SPECIAL REGULATIONS FOR THE HONOUR SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

A

In the following, ‘the Course Handbook’ refers to the Computer Science Undergraduate Course Handbook and supplements to this published by the Computer Science Teaching Committee and also posted on the website at http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/currentstudents/

1. 1. The subject of the Honour School of Computer Science shall be the theory and practice of Computer Science.
2. 2. No candidate shall be admitted to examination in this School unless he or she has either passed or been exempted from the First Public Examination.
3. 3. The Examination in Computer Science shall be under the supervision of the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Board. The Board shall have the power from time to time to frame and vary regulations for the different parts and subjects of the examination.
4. 4. (a) The examination in Computer Science shall consist of three parts (A, B, C) for the four-year course, and of two parts (A, B) for the three-year course. (b) Parts A, B, and C shall be taken at times not less than three, six, and nine terms, respectively, after passing or being exempted from the First Public Examination.
5. 5. The Examiners shall classify and publish the combined results of the examinations in Part A and Part B, and in respect of candidates taking the four-year course shall separately classify and publish results in Part C.
6. 6. (a) Part A shall be taken on one occasion only. No candidate shall enter for Part B until he or she has completed Part A of the examination.
7. (b) In order to proceed to Part C, a candidate must achieve upper second class Honours or higher in Parts A & B together.
8. (c) A candidate on the three-year course who obtains only a Pass or fails to satisfy the Examiners in Part B may retake Part B on at most one subsequent occasion; a candidate on the four-year course who obtains only a Pass or fails to satisfy the Examiners in Part C may retake Part C on at most one subsequent occasion. A candidate on the four-year course shall take Part B on one occasion only.
9. 7. A candidate adjudged worthy of Honours on both Parts A and B together, and on Part C may supplicate for the degree of Master of Computer Science provided that the candidate has fulfilled all the conditions for admission to a degree of the University.
10. 8. A candidate in the final year of the four-year course, adjudged worthy of Honours in both Parts A and B together, but who does not enter Part C, or who fails to obtain Honours in Part C, is permitted to supplicate for the Honours degree of Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science with the classification obtained in Parts A and B together; provided that no such candidate may later enter or re-enter the Part C year or supplicate for the degree of Master of Computer Science; and provided in each case that the candidate has fulfilled all the conditions for admission to a degree of the University.
11. 9. All candidates will be assessed as to their practical ability under the following provisions:
    1. (a) The Head of the Department of Computer Science, or a deputy, shall make available to the examiners evidence showing the extent to which each candidate has pursued an adequate course of practical work. Only that work completed and marked by noon on Monday of the fifth week of the Trinity Term in which the candidate takes the examination shall be included in these records.
    2. (b) Candidates for each part of the examination shall submit to the Chairman of the Examiners, Honour School of Computer Science, c/o the Academic Administrator, Oxford University Department of Computer Science, Oxford, by noon on Monday of the fifth week of the Trinity Term in which the examination is being held, their reports of practical exercises completed during their course of study. For a report on a practical exercise to be considered by the examiners, it must have been marked by a demonstrator and must be accompanied by a statement that it is the candidate's own work except where otherwise indicated.
    3. (c) The examiners shall take the evidence (a) and the report (b) into account in assessing a candidate's performance.
    4. (d) Candidates whose overall performance on practical work is not satisfactory may be deemed to have failed the examination or may have their overall classification reduced.

B

The syllabus for each of Parts A, B, and C will be published by the Department of Computer Science in a handbook for candidates by the beginning of Michaelmas Full Term in the academic year of the examination concerned. The duration of each optional paper will be specified in the Course Handbook.

The use of calculators is generally not permitted but certain kinds may be allowed for certain papers. Specifications of which papers and which types of calculators are permitted for those exceptional papers will be announced by the examiners in the Hilary Term preceding the examination.

1. 1. In Part A of the examination, candidates shall be required to offer three core subjects and five optional subjects from Schedule A in the Course Handbook. Each subject shall be examined by means of a written examination with the exception of Object Oriented Programming, which shall be examined by means of a mini project or a written examination, the details of which are set out in the Course Handbook.
2. 2. In Part B of the examination, each candidate shall be required to offer six optional subjects from Schedules B1, B2, and B4 in the Course Handbook, subject to the conditions that
   1. (a) no candidate shall offer any subject from Schedule B1 that he or she has already offered in Part A of the examination.
   2. (b) each candidate shall offer no more than two subjects from Schedule B1.
   3. (c) each candidate shall offer no more than two subjects from Schedule B4.
   Each optional subject shall be examined by a written paper or by a mini-project. In addition, each candidate in Part B of the examination shall also submit a project report.
3. 3. In Part C of the examination, each candidate shall be required to offer four optional subjects from Schedule C1 in the Course Handbook, subject to the condition that no candidate shall offer any subject that he or she has already offered in Part B of the examination. Each optional subject shall be examined by a written paper or by a mini-project. In addition, each candidate in Part C of the examination shall submit a project report.
4. 4. The schedules of core and optional subjects for Parts A, B, and C of the examination shall be approved by the Faculty of Computer Science, and shall be published in the Course Handbook.
5. 5. The examiners shall have the power to combine two papers on related optional subjects into a single paper for those candidates who offer both the optional subjects concerned.
6. 6. In Part B and in Part C of the examination, each candidate shall carry out a project on a topic in Computer Science approved by the Teaching Committee of the Department of Computer Science. Each project will be supervised by a member of the Faculty of Computer Science, the Faculty of Mathematics or the Faculty of Engineering Science, or by some other person of equivalent seniority approved by the Teaching Committee. Two copies of a report of the project shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Examiners, Honour School of Computer Science, c/o the Examination Schools, Oxford, by noon on Monday of the fifth week of the Trinity Term in which the relevant Part of the examination is held. The Part B report must not exceed 10,000 words plus forty pages of additional material (e.g. diagrams, program text). The Part C report must not exceed 10,000 words plus forty pages of additional material (e.g. diagrams, program text). In retaking Part of an examination, projects previously submitted for Part B or for Part C of the examination may be submitted, but for that Part only. No project may be resubmitted if it has already been submitted, wholly or substantially, for another honour school or degree of the University, or of any other institution.