UnitLevel 2Undergraduate

FIT2004 Algorithms and data structures

Faculty of Information Technology

FIT2004 Algorithms and data structures is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Information Technology, offered in 2024 in Semester 1 and Semester 2 at Clayton and Malaysia. It needs (FIT1008, FIT1054 or FIT2085) and (ENG1005, MTH1035, MAT1830, MAT1841 or MTH1030) and unlocks 11 units, leading on to 31 units in all. Students rate it 4.0 out of 5 from 1 review and call it very hard.

Credit points
6
Offered in 2024
Semester 1, Semester 2
Clayton, Malaysia
Assessment
Exam 100%
and 6 other tasks
Workload
144 hours
per semester

This is the 2024 handbook entry. See the 2026 entry.

Reviews

Rated 4.0 out of 5 from 1 review
4.01 review
  1. 5 stars: 0
  2. 4 stars: 1
  3. 3 stars: 0
  4. 2 stars: 0
  5. 1 star: 0
Teaching
4.0out of 5 from 1 review
Content
5.0out of 5 from 1 review
Assessment
3.0out of 5 from 1 review
Usefulness
5.0out of 5 from 1 review
Difficulty
Very hard
Workload
Very heavy

What students say

  • JSOctober 2026 · Took it in 2025
    4 out of 5: Good

    Hard but worth it. The assignments are brutal and you will spend whole weekends on them, but you come out actually understanding dynamic programming and graph algorithms. Do the tutorial sheets every week, the exam questions look a lot like them.

    • Teaching4out of 5
    • Content5out of 5
    • Assessment3out of 5
    • Usefulness5out of 5
    • DifficultyVery hard
    • WorkloadVery heavy

Requisites

Overview

This unit introduces students to problem solving concepts and techniques fundamental to the science of programming. In doing this it covers problem specification, algorithmic design, analysis and implementation. Detailed topics include analysis of best, average and worst-case time and space complexity; introduction to numerical algorithms; recursion; advanced data structures such as heaps and B-trees; hashing; sorting algorithms; searching algorithms; graph algorithms; and numerical computing.

Offerings in 2024

Teaching periodCampusMode
First semesterClaytonFlexible
First semesterMalaysiaOn campus
Second semesterClaytonFlexible
Second semesterMalaysiaOn campus

Assessment

  • QuizOtherThreshold hurdle
    10%
  • Assignment 1AssignmentThreshold hurdle
    20%
  • Assignment 2AssignmentThreshold hurdle
    20%
  • Scheduled final assessment (2 hours and 10 minutes)ExamThreshold hurdle
    50%
  • QuizzesOtherThreshold hurdle
    20%
  • Assignment 1AssignmentThreshold hurdle
    10%
  • Assignment 2AssignmentThreshold hurdle
    20%
  • Scheduled final assessment (2 hours and 10 minutes)ExamThreshold hurdle
    50%

Learning outcomes

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

  1. 1

    Analyse general problem solving strategies and algorithmic paradigms, and apply them to solving new problems;

  2. 2

    Prove correctness of programs, analyse their space and time complexities;

  3. 3

    Compare and contrast various abstract data types and use them appropriately;

  4. 4

    Develop and implement algorithms to solve computational problems.

Workload and teaching

  • Seminars24 hours
  • Applied sessions33 hours
  • Teaching approachActive learning

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled online and face to face learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated reading and preparation for scheduled teaching activities.

Applied sessions are scheduled from Week 2 to Week 12.

Learning resources

Recommended resources

Additional reading:
 
  • Introduction to Algorithms/ Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein (3rd Edition), McGraw Hill
  • Data Structures and Algorithms in Python, Michael T. Goodrich, Roberto Tamassia, Michael Goldwasser

Technology resources

Python (latest version) installed in the labs

Where it fits

FIT2004 is part of 5 areas of study in the 2024 handbook.

Contacts

Unit Coordinators
Dr Lim Wern Han
Chief Examiners
Dr Lei Yang
Dr Rafael Dowsley

Common questions

What are the prerequisites for FIT2004?

You need (FIT1008, FIT1054 or FIT2085) and (ENG1005, MTH1035, MAT1830, MAT1841 or MTH1030) before you enrol.

What can I take after FIT2004?

FIT2004 is a prerequisite or corequisite for 11 units, including FIT3080, FIT3143, FIT3144, FIT3155, FIT3161 and FIT3163. Those lead on to 31 units in all.

When is FIT2004 offered?

In 2024, FIT2004 runs in Semester 1 and Semester 2 at Clayton and Malaysia.

Is FIT2004 hard?

Students who took it rate it very hard to do well in and very heavy on workload (1 rating). The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester.

Does FIT2004 have an exam?

Yes. The exam is worth 100% of the final mark, alongside 7 other tasks.

Which majors and minors include FIT2004?

FIT2004 is part of Computational science, Computer science and Software engineering.

What do students think of FIT2004?

It is rated 4.0 out of 5 from 1 review. Read the reviews above or add your own.

More details

Credit points
6
Level
2
Study level
Undergraduate
Faculty
Faculty of Information Technology
Type
Coursework
EFTSL
0.125
Student contribution
SCA Band 2
Study abroad
Available
Handbook years
2020202120222023202420252026