Choosing external options
Students may choose up to 20 credits (10 credits per semester) of approved course units from outside the School of Computer Science if their programme offers sufficient options credits.
In general we are happy for students to choose external course units but it's worth bearing in mind that external courses usually exercise different types of skills from those you use in your Computer Science course. Of course, this can be a positive thing, but also has its dangers.
There are two kinds of external course units:
- External course units pre-approved by the School of
Computer Science for you to take. Campus Solutions will let you choose up
to 20 credits (per year) of the pre-approved external course units.
You can see the list of pre-approved external course units per programme by using the Options & themes form.
- All other external course units are not approved by the School of Computer Science and you need to get explicit permission from the appropriate CS year tutor in order to do those course units. Campus Solutions will not let you choose an unapproved external course unit until you have received permission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly do I need to do to choose my external course unit?
- If you are in your 2nd year, your external course unit must be Level 1 or Level 2; if you are in your 3rd year, your external course unit must be Level 2 or above.
- Check with the external School that they are happy for you to do their course unit.
- Check the timetabling of the external course unit. If there are clashes with your CS courses we strongly advise you to select a different external course unit.
- If the external course unit is an unapproved one, you must obtain permission from the appropriate Year Tutor (see above).
- If your external course unit is a pre-approved one, or if you have been given permission to take an unapproved course unit, record this in Campus Solutions.
Where can I find a list of external course units? There is no single list of possible external course units. You can look on the websites of various Schools which you think look interesting. Start at this main University page.
If I do a 20-credit, two-semester course, can I change midway through, if something goes wrong? No! If you choose a 20-credit two-semester course unit, you cannot change to another course unit if something goes wrong: you must do the entire two-semester course. So be very sure about any 20-credit two-semester course you choose. Note that many language courses are 20-credit courses.
I REALLY want to do an external course unit but all its lectures clash with my CS timetable. What can I do? We will almost certainly insist that you give priority to your CS courses -- you are doing Computer Science, after all! We would insist that you choose a different external course unit, which does not give you timetable clashes. However if the clash is purely with a timetabled laboratory because of your laboratory group assignment we may be able to find you an alternative lab. slot. Please ask.
My friend has been given permission to take external course unit X. Can I take it too? Maybe. Each student's case is considered individually.
I am a CSwBM or CM student. Can I take external course units? In general, joint honours students (CM and CSwBM) don't have freedom within their programmes to do external modules, although we allow CM students the freedom to do either, or both, of MSEC3131 or MSEC3122.