ONE-YEAR M.SC. COURSE
Departments of Computer Science and Information Studies
in collaboration with
Institute for Language, Speech and Hearing (ILASH)
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
United Kingdom
The aims of the course
This one-year MSc programme will provide a sound professional education in new areas of information technology connected to the computer processing of written and spoken language and the retrieval of written information from textual databases. The wide range of elective courses in the programme means that is it equally appropriate for graduates with a strong computing background who wish to increase their knowledge of textual and language-processing techniques and for graduates in other disciplines who wish to develop their computing skills in the database area.
The objectives of the course
The programme will provide graduates with a strong academic and practical grounding in the processing of computerised textual information. It will hence prepare graduates with the basic skills they need in todays world of language and information in the media, electronic publishing, political, economic and scientific information handling, computer aids to translation, composition, language learning, legal retrieval and information handling, health and other counselling systems and business, inter alia. The value-added components of the MSc will be knowledge of specific text- and language-processing capabilities for students with a first degree in computer science and novel computational approaches for those already familiar with textual information systems.
The programme will also provide an excellent introduction to the substantial research opportunities that exist in textual and language computing in the collaborating departments of Information Studies and Computer Science, with the possibility of subsequent doctoral-level study in these areas.
The Academic Profile
The Department has a substantial research base in these areas, which has now resulted in University funding for ILASH: the Institute for Language Speech and Hearing, with which the MSc is associated. ILASH has its own machine, premises, support staff and academic staff attached to it from nine departments. Sheffield is a node on the EU-funded ELSNET (European Network in Language and Speech) network and participates in many Europe-wide programmes that give opportunities to link to work across the Community. We are co-ordinating the 11- laboratory Human Capital and Mobility (HCM) EU network SPHERE: 'Representations in Speech and Hearing'. We also participate in EUERASMUS programmes in speech and language where students can complete their dissertations abroad.
Staff
The course steaching will draw on staff in the departments of Computer Science and
Information Studies in the University. The following is a list of
current academic staff connected with the course, together with their
research interests:
Dr. D. Ellis: human factors in the design of computerised information retrieval systems, patterns and characteristics of information use by researchers, approaches to information retrieval research, information retrieval applications of hypertext.
N. J. Ford:
Artificial intelligence and expert systems, the psychology of human
information processing, computer assisted learning.
S. Fowell: information modelling and database systems design,
knowledge based systems and knowledge acquisition methods, information acquisition
strategies and performance modelling of preferential choice, information skills
development and the pedagogic issues surrounding the use of IT. in teaching and
learning.
Dr. R. Gaizauskas: Logical models of natural language texts, information extraction from corpora.
A. Griffiths: applications of database management systems, designing large hypermedia
systems, Geographical Information Systems.
Dr. M. Hepple: Computational linguistics, grammatical formalisms, parsing, categorial grammar.
Professor M. Holcombe: Formal models of natural language, formal models of user modelling.
M. Lloyd-Williams: analysis and design of information systems using both
hard and soft approaches, information systems evaluation, and the strategic use of
information systems. Databases and database design, particularly the use of object-
oriented databases. Knowledge-based systems and the use of artificial intelligence within the systems development process. Information management within the health care
environment.
Professor M. Lynch: novel methods of representing both textual and chemical
structure information for manipulation, retrieval and knowledge extraction; chemical
patents information systems.
Dr. J. McGregor: User modelling, parsing, prolog, tutoring systems.
Dr. P. McKevitt: Pragmatics, intentions, natural language dialogue, revision in dialogue, user-computer interfaces, hyper/multimedia, user modelling, integration of speech, language and vision processing.
R. Minors: Modelling arguments in discourse, illogic of argumentation, belief modelling.
Dr. A. Sharkey: Connectionist models of language processing, parsing, translation.
Professor N. Sharkey: Connectionist natural language processing.
A. Simons: Machine translation, syntactic, chart and object-orientated parsing.
Professor Y. Wilks: Artificial intelligence, natural language understanding, belief pragmatics, lexical semantic computation, grammar induction and parsing, information extraction from corpora.
Professor P. Willett: use of automatic classification techniques for document retrieval and drug design, application of parallel processing techniques to information retrieval, best match search algorithms, 3-D chemical structure searching, protein engineering, natural language processing.
Entrance Requirements
Applicants will normally be expected to have, or be expected to obtain before joining the programme, a good honours degree in any discipline, subject to the applicants being able to provide evidence of at least some competence in computing. The flexible nature of the programme means that it will be equally appropriate to those with a strong technical background in computing eg. from an undergraduate computer-science degree. and to those who have grown familiar with business-computing packages or done an introductory programming course during their first degree.
The mode of delivery
One-year, full-time MSc. There is no intention at present to award a diploma or a certificate for successful completion of part of the programme, but we will be prepared to conform to University standards in this respect.
The structure of the course
The programme consists of taught components for the first two University semesters, followed by a project examined by dissertation. The taught part of the programme will consist of core modules, together with elective modules, the choice of which will be approved by the students tutors. All of the modules will be based on material that is already included in the Departments current MSc and undergraduate programmes. A range of teaching methods will be employed, including conventional lectures, small-group seminars, and a large amount of group work
Semester 1 There will be four required half-modules during the first semester, each worth 10 credits. These half-modules are as follows (with the appropriate source and half-module in brackets: COM is Computer Science and INF is Information Studies).
1. IT for Information Management (INF 301)
2. Information Storage and Retrieval (INF 306)
3. Natural Language Processing I (COM 333)
4. Language and Logic (COM 163, with Psychology)
Semester 2 There will be four half-modules during the second semester, each worth 10 credits. Three of these half-modules will be required and one will be an elective selected from a range of topics offered.
The required half-modules will be:
1. Information Storage and Retrieval Research (INF 309)
2. Natural Language Processing II (COM 334)
3. Research Methods And Dissertation Preparation
Both departments are currently developing one-semester, half-modules that will prepare students for the successful execution of their dissertation projects. Students will follow either the COM or the INF Research Methods And Dissertation Preparation course, depending upon their particular research interests.
Electives will be offered from year to year depending upon the availability of staff and the trends in research and professional practice. The advice and approval of the tutor must be sought before deciding on the choice of elective. Those offered are expected to include:
1. Research Topics in Language, Speech and Hearing (DD2d)
2. Reasoning and AI (B12)
3. Database Design (INF 305)
4. Health Care Information: Systems and Services (INF 307)
5. Multimedia Information Systems (INF 308)
Dissertation The period from 20th June to 31st August will be devoted to the preparation of a supervised dissertation. This will count as two modules, i.e.40 credits, and must be submitted on or before 1st September. The courses listed above are correct at the time of writing but may be changed at any time.
Assessment of the course
Students will be required to pass continuous assessment and examinations for all taught modules, and to produce an acceptable dissertation. The student must pass each module to obtain the MSc, but an unsuccessful dissertation can be resubmitted within one year of the end of the programme. A distinction will be given to students whose work achieves a grade-point average of 14 points.
Some of the half-modules above will also be offered at the undergraduate level. The two departments currently have different policies for the assessment of such mixed courses, but we shall establish an agreed policy in the near future.
Sheffield
Sheffield is one of the friendliest cities in Britain and is
well-situated, having the best and closest surrounding countryside of
any major city. The Peak District National Park is only minutes away.
It is a good city for walkers, runners, and climbers. It has two
theatres, the Crucible and Lyceum. The Lyceum, a beautiful Victorian
theatre, has recently been renovated. Also, the city has three
mulitplex cinemas. There is a library theatre which shows more
artistic films. The city has a number of museums many of which
demonstrate Sheffield's industrial past, and there are a number of
Galleries in the City, including the Mapping Gallery and Ruskin. A
number of important 'stately homes' are close to Sheffield, such as
Chatsworth House and Hardwicke Hall. Sheffield is served
by a 'supertram' system: the line to the Meadowhall shopping and
leisure complex from the University is already open.
Sheffield has outstanding sporting facilities, many constructed for
the World Student Games in 1991. We have an Olympic standard swimming
pool and sports complex that is regularly used for international
competition. The Sheffield Arena, is becoming an increasingly
important venue for touring rock bands.
ENQUIRIES AND APPLICATIONS:
Please send enquiries and requests for application forms to:
Ms. Vanessa Price
M.Sc. Admissions
Department of Computer Science
Regent Court
211 Portobello Street
University of Sheffield
GB- S1 4DP, Sheffield
England.
E-mail: vanessa@dcs.shef.ac.uk
Fax: 44 1142 780972
Phone: 44 1142 825590
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