Course summary

Develop skills in designing and building computer systems to the latest specifications, and explore computing technology. Study at ARU in Cambridge, in the heart of ‘Silicon Fen’. Computing can be amazingly diverse, encompassing computer design, graphics, artificial intelligence, gaming, software engineering, programming and applications development. Our BSc (Hons) Computer Science degree is designed to offer you a wide choice of career options when you graduate. Based in our Science Centre in Cambridge, you'll have the latest digital technology at your fingertips, and collaborate with other students on innovative computing projects. As you study, you can choose to focus on the core elements of computer science, or to specialise in areas such as software development, mobile applications, computer security, cloud computing, network administration and technical support. Employability is embedded in the curriculum throughout the course, starting with 12 months access to Pluralsight professional online training courses for programmers, within the Introduction to Programming module. This gives you enhanced opportunities to experience real-world professional training as part of your academic course. There’s also the option to take a placement year as part of your course, and gain valuable work experience. As a Computer Science student at ARU, you'll spend lots of time in our computing labs. These include a Cisco lab with routing and switching equipment, and our virtual Netlab which offers 24/7 remote access to Cisco equipment. You’ll also have access to Microsoft Imagine Premium’s professional developer and designer tools, VMware IT Academy’s virtualisation software and tools, plus mobile devices for testing and developing mobile applications. It’s not just about technical skills, though. You’ll benefit from being based in Cambridge – home to the largest cluster of technology firms in Europe – with lots of opportunities to gain work experience. You'll also benefit from guest lectures and seminars from industry experts such as Citrix, ARM, Atom, Jagex and Sony. As you study, you’ll learn to work effectively as part of a team and become a creative problem-solver who's aware of social, moral and ethical issues relating to the impact of computers on our lives. We’ve developed our BSc (Hons) Computer Science degree in partnership with employers and professional bodies. By choosing particular modules, you can apply for Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) status after you graduate. Our BSc (Hons) course focuses on equipping you with software engineering skills with a slight edge given to programming languages, so if it’s the ability to bend software to your will that excites you, this is course for you. If you're interested, however, in software engineering skills with a slight edge given to networking principles, the BEng (Hons) will give you the tools to enable you to configure complex network systems.