Bachelor of Digital Systems

• General information
• Entrance requirements
• Course structure
  • First year
  • Second year
  • Third year
  • Specialisation list
• Honours program in digital systems
  • Prerequisites
  • Structure
  • Coursework units
  • Project topics
• Subjects offered -- digital systems
• Bachelor of Digital Systems, 1999 course structure

General information

Course code: 2381 Clayton campus Course leader: Dr Andrew Paplinski
The course provides an integrated and practical study in computer hardware and software. The three major areas of emphasis are digital electronics, which involves the study of digital logic, digital system design and microprocessor systems; technical computing, which involves operating systems, assembler and higher-level languages, and real-time software; and integrated applications, which involves control systems, computer communications, signal processing, robotics, graphics and artificial intelligence. These three areas are supported by studies in mathematics and electronics. During the course, students must undertake a project involving the development of integrated hardware and software.
The course is recommended for students seeking an in-depth study of computer hardware and related software with a view to applying their skills immediately in the design and development of digital devices and the building of integrated systems.
The course is at present available for full-time study over three years, with a fourth (honours) year also available.
Graduates meet the requirements for professional-level membership of the Australian Computer Society.

Entrance requirements

The prerequisites for entry are a study score of 20 or above in VCE English and Mathematical Methods units 3 and 4. VCE Specialist Mathematics, Physics and Information Technology are strongly recommended. Students must also have VCE prerequisites appropriate for any first-year elective subject which they take.

Course structure

For course map details, refer to map 6 in the ´Undergraduate course maps' section.
The course for the pass degree consists of subjects to a total value of 144 points, with:
(a) a core sequence, totalling a minimum of 84 points (30 in first year, 36 in second year and 18 in third year)
(b) two specialisation sequences, each consisting of two subjects from the approved list, totalling 24 points
(c) a sequence of approved mathematics subjects totalling 12 points in first year
(d) up to 24 points of other subjects as selected by the student. These may be additional electives in digital systems, computer science, information systems, or any other discipline.
In general, at most 60 points of first-year subjects may be counted towards the degree. Students must complete at least 36 points of second-year subjects and at least 36 points of third-year subjects. All subjects listed below are six points each unless indicated otherwise.

First year

A full-time study program will consist of:

• CSE1101 Digital technology I
• CSE1102 Digital technology II
• CSE1112 Introduction to electronics
• CSE1301 Computer programming
• CSE1303 Computer science
• MAT1811 Mathematics ID
• MAT1812 Mathematics IID
• One free elective subject

Second year

• CSE2101 Digital design I
• CSE2102 Digital design II
• CSE2111 Electronics for digital systems I
• CSE2302 Operating systems
• CSE2304 Algorithms and data structures
• CSE2305 Object-oriented software engineering I
• Two specialisation elective subjects from the specialisation list

Third year

• CSE3120 Digital systems project (12 points)
• CSE3101 Digital design III
• Two specialisation elective subjects from the specialisation list
• Three free elective subjects

The project cannot be commenced until all the core first and second-year subjects are completed.
Two specialisation sequences each consisting of two subjects must be completed in the second and third-year study of this course.

Specialisation list

Five approved sequences are currently available:

• CSE2131 (Fundamentals of digital signal processing) and CSE3132 (Digital signal processing)
• CSE3133 (Fundamentals of robotics) and CSE3134 (Robotics)
• CSE2318/CSE3318 (Data communications and computer networks), and one of CSE3020 (Network technology), CSE3821 (Internet architecture and protocols), CSE3151 (Communication network performance) or CSE3153 (Network administration)
• CSE2324 (Computer architecture) and CSE3304 (Computer organisation)
• CSE3313 (Computer graphics) and CSE3314 (Image processing)

Specific electives recommended for BDS include:

• CSE3142 Integrated circuit design
• CSE3306 Microprocessors

Honours program in digital systems

Course code: 1200 Coordinator: To be advised

Prerequisites

The normal entry requirement is a completed three-year Bachelor of Digital Systems degree, or its equivalent, with a final-year average grade of credit or better in digital systems or related subjects.
The honours program will normally be available full-time; however the coordinator will be able to approve part-time study in exceptional circumstances. The honours program may not be repeated.

Structure

The honours program is arranged as a single subject, CSE4100 (Digital systems), of 48 points. This subject comprises:

• 24 points of coursework units (50 per cent of the assessment) selected from the honours units offered by the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering
• a substantial project (20 points, approximately 40 per cent of the assessment)
• the compulsory four-point unit (approximately 10 per cent of the assessment) CSE417 (Communication and research skills). This unit is intended to improve the oral and written presentation skills of students and to teach skills required for the critical analysis of research.

Coursework units

Coursework units are to be selected from the honours units offered by the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering. Approved third-year electives can also be taken. Selection of units is conducted during the first two weeks of a semester. The selection must be approved by the coordinator.
Each year, 12 to 14 units are offered, depending on the research interests and teaching commitments of staff. Honours units from recent years include:

• Communications and research skills (compulsory)
• Modelling, animating and rendering: advanced topics in graphics
• Parallel systems
• Advanced object-oriented idioms in C++
• Formal methods in software engineering
• Advanced programming language paradigms
• Persistence
• Optimisation and constraints
• Advanced network design
• Digital communication technologies
• Advanced internet protocols and applications
• Public telecommunications networks
• Network design and management
• Natural language processing
• Reasoning under uncertainty
• Machine learning
• Causal reasoning
• Neural network fundamentals
• Learning and prediction
• Information theory
• Pattern recognition and image processing
• Advanced digital design
• Video coding and compression
• Cryptography
• Information security

In most cases, the appropriate prerequisites must be completed before attempting honours units.

Project topics

Selection of a project is a very important issue from the point of view of both the research area and the prospective supervisor and students are advised to consider their selection carefully and in advance. The selection of projects is conducted during the first two weeks of the first semester. The following are some of the projects undertaken in the last two years:

• Optimisation of fuzzy control systems using genetic and other algorithms
• The simulation and implementation of a flexible controlled CPU
• Image interpretation algorithms for a class of ophthalmological images
• Low bit rate coding of speech signals
• SSCOP -- the reliable end-end ATM protocol (ATM adaptation layer type 5)
• HG-RCP -- the Host-gateway rate control protocol
• Laser tracking for real-time dynamic measurements
• Long-reach manipulation techniques
• Image tracking implemented in VHDL
• Direct transfer of image data from a CCD device to memory
• Development of computer architectures which implement various optimisation algorithms
• Image tracking implemented in VHDL
• Low bit-rate coding of speech signals

Subjects offered -- digital systems

• CSE2318 Data communications and networks (6 points) (COT2001)
• CSE3020 Network technology (6 points) (COT3020)
• CSE3151 Communication network performance (6 points) (COT3151)
• CSE3153 Network administration (6 points) (COT3153)
• CSE1101 Digital technology I (6 points)
• CSE1102 Digital technology II (6 points)
• CSE1112 Introduction to electronics (6 points)
• CSE1301 Computer programming (6 points)
• CSE1303 Computer science (6 points)
• CSE2101 Digital design I (6 points)
• CSE2102 Digital design II (6 points)
• CSE2111 Electronics for digital systems (6 points)
• CSE2131 Fundamentals of digital signal processing (6 points)
• CSE2304 Algorithms and data structures (6 points)
• CSE2305 Object-oriented software engineering (6 points)
• CSE2303 Operating systems (6 points)
• CSE2324 Computer architecture (6 points)
• CSE3101 Digital design III (6 points)
• CSE3120 Digital systems project (12 points)
• CSE3132 Digital signal processing (6 points)
• CSE3133 Fundamentals of robotics (6 points)
• CSE3134 Robotics (6 points)
• CSE3141 Real-time system design (6 points)
• CSE3142 Integrated circuit design (6 points)
• CSE3304 Computer organisation (6 points)
• CSE3313 Computer graphics (6 points)
• CSE3314 Image processing (6 points)
• CSE3318 Data communications and computer networks (6 points)
• CSE3821 Internet architecture and protocols (6 points)
• CSE4100 Digital systems (honours) (48 points)

Bachelor of Digital Systems, 1999 course structure

Course code: 0356
An outline of the 1999 course structure appears below. The course for the pass degree consists of subjects to a total value of 144 points, with:
(a) a core sequence, totalling a minimum of 96 points (42 in first year, 36 in second year and 18 in third year)
(b) a sequence of approved elective subjects totalling a minimum of 16 points
(c) a sequence of free electives totalling 24 points.
In general, at most 60 points of first-year subjects may be counted towards the degree. Students must complete at least 40 points of second-year subjects and at least 36 points of third-year subjects.

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