are introduced to the basic data structures of lists, stacks and queues. This module
continues with advanced data structures such as trees, hash tables, heaps and graphs, and goes into depth with
the algorithms needed to manipulate them efficiently. Classical algorithms for sorting, searching, traversing,
packing and game playing are included, with an emphasis on comparative implementations and efficiency. At
the end of this module, students will be able to identify and recognise all the classical data structures;
implement them in different ways; know how to measure the efficiency of implementations and algorithms; and
have further developed their programming skills, especially with recursion and polymorphism.

Software modelling 214 (COS 214)

Module credits 16.00
Prerequisites COS 212
Contact time 1 practical per week, 4 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
The module will introduce the concepts of model-driven analysis and design as a mechanism to develop and
evaluate complex software systems. Systems will be decomposed into known entities, such as design patterns,
classes, relationships, execution loops and process flow, in order to model the semantic aspects of the system in
terms of structure and behaviour. An appropriate tool will be used to support the software modelling. The role of
the software model in the enterprise will be highlighted. Students who successfully complete this module will be
able to concep-tualise and analyse problems and abstract a solution.

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Netcentric computer systems 216 (COS 216)
Module credits 16.00
Prerequisites COS 110
Contact time 1 practical per week, 4 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
This module will introduce the student to netcentric systems by focusing on the development of systems for the
web, mobile devices and the cloud. To lay the foundation on which the rest of the module can follow, traditional
web-based programming languages such as HTML5, JavaScript, CSS and Python will be covered differentiating
between client-side and server-side computation. Persistence of web-based data will be included for both client
and server-based computation. These technologies will be extended and applied to mobile platforms where the
availability of a connection, location-services and mobile device limitations play a role. For cloud platforms,
aspects relating to task partitioning, security, virtualisation, cloud storage and access to the shared data stores,
data synchronisation, partitioning and replication are considered. In order to practically demonstrate that a
student has reached these outcomes, students will be required to use, integrate and maintain the necessary
software and hardware by completing a number of smaller practical assignments where after integrating all
these technologies into a comprehensive and practical programming project is required.

Computer organisation and architecture 284 (COS 284)

Module credits 16.00
Prerequisites COS 212 GS
Contact time 4 lectures per week, 1 practical per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
This module provides the foundations on which other modules build by enabling a deeper understanding of how
software interacts with hardware. It will teach the design and operation of modern digital computers by studying
each of the components that make up a digital computer and the interaction between these components.
Specific areas of interest, but not limited to, are: representation of data on the machine-level; organisation of
the machine on the assembly level; the architecture and organisation of memory; inter- and intra-component
interfacing and communication; data paths and control; and parallelism. Topic-level detail and learning
outcomes for each of these areas are given by the first 6 units of ‘Architecture and Organisation’ knowledge
area as specified by the ACM/IEEE Computer Science Curriculum 2013.
The concepts presented in the theory lectures will be reinforced during the practical sessions by requiring design
and implementation of the concepts in simulators and assembly language using an open source operating
system.

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Multimedia 210 (IMY 210)
Module credits 16.00
Prerequisites IMY 110 or equivalent HTML knowledge
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 2 practicals per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
*Closed – requires departmental selection.
Advanced Markup Languages 1. This module investigates XML and its related technologies (such as XSLT, XPath,
XSL-FO, DTD, XML Schema, and namespaces) as a vital part of the web development process.

Multimedia 220 (IMY 220)

Module credits 16.00
Prerequisites IMY 210
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 2 practicals per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
*Closed - requires departmental selection.
Advanced Markup Languages 2. This module assumes knowledge of dynamic scripts and basic web based
technologies such as PHP as well as the use of relational databases like MySQL. The module explores the
interplay between scripting languages, databases, and current industry standard web technologies, from both
the server-side and client-side perspectives. The module has a focus on developing hands-on practical skills.

Informatics 214 (INF 214)

Module credits 14.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules Faculty of Education
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Prerequisites AIM 101 or AIM 111 and AIM 121
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 2 practicals per week
Language of tuition Afrikaans and English is used in one class
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Semester 1

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Module content
Database design: the relational model, structured query language (SQL), entity relationship modelling,
normalisation, database development life cycle; practical introduction to database design. Databases: advanced
entity relationship modelling and normalisation, object-oriented databases, database development life cycle,
advanced practical database design.

Informatics 271 (INF 271)

Module credits 14.00
Service modules Faculty of Education
Prerequisites AIM 101 or AIM 102 or AIM 111 and AIM 121, INF 163, 164
Contact time 1 lecture per week, 2 discussion classes per week, 1 practical per week
Language of tuition Afrikaans and English is used in one class
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Year
Module content
Systems analysis. Systems design: construction; application architecture; input design; output design; interface
design; internal controls; program design; object design; project management; system implementation; use of
computer-aided development tools.

Informatics 272 (INF 272)

Module credits 14.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules Faculty of Education
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
AIM 101 or AIM 102 or AIM 111 and AIM 121, INF 163 and INF 164, Regulation
Prerequisites
IT.3(g)
Contact time 1 discussion class per week, 5 web-based periods per week, 2 practicals per week
Language of tuition Afrikaans and English is used in one class
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Year
Module content
Use of computer-aided development tools; advanced programming.

Information science 210 (INL 210)

Module credits 20.00
Service modules Faculty of Humanities
Prerequisites AIM 101 or AIM 102 or AIM 111 and 121
Contact time 3 practicals per week, 3 lectures per week

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Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
Information seeking and retrieval. This module explores the theory and practice of effective information seeking
and retrieval. It builds on supporting research paradigms such as the systems, user-centred, cognitive and socio-
cognitive paradigms. The focus is on the complexities of effective information seeking and retrieval within the
context of information behaviour on a personal level, as well as in the context of professional, academic or
everyday information needs.

Information science 240 (INL 240)

Module credits 20.00
Service modules Faculty of Humanities
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 3 practicals per week, 3 lectures per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
Social and ethical impact. This module examines moral and legal regulation practices related to information in
print and digital environments. Different ethical theories are identified and applied to privacy, access to
information, information poverty and censorship. The interpretation and enforcement of rules and regulations
are discussed.

Discrete structures 285 (WTW 285)

Module credits 12.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules
Faculty of Education
Prerequisites WTW 115
Contact time 1 tutorial per week, 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Mathematics and Applied Maths
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
Setting up and solving recurrence relations. Equivalence and partial order relations. Graphs: paths, cycles, trees,
isomorphism. Graph algorithms: Kruskal, Prim, Fleury. Finite state automata.

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Operating systems 122 (COS 122)
Module credits 16.00
Prerequisites COS 132
Contact time 1 tutorial per week, 3 lectures per week, 1 practical per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
Fundamental concepts of modern operating systems in terms of their structure and the mechanisms they use
are studied in this module. After completing this module, students will have gained, as outcomes, knowledge of
real time, multimedia and multiple processor systems, as these will be defined and analysed. In addition,
students will have gained knowledge on modern design issues of process management, deadlock and
concurrency control, memory management, input/output management, file systems and operating system
security. In order to experience a hands-on approach to the knowledge students would have gained from
studying the abovementioned concepts, students will have produced a number of practical implementations of
these concepts using the Windows and Linux operating systems.

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Curriculum: Year 3
Minimum credits: 186

Core modules
Software engineering 301 (COS 301)
Module credits 27.00
Prerequisites COS 212 and COS 214
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 1 practical per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Year
Module content
The module exposes students to problems associated with software development on an industrial scale. Overall
goals of the module are: to become familiar with the latest trends in software engineering; to understand the
software engineering process and to appreciate its complexity; to be exposed to a variety of methodologies for
tackling different stages of the software lifecycle; to understand and apply the concepts of systems
administration and maintenance; to complete the development of a fairly large object orientation-based
software product. The focus of the module is on a project that lasts the whole year. The project is completed in
groups of approximately four (4) students and teaches students to take responsibility for a variety of roles within
a group, and to understand the different requirements for these; to experience the advantages and problems of
working in a group; professionalism with regards to particularly colleagues and clients.
After the successful completion of this module, the student will be able to: understand the psychology of a
client; work in groups; and have an appreciation for planning, designing, implementing and maintaining large
projects. These qualities should place the students in a position in which they are able to handle software
development in the corporate environment.

Artificial intelligence 314 (COS 314)

Module credits 18.00
Prerequisites COS 110
Contact time 1 practical per week, 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1

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Module content
The main objective of this module is to introduce a selection of topics from artificial intelligence (AI), and to
provide the student with the background to implement AI techniques for solving complex problems.
This module will cover topics from classical AI, as well as more recent AI paradigms. These topics include: search
methods, game playing, knowledge representation and reasoning, machine learning, neural networks, genetic
algorithms, artificial life, planning methods, and intelligent agents. In the practical part of this module, students
will get experience in implementing
(1) game trees and evolving game-playing agents;
(2) a neural network and applying it to solve a real-world problem; and
(3) a genetic algorithm and applying it to solve a real-world problem.

Database systems 326 (COS 326)

Module credits 18.00
Prerequisites COS 221
Contact time 1 lecture per week, 2 practicals per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
This module builds on a prior introductory module on database technology and provides more advanced
theoretical and practical study material for managing large volumes of data, for example, noSQL database
systems and MapReduce. The module will consider file system models, for example Hadoop, relevant for big
data storage, manipulation at scale, mining and visualisation. Basic knowledge of parallel decomposition
concepts will be included.

Computer networks 332 (COS 332)

Module credits 18.00
Prerequisites COS 216
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 1 practical per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
The objective of this module is to acquaint the student with the terminology of communication systems and to
establish a thorough understanding of exactly how data is transferred in such communication networks, as well
as applications that can be found in such environments. The study material includes: concepts and terminology,
the hierarchy of protocols according to the OSI and TCP/IP models, protocols on the data level, physical level and
network level as well as higher level protocols. The practical component of the module involves programming
TCP/IP sockets using a high level language. The emphasis throughout is on the technical aspects underlying the
operation of networks, rather than the application of networks.

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Programming languages 333 (COS 333)
Module credits 18.00
Prerequisites COS 110
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 1 practical per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
Programming languages are the backbone for software development. Each language has its own different
syntax and semantics, but there are many common concepts that can be studied and then illustrated through
the languages. The module concentrates on issues of object orientation, including delegation, iteration and
polymorphism. It surveys how languages provide the basic building blocks for data and control, as well as
exception handling and concurrency. At the end of the module, students will be able to appreciate the rich
history behind programming languages, leading to independent principles that evolve over time. They will be
skilled at using a variety of programming languages, including new paradigms such as functional, logical and
scripting, and will know how to learn a new language with ease. From this experience, they will be able to apply
evaluation criteria for choosing an appropriate programming language in a given scenario.

Compiler construction 341 (COS 341)

Module credits 18.00
Prerequisites COS 211 and COS 212
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 1 practical per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
This module will introduce the student to the fundamentals of compiler construction. These include: the
structural difference between a high-level and a von-Neumann language, the meaning of syntax and semantics
and what semantics-preserving correctness means; the concepts of regular expressions, finite automata,
context-free grammars in the context of programming languages; the need to construct parse-trees for given
programmes; the application of data structures and algorithms for the purpose of code-analysis, code-
optimisation and register-allocation; and the limits of code-analysis in terms of undecideability and the halting
problem.
After successful completion of the module, the student will have an understanding of the importance of
compilers and will understand how to implement a compiler, in terms of its components, the scanner, parser,
type checker and code-generator for a given grammar.

Computer graphics 344 (COS 344)

Module credits 18.00
Prerequisites COS 110 and WTW 124 or WTW 146

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Contact time 1 practical per week, 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
The aim of this module is to acquire a sound knowledge of the basic theory of interactive computer graphics and
basic computer graphics programming techniques. The theory will cover graphics systems and models, graphics
programming, input and interaction, geometric objects and transformations, viewing in 3D, shading, rendering
techniques, and introduce advanced concepts, such as object-oriented computer graphics and discrete
techniques. The module includes a practical component that enables students to apply and test their knowledge
in computer graphics. The OpenGL graphics library and the C programming language will be used for this
purpose.

Multimedia: Project 300 (IMY 300)

Module credits 45.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 1 practical per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Year
Module content
*Closed – requires departmental selection. The module enables students to combine all their knowledge gained
through out their studies to create a functional game. The course consists of extensive game design theory
teaching. The students create a game by following an iterative design process, extensive documentation and in
depth play testing and usability testing. The final product is a creative, innovative and complete game.

Informatics 315 (INF 315)

Module credits 15.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules
Faculty of Education
Prerequisites INF 261, INF 225, INF 271 and INF 272
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Afrikaans and English is used in one class
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
A review of current trends which are relevant to the application of information systems within a business
environment.

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Informatics 324 (INF 324)
Module credits 15.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules
Faculty of Education
Prerequisites INF 261, INF 225, INF 271 and INF 272
Contact time 3 lectures per week
Language of tuition Afrikaans and English is used in one class
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
Information systems in organisations, social and ethical responsibilities, the role of the Informatician. IT end-user
relationships; IT management.

Informatics 354 (INF 354)

Module credits 15.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules
Faculty of Education
Prerequisites INF 261, INF 225, INF 271 and INF 272
Contact time 2 practicals per week, 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Afrikaans and English is used in one class
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
Advanced programming.

Informatics 370 (INF 370)

Module credits 30.00
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Service modules
Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Prerequisites INF 261, INF 225, INF 271 and INF 272
Contact time 2 lectures per week, 2 practicals per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Year

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Module content
Application of systems analysis and design in a practical project; programming; use of computer-aided
development tools.

Information science: Information organisation 310 (INL 310)

Module credits 30.00
Service modules Faculty of Humanities
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 3 practicals per week, 3 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
Information Organisation. The module is concerned with the organisation of information in the digital
environment focusing on the structure and use of document management and workflow systems, as well as
distribution channels and virtual environments. The characteristics and application of the internet, intranets, as
well as portals and applications use, are considered.

Information science: Information and knowledge management 320 (INL 320)

Module credits 30.00
Service modules Faculty of Humanities
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 3 practicals per week, 3 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
Information and Knowledge Management. This module focuses on information and knowledge management at
an operational level and introduces information and knowledge management at a corporate strategic level. It
deals with the management of information and knowledge, which enables the organisation to be competitive. In
this module the focus is on four aspects, namely: the 21st century organisation, the external and internal
stakeholders that have an interest in information products, as well as the infrastructure that should be in place
in organisations to manage information products. The module concludes with a few topics relating to information
management at a corporate strategic level.

Computer security and ethics 330 (COS 330)

Module credits 18.00
Prerequisites COS 110

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Contact time 2 lectures per week, 1 practical per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
This module develops an appreciation of the fundamentals and design principles for information assurance and
security. Students will develop a clear understanding of the basic information security services and mechanisms,
enabling them to design and evaluate the integration of solutions into the user application environment.
Emphasis will be placed on services such as authorisation and confidentiality. Students will acquire knowledge
and skills of Security Models such as the Bell-LaPadula, Harrison-Ruzzo Ullman and Chinese Wall Model. Students
will develop a detailed understanding of the confidentiality service by focusing on cryptology and the practical
implementation thereof. The student will be introduced to professional and philosophical ethics. At the end of
the module students will be able to engage in a debate regarding the impact (local and global) of computers on
individuals, organisations and society. The professionalism of IT staff will be discussed against national and
international codes of practices such as those of the CSSA, ACM and IEEE.

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Curriculum: Final year
Minimum credits: 151

Electives:
Five modules (minimum 75 credits) with a maximum of four modules from one department. Should you wish to
continue with a Masters' degree, consult the co-ordinator when selecting electives.

Core modules
Business law 310 (BER 310)
Module credits 16.00
Service modules Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 4 lectures per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Mercantile Law
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
Introduction to law. General principles of the law of contract. Specific contracts: purchase contracts; letting and
hiring of work; employment contracts. Agency. General aspects of entrepreneurial law. Dispute resolution –
mediation and arbitration.

Community-based project 202 (JCP 202)

Module credits 8.00
Service modules Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 other contact session per week
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Year

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Module content
This project-orientated module is a form of applied learning which is directed at specific community needs and is
integrated into all undergraduate academic programmes offered by the Faculty of Engineering, Built
Environment and Information Technology.
The main objectives with the module are as follows:
(1) The execution of a community-related project aimed at achieving a beneficial impact on a chosen section of
society, preferably but not exclusively, by engagement with a section of society which is different from the
student's own background.
(2) The development of an awareness of personal, social and cultural values, an attitude to be of service, and an
understanding of social issues, for the purpose of being a responsible professional.
(3) The development of important multidisciplinary and life skills, such as communication, interpersonal and
leadership skills.
Assessment in this module will include all or most of the following components: evaluation and approval of the
project proposal, assessment of oral and/or written progress reports, peer assessment in the event of team
projects, written report-back by those at which the project was aimed at, and final assessment on grounds of the
submission of a portfolio and a written report.

Industry-based learning 700 (SIT 700)

Module credits 52.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Language of tuition Separate classes for Afrikaans and English
Academic organisation School of Information Technolo
Period of presentation Semester 2

Elective modules
Multimedia trends 771 (IMY 771)
Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 lecture per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
History of multimedia ideas and technology; current trends in multimedia, latest technologies and future trends
of multimedia.

Hypermedia and mark-up languages 772 (IMY 772)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.

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Contact time 1 lecture per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
A study of hypermedia systems, specifically adaptive hypermedia systems, as well as data modelling, storage
and retrieval, database structures and metadata. A study of different mark-up languages and their role in
multimedia products with the emphasis on data structuring, hyper linking theories and models.

Multimedia technology 773 (IMY 773)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 lecture per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
In this module students will research and discuss a current topic which can change from year to year. The topic
for a specific year can be obtained from the departmental website. The topic is related to the creative use of
Multimedia Technologies. An understanding of the current multimedia trends is required together with the
knowledge of its usage.

Animation theory and practice 777 (IMY 777)

Module credits 15.00
Service modules Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 lecture per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
This module provides an overview of the historic and current principles and practice of natural motion animation.
Different animation techniques are covered, such as stop motion, traditional animation, and 3D animation. The
student receives an opportunity to create an animated short film using a technique of their choice.

Human-computer interaction 779 (IMY 779)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.

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Contact time 1 lecture per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
In this module, students are exposed to research topics and methodologies within the HCI discipline. Students
then apply their understanding by proposing and delivering a research paper.

Enterprise architecture 715 (INF 715)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites INF 788
Contact time 1 lecture per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
Enterprise Architecture (EA) involves comprehensive business frameworks that capture the complexity of
modern organisations, providing a blue-print for co-ordinating and integrating all components of an organisation.
The module will illustrate all the aspects of EA, discuss the need for EA as well as various frameworks, methods
and techniques of EA.

Electronic commerce 782 (INF 782)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 lecture per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
The analysis of the management, innovation and information systems aspects of the use of e-business
technology and strategies

Advanced database systems 785 (INF 785)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
1 lecture per week, 1 web-based period per week, 1 other contact session per
Contact time
week

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Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
• Advanced database design
• Advanced database management
• Database architectures and languages
• Data warehousing and data marts
• Current trends

Managing projects and end-users 787 (INF 787)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 lecture per week, 1 web-based period per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
Main emphasis will be on IS project management using a case study to get practical experience in project
management.

Information systems development 788 (INF 788)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 lecture per week, 1 web-based period per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
Study and evaluation of different systems development methodologies.

Capita selecta 790 (INF 790)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 web-based period per week, 1 lecture per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Informatics

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Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
This module will be used to present special, relevant topics within the expertise of the department.

Knowledge acquisition and sharing 791 (INF 791)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 lecture per week, 2 web-based periods per week, 1 practical per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
In this information age a lot of data is captured every day and recorded in databases, but the wealth of this data
is kept locked in the databases because relatively little mining is performed on this data. This module introduces
you to data mining in terms of:
• The data mining process - how do you mine data?
• The data mining techniques - an overview of the data mining techniques that can be used;
• Practical data mining experience - a practical project mining real industry data to find unknown patterns; and
• Product overviews - product demonstrations by data mining vendors.

Information and knowledge management (I) 713 (INY 713)

Module credits 15.00
Service modules Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
This module consists of two main sections. A theoretical framework of information and knowledge management
will be addressed in section one. Section two covers the enablers of information and knowledge management.
These include: leadership, corporate culture, organisational learning, strategy, laws and policies, measurement
and information technology.

Information ethics 715 (INY 715)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week

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Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation See departmental website
Module content
This module focuses on the main moral issues pertaining to information and ICT, globalisation, privacy and
knowledge flow. It covers amongst others the following fields: cyber warfare and terrorism; information
philosophy; information security; privacy and the right to information; digital identity management; cyber law;
globalisation and the impact on society.

Information and knowledge management (II) 716 (INY 716)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites INY 713
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation See departmental website
Module content
This module offers the student the opportunity to become conversant with various knowledge management
programmes as well as the development, implementation and evaluation of knowledge management strategies.
Knowledge representation and the development of an Intranet will be covered. New key issues in the field of
knowledge management conclude this module.

Information society 722 (INY 722)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 lecture per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
This module evaluates approaches to and concepts of the information/knowledge society. It questions the
origins and political motives for the promotion of an information/knowledge society, and examines a number of
relevant themes in the literature.

Competitive intelligence (I) 726 (INY 726)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.

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Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1
Module content
Establishing an effective competitive intelligence programme is an integral part of every enterprise that wants
to survive in the new millennium. This module focuses on the competitive nature of the business environment,
the aim of competitive intelligence, Porter's Competitive Forces Model, the distinction between competitive
intelligence and industrial espionage, the intelligence process as well as the tools and techniques for the
development and implementation of a competitive intelligence programme.

Competitive intelligence (II) 727 (INY 727)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites INY 726
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 2
Module content
Competitive intelligence (CI) provides the decision maker with analysed information about the competitive
environment, aimed at satisfying decision-making needs. This module focuses on the role of analysis in the
intelligence cycle, applying analysis techniques to a case study, CI and corporate governance, the setting up of a
CI capability in an organisation and the problems facing CI professionals in South Africa.

Information communication 730 (INY 730)

Module credits 15.00
Service modules Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Information Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2

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Module content
Informed by the participatory approach to communication this module reflects in depth on methods for the
effective communication of information. In order to achieve this, the nature on information within the context on
Information Science will be investigated. Thereafter, communication media will be identified and discussed and
students will learn how to create a target audience profile to determine the appropriate media and content for
the dissemination of information.
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the communication of information will be investigated
along with literacy and media literacy. The communication of information will form a central focus of this
module. Therefore the role of traditional, interpersonal, as well as modern media will be addressed. The
processes of creating meaningful and effective messages for the communication of information as well as
intercultural communication will also be addressed.

Capita selecta 716 (INF 716)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 1 lecture per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Informatics
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
This module will be used to present special, relevant topics within the expertise of the department.

Computer and information security (I) 720 (COS 720)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
This module focuses on state-of-the-art security topics that are current and relevant to industry. The curriculum
for the module is determined annually to reflect the current research directions as pursued by the information
and Computer Security Architectures (ICSA) research group. The main topics include, but are not limited to:
Applied security, including operating system security, secure coding, and cryptography; Trust and trust
management systems; Privacy and privacy-enhanced technologies; Social Engineering. Students will be
challenged to contribute innovative research ideas in the field of Computer Security by completing a number of
mini projects such as writing research papers and writing software programs.

Software engineering (I) 730 (COS 730)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.

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Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
This module covers various perspectives of Software Engineering theory and practices. It provides an overview
both of the challenges in contemporary software engineering (such as scale, complexity and urgency) and of the
recommended practices for overcoming these challenges. It will familiarise students with both the historical and
current theories about activities for the design, development, deployment and ongoing operation of software. It
will show how these activities aim to be predictable, repeatable, robust, value-producing, and how they aim to
meet the specified requirements for the intended system users. It will also emphasise that standardisation and
reuse can be important factors in successfully engineering software. The module assumes prior knowledge
about Software Engineering at the level of an introductory/undergraduate module.

Software engineering (II) 731 (COS 731)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
This module discusses software architecture, including the representation of designs, definitions, styles and
patterns of architecture. Its themes include model-driven architecture, formal modelling and analysis, and
architectural description languages. The module will show that the architecture of a software system is
determined by the collection of significant design decisions made early on in the development of that system –
decisions concerning the components comprising the system, repeating-patterns of system-wide aspects, and
the platforms on which the system will be built. It will discuss how, once these decisions are made and
subsequently followed, they end up profoundly affecting the development, deployment, use and ongoing
enhancement of that system. The module assumes that the student is familiar with software development
lifecycle concepts, and that she/he has been part of at least one significant software development effort. Those
who have not completed COS730 will be provided additional background.

Formal aspects of computing (I) 740 (COS 740)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science

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Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
The focus of this module is on a formal approach to deriving algorithms, known as “correctness by construction”.
It relies on Dijkstra's guarded command language (GCL) for specifying the derived algorithms. The requirements
of an algorithm are initially stated in terms of a pre- and a post-condition, specified in first order predicate logic.
Strategies are given for progressively refining these specifications to GCL notation which can, in turn, easily be
translated into a conventional programming language. The surprising power of the method will be
demonstrated. Not only are algorithms guaranteed to be correct (in the same sense that the proof of a
mathematical theorem is guaranteed to be correct); they frequently turn out to be remarkably efficient. In the
early part of the module, a number of well-known algorithms (such as linear and binary search, raising a number
to an integer power, finding the approximate log of a number, etc) will be derived in order to become thoroughly
familiar with the approach. Later various intermediate level algorithms will be derived (such as simple raster
drawing algorithms, pattern matching algorithms, finding the longest string of a certain type, an algorithm to
solve the majority voting problem, etc). Finally, the method will be used to derive state-of-the-art algorithms to
minimize finite automata and to construct formal concept lattices. The theory necessary to understand these
topics will be provided. The value-objectives of the module are: to develop an appreciation that theory can be
effectively deployed to solve practical problems; to value the elegance of the algorithmic solutions; and to value
a correctness-by-construction mindset over one that is content with debugging into correctness. A basic
understanding is assumed of first order predicate logic, as well as competency in mathematical reasoning.

Formal aspects of computing (II) 741 (COS 741)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
The status of Computer Science, including software science, as a proper “science” is closely related with our
ability to construct accurate and precise models of the structures and processes of computational systems. The
precision of these models is closely related with our ability to express them in formal notations with
mathematical rigour, such that it also becomes possible to reason formally about relevant and interesting
properties of these models. Examples of such interesting properties are logical consistency (i.e. absence of
inherent contradictions), or safety properties such as deadlock freeness. This modules focuses on formal
languages and techniques which are suitable for such purposes. Of particular importance are process algebras
with which systems of parallel and concurrent computation can be formally described. Other suitable formalisms
may be discussed as well, such that the contents of this module may slightly vary from year to year.

Educational software development 750 (COS 750)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.

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Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
This module provides the foundation to evaluate and develop educational software. It will introduce didactic
principles applicable to the discipline of Computer Science. Using these principles, educational software, such as
tools for teaching programming, on-line testing software, and adaptive software to name a few, can be
evaluated and developed. Computer Science topics of interest are: programming environments, persistence of
information and knowledge, knowledge representation etc.

Data mining 781 (COS 781)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
Data mining is the extraction of novel knowledge, or hidden patterns, from large data bases. The focus of this
course is on how the computational intelligence techniques (such as evolutionary algorithms, swarm algorithms
and neural networks) can be used for knowledge extraction. In addition, traditional machine learning techniques
(such as decision trees and rule induction) will be covered. The pre-processing of data in preparation for data
mining algorithms, as well as the post-processing of results after data mining, will be discussed. Exploratory data
analysis and statistical data mining methods are also investigated. Finally, some attention will be given to more
modern problems, such as the extraction of hidden knowledge from unstructured data, such as text and images.
It is highly recommended that students do COS710 and COS711, as knowledge of these modules are assumed.

Generic programming 782 (COS 782)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2

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Module content
This module introduces the concepts of generic programming in order to generate code at compile-time. Of
particular interest is the automatic generation of design pattern implementations at compile-time for use at run-
time. To this end, design patterns and compile-time programming techniques such as: basic compile-time
programming constructs, object allocation, generalised functors, smart pointer and multi-methods are discussed
in detail and applied to design patterns.

Digital forensics and investigations 783 (COS 783)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
This module will teach the basic theoretical concepts of digital forensic investigations. This module is designed
to prepare a student for a wide range of people including, but not limited to, law enforcers, crime investigators
and people responsible for internal incident investigations in larger organisations. Digital forensics is a relatively
new and upcoming field. It is a field that is not well known by most organisations and therefore, such
organisations are ill informed about the digital forensic processes required to conduct a successful digital
forensic investigation. The large number of digital devices used to commit crimes or other related incidents,
such as fraud and corruption, proved motivation for this module in order to investigate and combat these
incidents successfully. The main topics covered, but not limited to, include: An introduction to Digital Forensics;
Digital forensic processes; Hardware forensics; Digital forensics tools (software forensics); Forensic readiness; A
digital forensics laboratory/facility; Network forensics; Live forensics; Professionalism and ethics in digital
forensics; Cyber forensics; Cyber law. Students will be challenged to contribute innovative research ideas in the
field of Digital Forensics by completing a number of mini projects such as writing research papers and writing
software programs.

Computer networks 784 (COS 784)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2

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Module content
This module covers computer networking principles and the operation of the TCP/IP protocol suite. The module
includes studying the operation of relevant protocols, administration of network services, troubleshooting, as
well as network design issues and challenges. Prior knowledge is assumed on basic data communications
principles, the ISO OSI reference model, and the basic operation of protocols in the TCP/IP protocol suite.

Parallel and distributed computing 786 (COS 786)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Computer Science
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
Computational science relies on the analysis of often complex models, for its empirical data and analyses
typically involve an enormous amount of calculations. Parallel computing is one means of reducing the time
needed to complete such calculations. This module will examine the kinds of problems that lend themselves to
parallel computation and the methods for implementing programs to solve such problems. The aim of the
module is to provide a background for parallel and distributed computing as well as practical knowledge of the
implementation of computational experiments.

Spatial databases 787 (COS 787)

Module credits 15.00
Prerequisites No prerequisites.
Contact time 2 lectures per week
Language of tuition Module is presented in English
Academic organisation Geography, Geoinf + Meteor
Period of presentation Semester 1 or Semester 2
Module content
This module covers the major themes of spatial databases with application to geographic information systems
(GIS), i.e. systems concerning data with an implicit or explicit reference to a location relative to the earth. Topics
covered include an introduction to spatial databases and spatial data management systems, representation of
geographic data, spatial data modelling, computational geometry, spatial data indexing, query processing and
spatial data standards. For Computer Science students the module is an introduction to the ever increasing
application field of geographics information systems (GIS), and for Geoinformatics students the module provides
insight into the Computer Science foundations of the field.

The information published here is subject to change and may be amended after the publication of this information. The
General Regulations (G Regulations) apply to all faculties of the University of Pretoria. It is expected of students to

University of Pretoria Yearbook 2017 | www.up.ac.za | 21:16:51 15/04/2024 | Page 37 of 38

familiarise themselves well with these regulations as well as with the information contained in the General Rules section.
Ignorance concerning these regulations and rules will not be accepted as an excuse for any transgression.

University of Pretoria Yearbook 2017 | www.up.ac.za | 21:16:51 15/04/2024 | Page 38 of 38