Overview
Honours is a prestigious degree intended for those who wish to obtain a professional qualification of international standing and take their place in the IT industry or CS academia. Entrance to the degree is restricted to those who achieve well in their BSc. The degree covers a range of topics that are presented by experts in the department, and students have the opportunity to work on several projects to a high standard.
Admission Requirements
Subject to the stipulations of General Regulations G.1.3, G.16 and G.62 (University of Pretoria under Prospective students), a BSc degree, majoring in Computer Science from a South African university (or an equivalent) with a weighted average of at least 60% over all third-year modules in the Computer Science major, is required for admission to this degree program. Students with a BIS (Multimedia) degree from the University of Pretoria will be allowed to register for the BSc (Hons) in Computer Science provided that they have an average of 60% for COS301 and at least three third year Computer Science modules. Students from outside South Africa need to obtain a certificate from the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) before admission will be considered. The head of department may prescribe additional conditions for admission.
Prior knowledge: Good programming and report writing skills are assumed. Individual modules may require additional prior knowledge. See the study guide for each module.
Admission Procedure
Phase 1: Application for admission
- Application forms are available from the Student Service Centre or submit an electronic request on the UP Portal.
Phase 2: Before First Meeting
- Formulate your choice of modules for the entire year.
- Modules offered by the department will be described at the First Meeting (Orientation). Changes are possible within two weeks of each semester.
- The last date for module registrations is 20 February 2026.
- The last date for module de-registrations is 9 March 2026.
- Honours orientation meeting for 2026 will take place on Thursday 5th February at 16:30 in IT 4-4.
Phase 3. Registration
- Register the modules you chose on your student portal.
Prior knowledge: Where is the Informatorium? Where is the cashier? How much are the fees? Contact the Student Service Centre on 012 420 3111
Degree Structure
The degree is conferred on a student who successfully completes at least 120 credits of course work in Computer Science at honours level. The degree is comprised as follows:
Project Component: All students have to register for COS700, which is worth 30 credits. COS700 is structured as follows:
- Research methods component of 10 credits, which will be based on formal lectures in the first semester;
- Research project component which is a full 20 credits project.
Module component: At least 6 modules of 15 credits each, to be selected from the modules offered by the Department of Computer Science. Students may take 15 credits honours modules from any other department for which they qualify.
Lecture Times
All Computer Science modules run for one double period a week for one semester. Lecture times are from 16:30 – 18:30 and 18:30 – 20:30 from Mondays to Fridays.
Weekly Schedule
🗓️ Honours Timetable S2 2026
| Time | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:30 – 18:30 | COS711 Prof Bosman Centenary 3 |
COS790 Prof Pillay I.T 4-1 |
COS721 Prof Olivier I.T 4-4 |
COS750 Prof Marshall I.T 4-4 |
COS781 Prof Marivate Dr Modupe Mr Van Heerden Centenary 1 |
| 18:30 – 20:30 | COS791 Dr Nyathi Centenary 3 |
Assignments, Tests, and Projects
Each module may have associated assignments, tests and projects. Students should plan their time to ensure that they can devote the appropriate amount of effort to these tasks. Extensions are not given lightly. Students should be aware that “pressure at work” is not an acceptable excuse for not handing in coursework.