Course Suggestions??

BizzyC

Hi,

I'll be entering my final year of college this year, in DCU, but I really dont know what subjects to pick.

Basically, there's 4 core modules, 2 each semester that I have to do,
and then a list of optional subjects, 4 in semester 1 and 2 in semester 2.

I think I'll probably do 2 courses in Advanced Database Design, which is a subject from sems 1 & 2 gone, but I don't know what to pick for the other 4 modules.


I still have 3 modules in semester 1, and 1 from semester 2 to choose.

I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice, cause I want to pick a range of subjects that can be put togethor as some good career skills.
Here's a list of possible subjects:

Semester 1:
Crytography, Database 1:Relational Theory & Multidatabase, Compiler Construction, Artificial Intelligence, Operations Research, Digital Signal Processing 1, Computer Graphics 1, Multimedia Information Retrieval, Speech Processing 1 , Concurrent Programming

Semester 2:
Security Protocols, Database 2:Protocols & Systems, Operations Research/Management Science, Computer Graphics 2, Multimedia Technology, Distributed Programming, Real Time Embedded, Speech Processing 2.

The complete list of subjects, with course descriptions is here:
http://www.dcu.ie/registry/module_contents.php?programme=CASE&function=4
at the bottom of the page.

Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appretiated.

Draupnir

As someone who finished CA last year, I can tell you the easiest ones to pass in Sem 1:

Computer Graphics, Speech Processing and Operations Research. All of which I didnt do.

In Sem 1, Multimedia has nothing to do with Multimedia at all really and the guy who teaches it marks very hard. Cryptography is a tough one to get good grades in without a lot of work. The databases course isnt bad, its a lot of set theory but I enjoyed it.

In semester 2, you cant go wrong with the second databases course and the second graphics. They would be nice and handy to get a good grade in.

There was some hassle with the semester 2 exam in Multimedia last year, purely because it was about 20 times harder than it ever had been before, and the lecturer had to cancel Continuous Assessment when he managed to have his paper leaked. So I would avoid this if i was doing it again.

This post however, is pointing you in the direction of what is easiest to pass, and what will give you the best degree. Not what you might enjoy or what will be of as much use to you in the future as possible.

However, I did a lot of the courses that might seem useful and I have yet to encounter anything at all that I studied in final year in my job. Apart from the work i did myself on my final year project.

BizzyC

Cheers dude.
Well, if all else fails, and I cant pick enough modules I want to do, I'll go for the one I can get the best grade in.

I'm interested in giving the graphics a go aswell, but that doesn't really tie into the databases.........

Draupnir

I wouldnt worry about that, the Databases isnt actual databases, in so far as you do absolutely no SQL or high level database design in either module.

The first module is all about Set theory and how to apply it to data.

The second module is all about how databases work, interleaving and stuff like that.

You dont actually do any data work at all.

BizzyC

Oh right, so it's all theory then.....
Should be ok then, as I plan to excede my old 20% attendance record at lectures this year:D

Ok, I reckon it's the 2 Databases, and the 2 Graphics then.

Think I may give Operations Research a go aswell.

That leaves 1 space in Semester 1.

Is concurrent programming a theory or code based subject do you know?

MrPinK

I thought concurrent was pretty good. Some of the lectures where mind numbingly boring though, you'll go over a lot of stuff that you've already done in Operating Systems, i.e. semaphores, baker's algorithm, etc. The exam is a mix of code (we had to learn SR but I think it's now changed to Java), theory, and applying algorithms.

Graphics is great for easy marks, but it's a joke of a subject. It's a bit better in semester 2, but I found the first module such a waste of time that I switched to embedded systems.

BizzyC

I'll probably go for concurrent programming aswell then.

Think I'll stick with graphics 1, dont really like the look of other modules...

Anyone do Operations Research?