Postgraduate Course - LM330 Graduate Diploma in Computing

zooned

Hi,
I am looking at doing this postgraduate course - Graduate Diploma In Computing at U.L.
Anyone out there who has done this course ?
How did you find the course and what were the job prospects like when you finished.
Any info appreciated.
Thanks.

sm124

I'm starting this in september, but first off applications are finished for a september start, you'd be looking at doing it next year instead, I'll chime in with my own question! :P anybody know how many hours it is per week??want to kinda figure out my schedule for work!

beldin

If you look up the timetable site you will find the details for semester 2 that just finished
http://www.timetable.ul.ie/course.asp

Type in your code lm330 and year 1

It shows up the lectures , tutorials and labs

Tastyboy

Course is more time consuming than anything, I've been told. Guess just apply yourself rather than expecting really hard course modules, that's the impression I got from my friend. Best of luck.

Cossax

Just finished it and graduating in August.

I'll give you a quick rundown on each module.

Sem1
Computer Organisation:
Fairly easy and enjoyable module - we had Phil Samways teaching us who is a bit of a hero.
Consists of 2 one hour lectures a week and a two hour lab.
You'll learn about binary numbers (how to make a number in binary, how to add them etc.), digital logic gates (AND, OR, NOR etc.), Karnaugh mapping.
Consists of a few in-term tests, graded lab and an end of term exam. There'll be no surprises and a good mark is very achievable.

Programming 1:
Relatively difficult module - taught by Annette McElligot.
Consists of lectures/tutorials and a two hour lab. The lectures/tutorials are a bit fluid in that in Sem1 they were fairly similar and Annette did both while in Sem2 they were more delimited and we had a TA doing them.
You really should program every week outside of the labs just to keep up with things. If you're finding it difficult, there's plenty of help available in the ICT Learning Centre.
In term tests (one in a lab on a computer, 2 in class on paper), a project and end of term exam. Annette gives you the project, you have to understand and comment it AND answer questions on it in the end of term exam.

Development of Informations Systems 1:
Another relatively difficult module - taught by JJ Collins. Consists of 2 lectures and a lab. The lectures are fairly awful stuff but everything you need for the exam is in them.
Project is group-work and is very difficult unless you're a whizz with UML (which none of us were). JJ interviews your group on the project for 30mins-1 hour at the end of the semester.
There's an in term test, the end of term exam is fairly easy and predictable but prepare to put plenty of hours into the project and come out hating UML with a passion.

HTML and Databases:
Taught by Hussain Mahdi.
Easy enough module, consists of an end of term exam, a project and a test in term.
First half is learning about HTML, second is an intro to databases.
The project is fairly easy, done in groups of 2. Design a simple website and get it to access a Microsoft Access DB to get information and you give a short presentation of the site and how it's made. SQL is quite straightforward and doable and you'll see it again next semester.
Exam is handy, you're given an outline answer to a previous years question.

Decision Support Systems:
Taught by Jim Buckley.
Really feels like a filler module.
Easy enough lectures and a lab tutorial. Bar the project, it's mostly about learning to solve some transportation problems.
Consists of a project in Excel (quite an easy one TBH), a midterm and end of term exams.


It's a very doable semester with some seemingly difficult modules and some quite easy modules. You will be putting the hours in, esp. for JJ's project.

Programming 2:
Annette again.
Same idea as Programming 1. Some more complicated concepts.
Consists of 3 projects (1 was turning the project from Sem1 into an Object Oriented programme - depressingly enough you'll understand that after Sem1, 2 was a dictionary project, 3 was a menu programme).
End of term exam was easier than Sem1.

Development of Information Systems 2:
Dr. Nick.
Dull module. Relational algebra, SQL and databases again.
You might find it slightly confusing as though RA and SQL are very similar, certain words mean different things in each (like SELECT).
Lectures, tutorials and a lab.
Project (2 or 3 people) is simple enough, mid term exam and end of term exam.

Operating Systems:
Donal Heffernan.
Handy module, mildly interesting.
Consists of 3 handups from the labs which are quite doable, they take a small bit of figuring out but not too much. Full marks are very doable in these.
Lectures can be dull but they'll contain all you need for the end of term exam.
Midterm is like a mini-end of term exam.
3 assignments, midterm and end of term exam.

Electronics and networking:
Kevin Murphy.
Very, very dull module. Consists of lectures, lab and tutorial.
The whole end of term exam consists of tutorial material (e.g. you have 50 odd long and 50 odd short questions in the tutorials, the end of term exam contains a mixture of these).
Being honest, I gave up going to lectures and tutorials after a few weeks, only doing the labs and still ended up with a very good mark.

Web development:
Conor Ryan.
Interesting module, 5 weeks of lectures and then a weekly meeting with Conor in your groups. A group of 4 (2 Computing postgrads i.e. you and 2 Computer Systems undergrads) develop a website with HTML and access a database with PHP. In our case, we built a club website that people could register, log in, search for other members, arrange matches, message others and report offensive messages.
This will take a fair bit of time, prepare to put in the hours and be well prepared with questions/problems for Conor at the meetings. You'll also have to do a presentation to him and a TA of the site where they test the functionality of it and there's no exam.

Course is doable if you've an interest in computers and are willing to put in the hours.
I think it's scheduled for 20 something hours a week but between group work/projects and the like, it's more.
I did Arts as an undergrad so it was a bit of a shock to the system going from 15 hours a week to 30/40 (closer to 50 when multiple projects were due).

There's a huge amount of jobs out there in the sector though I feel we're a bit under-qualified in that we have a year of Java developing and no work experience compared to an undergrad with several years of Java/C/C++ and work experience. Hasn't stopped a number of the class already having jobs in various posts in computers/IT/programming though.

Also, check with Postgrad Admissions - they may still be accepting applications. I did it in 10/11 but I was told they were still accepting people up to Orientation Week in 09/10 and one of the girls on the course only arrived in Week 2 as she was a late applicant.

Blah, it's 1.30 and I have work in the morning, I'll be back if I think of more or you have questions!

zooned

Thanks Cossax,
Great summary of the course and very much appreciated.

sm124

brill summary!!A little less lost now, just wondering there is loads on the csis website for the course about fyp ideas, there isn't a thesis is there!??

Cossax

sm124 wrote: »

brill summary!!A little less lost now, just wondering there is loads on the csis website for the course about fyp ideas, there isn't a thesis is there!??

Nope. Just the 10 modules over the 2 semesters.

sm124

brill!also just wondering what was the gender/ age ratio like?I know of course it'll differ from year to year, but just wondering if it's alot of mature students etc.also what kind of class size is it. I'm a tad nervous about it if you can't tell already! :P you're so good for all your help!

Cossax

sm124 wrote: »

brill!also just wondering what was the gender/ age ratio like?I know of course it'll differ from year to year, but just wondering if it's alot of mature students etc.also what kind of class size is it. I'm a tad nervous about it if you can't tell already! :P you're so good for all your help!

4 girls, 16 boys started out the course.
Technically a lot of the course were mature i.e. over 23, but most were recent undergraduates so mid 20s but there were a few in their late 20s and two in their 30s.

Programming 1 and 2, Dev of Info Systems 1, Decision Support and Operating Systems are mostly Grad Dips in Computing along with maybe 2 other small courses so you're talking 30 people or less.

The rest of the modules are a bit bigger - Computer Organisation has 100+ in it while the others tend to be 40-60 large.

sm124

i really appreciate all the help!

JimmyMark

Yes I had done Postgraduate Course - in Computing and now I am occupied a good position in IT Company located in Chennai, I thought every course is good if you will give your best efforts.