Course summary

The foundation year in computer science offers an entry route for those students who do not have the required entry requirements for all three-year degree pathways in the department of computer science. Successful completion of the foundation year enables an automatic progression onto the first year of any of: BSc Computer Science, BEng Software Engineering, BSc Digital Media Development, BSc Business Information Systems and BSc Computer Games Development and students who progress to the 3-year degrees via this foundation year route have traditionally performed very well. The foundation year route may also be of interest if you do not feel ready to start the first year of an undergraduate course, perhaps because you have been out of education for some time or you feel your current qualifications will not equip you to attempt a 3-year undergraduate computing course directly. The Software Engineering BEng studies the best ways to design, build, maintain and evaluate software systems. It uses many of the technical aspects of computer science, especially programming, and aims to develop the professional attitudes, interpersonal and technical skills you will need in the software engineering industry. You will study software development, programming languages, technologies and applications including Java, C/C#, UNIX, UML, graphics, networks, concurrent systems, databases, artificial intelligence, and web and mobile computing. You will share a common first year with the Computer Science BSc Honours course; you can transfer in Year 1, and specialise in Year 3. The course provides a solid foundation in software engineering theory and practice to develop professional software systems. It will equip you to take up a wide range of career opportunities, including software engineer, web application programmer, software designer/analyst or website designer/programmer. The Software Engineering BEng emphasises fundamental principles, design, acquisition of practical skills and evaluation of technologies. You may go on to complete an integrated Masters programme with the award of an MEng degree after four years.