Overview

The Master’s in 3D Imaging, Analysis and Applications is an MRes constructed from two main study areas.  The first, called Techniques for 3D Imaging and Analysis, will equip you with the fundamental concepts and techniques for 3D data acquisition and analysis mainly through lectures, demonstrations and laboratory practical exercises. You will gain clear understanding of the interactions between these two components and inspiration to develop novel hardware and software for 3D data acquisition and processing in the real world.

The second major study area is 3D Imaging and Analysis in the Real World, which will help you explore how the general 3D imaging and analysis techniques can be tailored to meet specific requirements of different applications in the real world.  This highly practical course will cement your core theoretical knowledge, and teach you to apply it to a diverse and unusual range of problems.  This combination of theoretical excellence and practical adaptability will help you become an innovative and highly competent employee when you begin to forge your career.

The course is a full-time programme, taught over one year, and is divided into two parts over three semesters.  In part one, you will establish a breadth of necessary skills in a number of core modules whilst directing your own study by choosing specialist modules, worth a total of 120 credits.  In part two, you will apply your learning in the individual dissertation worth an additional 60 credits. 

Previous study topics have included: analysis of brain XeCT sequential data; construction and analysis of local digital elevation map for robot obstacle detection and avoidance; 3D data acquisition through geometric camera calibration; automatic extraction of individual tree crowns from airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) data; and many more highly practical and beneficial subject areas.

Whatever your own previous experience or future aspiration, you will benefit from the marvellous integration of cutting-edge theory and practical application, within a world-class department.  In addition to this input, you will be encouraged to conduct your own reading of up-to-date articles on key aspects of 3D imaging, analysis and the applications thereof, and also invited to participate in relevant meetings and conferences (optional) to broaden your horizons. 

As a graduate of the Aberystwyth MRes in 3D Imaging, Analysis and Applications, you will possess the latest technological, theoretical and practical understanding of the subject.  You can be fully confident that this MRes, as a statement of contemporary academic expertise proved in practice, will make you highly desirable to employers, academic institutions and recruiting government bodies.

Factfile

Duration:	One year full-time or two years part-time. The academic year (September to September) is divided into three semesters: September to January; January to June; June to September.
Contact Time:	Approximately 12 hours a week in the first two semesters.  During semester three you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned supervisor.
Assessment:	The taught part of the course (Part 1) is delivered and assessed through lectures, student seminars, practical exercises, case studies, course work and formal examinations. The subsequent successful submission of your research dissertation (Part 2) leads to the award of an MRes.
Entry Requirements:	A first class or 2:1 degree at undergraduate level.  Candidates with equivalent experience and qualifications will be considered.
English Language Requirements:	If you have a Bachelor’s degree from a UK University, you do not need to take an English proficiency test. Non-native English speakers who do not meet this requirement must take a University-recognised test of academic English language proficiency: IELTS or TOEFL.  The required IELTS minimum proficiency level is 6.5.  For TOEFL, the minimum scores are as follows: 580 for the paper-based test; 237 for the computer-based test (with an essay rating of 5.0); and a score of 93 for the internet-based test.  More information can be found on the IELTS and on the TOEFL websites.
Course Fees:	The fee for this course for 2012- 2013 is £4,650 for UK and EU students and £11,500 for international students.  For details of other students’ fees, please view the Funding and Fees section of our website. There are a number of Aberystwyth Scholarships and International Excellence Scholarships (AIES) to help fund the studies of students who meet specific criteria.  In addition, accommodation is guaranteed to all international students.

Career Development

Qualification: MRes in 3D Imaging, Analysis and Applications

Accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS) on behalf of the Engineering Council.

This degree will suit you:

• If you wish to obtain a Master’s degree with leading input from an internationally-renowned computing department;
• If you have a 2:1 degree or higher in a related discipline;
• If you wish to gain academic expertise and technical experience in  the application and analysis of 3D Imaging;
• If you wish to enter one of a diverse range of careers requiring research, analysis and practical excellence.

Employability

Every aspect of the Aberystwyth Master’s in 3D Imaging, Analysis and Applications programme is designed to enhance your employability: indeed, successful completion of this degree is in itself certain to do so by building your CV; but more significant is the hugely enhanced array of knowledge, abilities and skills with which you will graduate.  We know from past graduates’ success that prospective employers take a similar view, as our alumni have taken positions on UK and international teams, most notably the recent BEAGLE Mars Lander team.  Other graduates have found positions in government bodies, private enterprises and leading research establishments.

By completing the Aberystwyth Master’s in 3D Imaging, Analysis and Applications, you will have strengthened your employability in both specialist and more general areas of work.  As a specialist, you will be a highly competent contributor to any work relating to robot navigation, planetary robotics, medical imaging and diagnosis, remote sensing and much more.    In more generic employment situations, your strengths will be broad and deep because you can demonstrate your mastery of any technical planning, research and analysis skills that your employer will require.

All employers, whether subject-related specialists or more general corporate bodies and consultancies, place a high value on first-rate technical aptitude, clarity in research and analysis and fluency in communication.  You will gain these skills, and much more, as you progress through your studies at Aberystwyth to become an engaging candidate for areas of work relating to remote sensing and beyond.

Theory in Practise

As you would expect, the content of this MSc is strongly weighted in favour of mastering the applications of the advanced technical theory.  This will provide you with hands-on experience in MRes in 3D Imaging, Analysis and Applications’ creation, function and evaluation in light of real-life challenges.  Such activities convert the purely academic theory into the proven know-how of experience and, importantly, the necessary repertoire of presentation skills to communicate your findings successfully.  This experience gained by this approach, which begins at the concept stage and ends in written and live presentation, is a rare advantage in the competitive jobs market.  The MRes in 3D Imaging, Analysis and Applications is set up to help you pursue this edge throughout your studies, securing your theoretical learning with practical experience.

Advanced Skills in Research and Technology

As you would expect, the content of this MRes is strongly weighted in favour of understanding all the scientific processes and advanced technical tools at your disposal.  A number of modules, such as the Advanced Research Skills, are designed to develop your thinking to the point that critical analysis and evaluation becomes second-nature.  The benefits of practising such skills go beyond the Master’s course and into further study and any professional employment you choose. 

Masters students have access to a dedicated computer laboratory (located within the Llandinam Tower) for research in 3D imaging and remote sensing which is fully equipped with the latest software.  You will get to grips with an impressive array of software systems, technologies and programming languages including IDL ENVI,  ARCGIS, ArcInfo, Erdas Imagine, Cyclone (LiDAR processing), Gamma (radar processing) and python.  This highly specific and technical experience will more than satisfy employers within related sectors and impress those in other, unrelated areas of work.

Project Management in the Dissertation

The Master’s dissertation requires you to work independently and to pursue your own individual dissertation topic.  You will have access to the support and expertise of the Computing Department, but you are required to cultivate a professional work ethic to deliver the combination of research, analysis, communication and presentation demanded by your dissertation.  This rigorous part of the MRes will require you to employ project management skills which are entirely transferrable to almost any work context that Master’s graduates apply for.

Studying for this Master’s degree will allow you to sharpen up all your core computing disciplines, your professional work ethos and your presentation and communication skills.  Once secured by obtaining your Masters Degree, you will have gained confidence in the level of your academic expertise and practical field skills, which in turn will enhance your employability in both highly specialised related professions and also on broader, unrelated professional paths. 

Contacts

The Programme Leader for this course is Edel Sherratt, the Taught Postgraduate Admissions Tutor

Tel: 01970 622448

Fax: 01970 628536

Email: eds@aber.ac.uk

Email: cs-pg-admissions@aber.ac.uk

 

Department of Computer Science

Penglais Campus

Aberystwyth

SY23 3DB

Tel +44(0)1970 622 540  

www.aber.ac.uk/en/cs/

Apply on-line for MRes 3D Imaging, Analysis and Applications

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• About Aberystwyth (external site)