Honours university choice help

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Ghost02

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Hi guys,
I'm currently in my third year at UKZN studying a Bsc CS and IS. Seeing as this is my last undergrad semester I need to start thinking about doing my honours. Problem is I don't know where to do it. I was looking at either the University of Pretoria or UKZN, everywhere else is just to expensive and don't offer modules I'm interested it. I looked at UCT but it costs more than I can afford at the moment.

So my question is: is it worth it to go to tuks for +- R100 000 (hopefully all inclusive) or should I just stick it out with UKZN for about R50 000. At UKZN I would still live with my parents so food and rent would be free, only petrol would push it up which I included in the R50 000 estimation.

Thanks in advance.
 
IMO, stick with UKZN for honours. If they don't specialise in your interests for MSc & PhD, then do what I'm doing and study through UNISA.
 
Wait, are you discussing your future here or a financial plan?
If it's your future you're discussing then surely the best institute is where you should be looking?
 
sp4ceman said:
How far are you looking at going. If you want to do more than honours it's prolly worth moving to tuks. If not it isn't.

Who's head of comp sci btw? Is it still murrel?
Click to expand...

Nelishia Pillay is our head of comp sci now, Murrel teaches a few modules still though. I don't want to specialize with a Masters just yet. I first want to get some work experience and decide what I like then choose between a MSc and a MBA.

Bar0n said:
IMO, stick with UKZN for honours. If they don't specialise in your interests for MSc & PhD, then do what I'm doing and study through UNISA.
Click to expand...

Was looking at Unisa for Masters after because I want to do that later while working.

Electric said:
Wait, are you discussing your future here or a financial plan?
If it's your future you're discussing then surely the best institute is where you should be looking?
Click to expand...

Well I'm looking for the best I can afford within reason if it would actually make a real difference to my future. Which I don't know. That's my reason for posting here.
 
Haha we used to call murrel red. Like red from the 70s show. We even switched his picture on the staff board.

My brother is doing his masters at tuks in maths and stats. They found him a day job consulting at liberty life and then he has a few days lecturing as well. I have heard similar stories of the other faculties as well. They seem to help and take care of their post grads a lot better than ukzn. It's easier to so something like that than it is to work 8 to 5 and then try study at night....

I'd go up there at least and have a look around and talk to people in the faculty and stuff.

Ukzn just seems to have gone to ****.
 
That's a valid point, will it make a large difference to your future by attending either one of the institutes.
 
sp4ceman said:
Haha we used to call murrel red. Like red from the 70s show. We even switched his picture on the staff board.

My brother is doing his masters at tuks in maths and stats. They found him a day job consulting at liberty life and then he has a few days lecturing as well. I have heard similar stories of the other faculties as well. They seem to help and take care of their post grads a lot better than ukzn. It's easier to so something like that than it is to work 8 to 5 and then try study at night....

I'd go up there at least and have a look around and talk to people in the faculty and stuff.

Ukzn just seems to have gone to ****.
Click to expand...

The Comp Sci at PMB is still good but I'm worried about the poor administration of the University and the strikes on the other campuses affecting the opinion prospective employers have on my education.

Electric said:
That's a valid point, will it make a large difference to your future by attending either one of the institutes.
Click to expand...

Well if I could I would study abroad where it really would make a large difference, but I'm trying to make a large as possible difference.
 
sp4ceman said:
im in pmb. the comp sci is good everything else is ****
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So question remains is it worth staying for the comp lol...

DA-LION-619 said:
I thought the best idea was to get some work experience then do hons?
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That was my plan but I went to a banks winter school this June and they have some grad positions that I really like and they require honours for those.
 
gkm said:
No, do hons first if you can.
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Agreed.

Ghost02, which university has the most appealing module selection? Is there a staff member that you can identify that you would want to supervise your hons project at any of these universities? These should drive your choice.
 
I agree with the above: do your honours if you can. To be honest, doing your honours somewhere else isn't going to make much of a difference in terms of job prospects. If you see a technical course you like (maybe parallel programming or something) which isn't offered at your current university, rather just do some work on that on the side.
 
Last edited:
Just a final 2c from my side on this.

Your undergraduate degree is augmented (in my opinion completed) by the honours degree that accompanies it. You'll find that every university's honours degrees "fit" with their undergraduate degrees like 2 puzzle pieces. Do your honours where you did your undergrad degree. Masters is when you can start looking around for a different university.
 
Ghost02 said:
Hi guys,
I'm currently in my third year at UKZN studying a Bsc CS and IS. Seeing as this is my last undergrad semester I need to start thinking about doing my honours. Problem is I don't know where to do it. I was looking at either the University of Pretoria or UKZN, everywhere else is just to expensive and don't offer modules I'm interested it. I looked at UCT but it costs more than I can afford at the moment.

So my question is: is it worth it to go to tuks for +- R100 000 (hopefully all inclusive) or should I just stick it out with UKZN for about R50 000. At UKZN I would still live with my parents so food and rent would be free, only petrol would push it up which I included in the R50 000 estimation.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I know quite a bit about UKZN CS (it's Murrell by the way) and I would strongly advise you to go elsewhere for honours in CS due to the way the university and department is heading. You will get a poor selection of modules and supervisors because so many people have left the department and that should be a huge concern.

I started my CS degree at UKZN and am now at Cambridge, and at Carnegie Mellon University in the states next year. Leaving UKZN really opened my eyes to the oppertunities. I strongly suggest going elsewhere for honours as you will always be at a significant disadvantage the longer you study there.

You mentioned you'd like to go overseas. Find an area that you're really interested in like Bioinformatics, or Artificial Intelligence, then find a SA university that has honours modules in that (Wits should be great), do what you can do go there (apply to NRF scholarships etc), do as well as you can, and then apply for Commonwealth/Fulbright etc scholarships and you could be holding a fully funded masters offer to a top 10 university which is a free ticket to the entire world...

Inbox me if you have any questions.
 
I did honours 2 years ago at UCT all incl to the tune of R120 000

Rent + elect R45k
Tuiton R35k
Food & Entertainment & Other - R40k

I was sponsored R35k and the rest came from savings and I tutored as well
 
Gf education to date has been 200k which I've paid for lol.
 
cguy said:
Agreed.

Ghost02, which university has the most appealing module selection? Is there a staff member that you can identify that you would want to supervise your hons project at any of these universities? These should drive your choice.
Click to expand...

I don't know any of the supervisors at any of the other universities but there is someone at UKZN I'm interested in doing my project with, I need to confirm which projects they would be willing to do with me. The subjects offered are a mix up, UKZN offers:

*Artificial Intelligence (Module mostly concentrates on Genetic Algorithms and Genetic Programming)
*A security based module
*Optimization and modeling
*Medical Informatics
*Data Mining
*Ontologies and Knowledge Bases
*Image Processing

I have to chose 6.

Tuks offers more modules:

*Artificial Intelligence I
*Artificial Intelligence II (both look nature and biologically inspired similar to UKZN)
*Computer and Info. Security I
*Computer and Info. Security II (I'm interested in security modules but UKZN offers 1)
*Software Engineering I
*Software Engineering II
*Formal Aspects of Computing I
*Formal Aspects of Computing II
*Computer Graphics
*Spatial Databases
*Educational Software Development
*Data Mining
*Digital forensics and Investigations
*Computer Networks
*Parallel and Distributed Computing
*Mobile Computing


Turbo_Aspiration said:
I agree with the above: do your honours if you can. To be honest, doing your honours somewhere else isn't going to make much of a difference in terms of job prospects. If you see a technical course you like (maybe parallel programming or something) which isn't offered at your current university, rather just do some work on that on the side.
Click to expand...

Will definitely do honours, just where that is the problem, what you say makes sense now though.

Bar0n said:
Just a final 2c from my side on this.

Your undergraduate degree is augmented (in my opinion completed) by the honours degree that accompanies it. You'll find that every university's honours degrees "fit" with their undergraduate degrees like 2 puzzle pieces. Do your honours where you did your undergrad degree. Masters is when you can start looking around for a different university.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of doing my masters later though so I don't want my first employer to frown upon where my degree is from, I don't have anything against UKZN but I realize it might not have the best public image due to strikes and all that at other campuses.

MartinMorrison said:
I know quite a bit about UKZN CS (it's Murrell by the way) and I would strongly advise you to go elsewhere for honours in CS due to the way the university and department is heading. You will get a poor selection of modules and supervisors because so many people have left the department and that should be a huge concern.

I started my CS degree at UKZN and am now at Cambridge, and at Carnegie Mellon University in the states next year. Leaving UKZN really opened my eyes to the oppertunities. I strongly suggest going elsewhere for honours as you will always be at a significant disadvantage the longer you study there.

You mentioned you'd like to go overseas. Find an area that you're really interested in like Bioinformatics, or Artificial Intelligence, then find a SA university that has honours modules in that (Wits should be great), do what you can do go there (apply to NRF scholarships etc), do as well as you can, and then apply for Commonwealth/Fulbright etc scholarships and you could be holding a fully funded masters offer to a top 10 university which is a free ticket to the entire world...

Inbox me if you have any questions.
Click to expand...

Thanks, if you're talking about Hugh, he took a sabbatical two years ago and stepped down from being head, now Prof Pillay is head and Prof Murrel is retiring next year ( he just did some lecturing this year). But this is the negative view I'm scared employers might have that would put them off hiring someone from UKZN.

CrazYmonkeY159 said:
I did honours 2 years ago at UCT all incl to the tune of R120 000

Rent + elect R45k
Tuiton R35k
Food & Entertainment & Other - R40k

I was sponsored R35k and the rest came from savings and I tutored as well
Click to expand...

I don't think UCT would let me tutor though as I didn't do their modules, but I'll have to speak to my parents to see how much they would be willing to help out.

semaphore said:
Gf education to date has been 200k which I've paid for lol.
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Was this more than one year? Also which University was this and does it include living and stuff? I definitely wouldn't be able to go for R200k for one year.
 
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