Software Engineering Programme

Differences from 2016/17 to 2023/24

For students registering on the M.Sc. in Software Engineering or the M.Sc. in Software and Systems Security on or after 1 April 2010.

A. Definition of the Programme

  • 1. The Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Divisional Board shall offer a Programme of Studies in Software Engineering at postgraduate level.

  • 2. The subjects of the Programme shall be Software Engineering, and Software and Systems Security, and Object Technology.

  • 3. The following awards shall be available within the Programme:

    • i. M.Sc. in Software Engineering

    • ii. M.Sc. in Software and Systems Security

    • iii. Postgraduate Diploma in Software Engineering

    • iv. Postgraduate Diploma in Software and Systems Security

    • v. Postgraduate Certificate in Software Engineering

    • vi. Postgraduate Certificate in Software and Systems Security

    • vii. Postgraduate Certificate in Object Technology

  • 4. The Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Divisional Board shall elect for the supervision of the Programme a Supervisory Committee which shall have the power to arrange lectures and other instruction.

B. Progression

  • 5.  Entry to the Programme is to the M.Sc., Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate in Software Engineering, or the M.Sc., Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate in Software and Systems Security, or the Postgraduate Certificate in Object Technology.

  • 6. W  Based on satisfactory performance and withith the approval of the Programme Director, a candidate may transfer from the M.Sc., in Software Engineering to the Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate in Software Engineering, and from the MSc in Software and Systems Security to the M.Sc., Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate in Software and Systems Security, or vice versa, subject to being eligible to study for the relevant award as set out in sections C and D below. Transfer is also permitted from the Postgraduate Certificate in Object Technology to one of Postgraduate Certificates or Postgraduate Diplomas set out in clause 3 above.

  • 7. Based onCandidates satisfactorywho performancedo andnot withenter for or do not successfully complete the approvaldissertation ofor do not otherwise meet the Programme Director, a candidaterequirements for either the M.Sc. inMSc Software Engineering or foror the M.Sc. inMSc Software and Systems Security may be awarded onea ofPostgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate provided they meet the Postgraduaterequirements Certificatesfor orthose Postgraduateawards Diplomas set outgiven in clause 3 above, or a candidate for the Postgraduate Diploma in in Software Engineering or Software and Systems Security may be awarded one of the Postgraduate Certificates set out in clause 3 above, subject to such a candidate having satisfied the criteria for the award of the relevant Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma as set out in sectionSection D below. 

C. Eligibility for awards: duration of study

  • 8. ToThe beminimum eligibleperiod of registration for the award is two years and the maximum period of anregistration Mis four years.Sc

  • 9. If, for good cause, a student mustis havetemporarily beenunable onto the Register forstudy, the Programme forDirector amay period of not less than two years, and not more than four years.

  • 9. To be eligible forgrant the awardstudent’s of a Postgraduate Diploma, a student must have been on the Register for the Programmerequest for a periodtemporary suspension of notstatus lessup thanto onea year,maximum and not more thanof three yearsterms.

  • 10. ToApplications for suspension of status should be eligiblemade forto the award of a Postgraduate Certificate, a student must have been on the Register for the Programme forOffice aand periodshould be accompanied by statements of not less than one year, and not more than two years.

  • 11. The Programme Director shall have power

    • a. to grant suspensionsupport from the Registerstudent's for a period or periods totalling not more than three terms during each of the maximum periods given in clauses 8, 9,supervisor and 10 above;

    • bsociety. to approve an extension of time of not more than three terms to each of the maximum periods given in clauses 8, 9, and 10 above;

  • subject to the total periods of suspensions and extensions not exceeding six terms overall.

     

D. Eligibility for awards: study and examinations

  • 1210. Schedules A-CI and II of modules will be published aton http://wwwthe programme’s website.cs.ox.ac.uk/softeng/handbook/schedules.html. If insufficient students register for a module the Programme Director may make the decision not to offer that iteration of the module.

  • 1311. Every candidate will be required to satisfy the examiners in the following:

    • a. M.Sc. in Software Engineering

      • (i) attendanceassessment at a minimum offor ten modules chosen from those in theSchedule ScheduleI and II, comprisingas aspecified programme of study approved byin the Supervisorycourse Committeehandbook;

      • (ii) submissionparticipation ofin ata leastproject ten written assignments corresponding to those modulesmodule;

      • (iii) participation in a project module

      • (iv) submission of a dissertation of not more than 20,000 words (including appendices and footnotes but excluding bibliography) on a subject selected by the candidate in consultation with the supervisor and approved by the Supervisory Committee. In preparation for the dissertation, candidates will be required to submit a proposal following participation in the project module. Dissertations submitted which differ from the topic approved by the Supervisory Committee may not be marked by the examiners;.

    • b. M.Sc. in Software and Systems Security

      • (i) attendanceassessment at a minimum offor ten modules chosen from those in theSchedule ScheduleI and II, ofas whichspecified at least six should come from Schedule C, together comprising a programme of study approved byin the Supervisorycourse Committeehandbook;

      • (ii) submission of at least ten written assignments corresponding to those modules attended;

      • (iii) participation in a project module;

      • (iviii) submission of a dissertation of not more than 20,000 words (including appendices and footnotes but excluding bibliography) on a subject selected by the candidate in consultation with the supervisor and approved by the Supervisory Committee. In preparation for the dissertation, candidates will be required to submit a proposal following participation in the project module. Dissertations submitted which differ from the topic approved by the Supervisory Committee may not be marked by the examiners;

      • (v) the subject of the projects and dissertation shall relate to software and systems security, and must have been approved as such by the Supervisory Committee.

    • c. Postgraduate Diploma in Software Engineering

      • (i) attendanceassessment at a minimum offor eight modules chosen from those in theSchedules ScheduleI and II, comprisingas aspecified programme of study approved byin the Supervisorycourse Committee;

      • (ii)handbook. submission of at least eight written assignments corresponding to those modules attended.

    • d. Postgraduate Diploma in Software and Systems Security

      • (i) attendanceassessment at a minimum offor eight modules chosen from those in theSchedules ScheduleI and II, ofas whichspecified at least five should come from Schedule C, comprising a programme of study approved byin the Supervisorycourse Committee;

      • (ii)handbook. submission of at least eight written assignments corresponding to those modules attended.

    • e. Postgraduate Certificate in Software Engineering

      • (i) attendanceassessment at a minimum offor four modules, chosen from theSchedules ScheduleI and II, togetheras comprisingspecified a programme of study approved byin the Supervisorycourse Committee;

      • (ii)handbook. submission of at least four written assignments, corresponding to those modules attended.

    • f. Postgraduate Certificate in Software and Systems Security

      • (i) attendanceassessment at a minimum offor four modules, chosen from theSchedules ScheduleI and II, atas leastspecified three of which chosen from Schedule C, together comprising a programme of study approved byin the Supervisorycourse Committee;handbook.

      • (ii) submission of at least four written assignments, corresponding to those modules attended.

  • g12. PostgraduateThe Certificate in Object Technology

    • (i) attendance at a minimum of four modulesassessments, chosen from the Schedule, at least three of which chosen from Schedule B, together comprising a programme of study approved by the Supervisory Committee;

    • (ii) submission of at least four written assignments, corresponding to those modules attended.

  • The assignmentsproject and, for the M.Sc., two typewritten or printed copies of the dissertation, shall be forwardedsubmitted toas described in and by the examiners for consideration by such dates as the examiners shall determine and shall notify to candidates, supervisors and tutors. The assignments and the dissertation must be accompanied by a statement that it is the candidate’s work except where otherwise indicated. Candidates are usually required to submit the assignments electronically. Details will bedate given in the programmeCourse handbookHandbook. Any candidate who is unable, for some reason, to submit practical work electronically must apply to the Programme Director for permission to submit the work in paper form. Such applications must reach the Programme Director two weeks before the deadline for submitting the work. The two copies of the dissertation shall be addressed to the Chair of Examiners, Software Engineering Programme, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BG.

  • 1413. Provided the Supervisory Committee is satisfied that a candidate has undertaken equivalent study, of an appropriate standard, normally at another institution of higher education, the committee shall have the discretion to permit the candidate to be exempted from attending, and submitting the written assignment for,completing modules chosen from Schedule A, B, or C, as required under clause 1211 above as follows:

    • a. For the M.Sc.: up to two of the total of ten modules for which written assignments are required;

    • b. For the award of the Postgraduate Diploma: up to two of the total of eight modules;

    • c. For the award of the Postgraduate Certificate: up to one of the total of four modules.

    • That equivalent study might consist of modules from Schedules I and II completed and assessed prior to the commencement of the student's period of study; or it might take the form of courses of an appropriate standard from another institution of higher education. In either case, the equivalent study should have been completed no longer than 2 years prior to first registration for the programme.

  • 1514. Candidates may be required to attend a viva voce examination as part of the examination for each award at the discretion of the examiners.

  • 16. The examiners may award a distinction for excellence in the whole examination for each award.

  • 1715. Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners in the assignments under clause 1311 above may be permitted to resubmit work in respect of the part or parts of the examination which they have failed for examinationreassessment on not more than one occasion which shall normally be within one year of the initial failure. No written assignment shall be submitted to the examiners on more than one occasion.

    • E. Subsuming of previous awards under the Programme

    • 1816. In the exceptional circumstances that a candidate granted approval under clause 7 above to be awarded of one of the Postgraduate Certificates or Postgraduate Diplomas (set out in clause 3 above) is readmitted to one of the M.Scs (set out in clause 3 above), then the following apply:

      • a. If any candidate who is successful in the examination for the Postgraduate Diploma has previously successfully completed the Postgraduate Certificate, and for that examination has incorporated the assignments submitted for the Postgraduate Certificate into the Postgraduate Diploma, then the Postgraduate Diploma will subsume his or hertheir Certificate.

      • b. If any candidate who is successful in the examination for the M.Sc. has previously successfully completed the Postgraduate Diploma or the Postgraduate Certificate, and for that examination has incorporated the assignments submitted for the Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma into the M.Sc., then the subsequent award will subsume his or hertheir previous award.

    F. Examination Conventions and Readmission

    • 19. In the case of a candidate who is readmitted they will be subject to the Examination Conventions in force at the date of their readmission.