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Computing (Level 6 | Top-up) - BSc (Hons)

Currently viewing course to start in 2023/24 Entry. Switch to 2024/25 Entry

In an environment where businesses are regularly confronted with the need to evolve, you will develop a strategic mind-set of addressing global challenges, businesses requirements and societal needs via digital infrastructure....

  • Level Undergraduate
  • Study mode Full Time
  • Location City Centre
  • School School of Computing and Digital Technology
  • Faculty Faculty of Computing, Engineering and The Built Environment

Overview

In an environment where businesses are regularly confronted with the need to evolve, you will develop a strategic mind-set of addressing global challenges, businesses requirements and societal needs via digital infrastructure. Preparing you for industry, On this one year top-up computing degree course you'll learn a broad range of computing and information technology analytical skills that are needed to design, develop, operate and maintain systems. The innovation-driven curriculum will also ensure you are able to innovate in order deliver business value and sustainable solutions.

This one year top-up computing degree course not only prepares you for the current state of industry, but equips you with the skills adapt, thrive and lead in the future. We provide you with access to a wide range of technologies, media and resources, all of which develop your intellectual, technical, practical and professional skills in information and network security. You’ll also have the fantastic opportunity to gain certifications from Cisco, Juniper and Linux, during the course of your study.

You’ll gain your skills by attending lectures, tutor-led seminars and participating in practical and independent learning activities. To help equip you for the workplace, tutors will help you to develop the ability to direct your own learning. Lectures will introduce you to key themes, theories and concepts, which you’ll explore further in your tutorials. You’ll also have access to online resources, discussion forums, textbooks and journal articles, in order to ensure that you develop a critical understanding of work in the discipline. The module guides direct you to a full range of resources, including books and journals, as well as specialised course-based material. .

STEAMhouse building exterior

Introducing STEAMhouse

STEAMhouse is a centre for technology, innovation, creative thinking, prototyping and business development. Our brand new £70 million pound building is the new home for the School of Computing and Digital Technology.

Find out more

This course is open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

The computing degree course not only prepares you for the current state of industry, but equips you with the skills adapt, thrive and lead in the future. We provide you with access to a wide range of technologies, media and resources, all of which develop your intellectual, technical, practical and professional skills in information and network security. You’ll also have the fantastic opportunity to gain certifications from Cisco, Juniper and Linux, during the course of your study.

You’ll gain your skills by attending lectures, tutor-led seminars and participating in practical and independent learning activities. To help equip you for the workplace, tutors will help you to develop the ability to direct your own learning.

Lectures will introduce you to key themes, theories and concepts, which you’ll explore further in your tutorials. You’ll also have access to online resources, discussion forums, textbooks and journal articles, in order to ensure that you develop a critical understanding of work in the discipline. The module guides direct you to a full range of resources, including books and journals, as well as specialised course-based material. 

Potential future careers

As a graduate you will be versatile, adaptable, technically literate, and well equipped to perform a variety of roles within the computing industry that include: network engineer, system analyst, web developer, IT administrator, application developer, IT solutions analyst, systems analyst, applications support analyst, technical support engineer, business IT consultant, IT security consultant and project architect. The course also provides a foundation for further study at master’s level which is encouraged for a career in a research, innovation and enterprise roles in the industry.

Accredited By

This course is accredited by:

  • Athena Swan Bronze Award

This course allowed me to strengthen my technical skills in areas like programming, data analysis, and project management. Most importantly, I was able to enhance my interpersonal skills, which will help me in both professional and personal situations.

Danyal Hussain

Why Choose Us?

  • Brand new facilities at STEAMhouse - This state-of-the-art building will become the new home for its School of Computing and Digital Technology from the start of the 2022 academic year. Based at our expanding City Centre Campus, this unique centre will give you access to outstanding facilities and teaching spaces, as well as opportunities to collaborate with people and businesses across multiple sectors and work on real industry-based projects
  • State-of-the-art facilities - We have recently invested £6.5 million into our IT facilities at Millennium Point within City Centre Campus to give you access to dedicated industry-standard facilities and undertake work such as artificial intelligence, human computer interaction, mobile and web application development and project management
  • Home to  Cisco Systems and Microsoft Academy Centre  - We are one of Microsoft’s top UK university-based academics and we are a member of the Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance. This means we are able to use various Microsoft software products and online resources for research
  • Industry connections - We are also a Cisco ASC and one of only ten Cisco Instructor Training Centre’s in the UK
  • Gain vendor certificates - Attain LPI Beta certification and Cisco networking certificates, while studying for your degree
  • Strong links with industry - Our links with companies such as Apple, Oracle, LPI, Microsoft and AWS, ensures that the course is relevant and recognised by employers 

Open Days

Join us for an on-campus Open Day where you'll be able to meet us in person. You'll get the chance to learn about courses in subject talks, chat to students and explore our campus and accommodation. We'll post you a detailed event programme to help plan your day and find your way.

Next Open Day: Saturday 24 June 2023

Book your place

Entry Requirements

These entry requirements apply for entry in 2023/24.

All required qualifications/grades must have been achieved and evidenced at the earliest opportunity after accepting an offer to help confirm admission and allow for on-time enrolment. This can also include other requirements, like a fee status form and relevant documents. Applicants can track their application and outstanding information requests through their BCU mySRS account.

We accept a range of qualifications, the most popular of which are detailed below.

Essential Requirements
Typical Offers (UK students)

Applicants should have a good pass in a computer-related discipline, at a level equivalent to UK Level 5, with the equivalent of 240 UK credits (120 ECTS credits). For example a Computing HND with an overall merit profile.

Examples of courses which could be considered include: BTEC Higher National Diploma (HND), SQA Higher National Diploma, Chinese three year Dazhuan Diploma, Malaysian Advanced Diploma, Nigerian Higher National Diploma, United Arab Emirates Higher College of Technology Higher Diploma, Romanian Diplomă de Absolvire (a Colegiului Universitar) (Higher Education Diploma (Short-cycle), NCC Level 5 Diploma.

LEVEL 2 QUALIFICATIONS
GCSE GCSE English Language or English Literature and GCSE Maths at grade C/4 or above. If you do not have these or are not undertaking them, we accept other Level 2 equivalents, or we may ask you to pass BCU's GCSE equivalency tests.
Other qualifications
If you have a qualification that is not listed in the table please refer to our full entry requirements on UCAS.

Further guidance on tariff points can be found on the UCAS website.
Additional information for EU/International students
Essential
EU/Non-EU (International) Qualifications
IELTS 6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands
International:

Applicants should have a good pass in a computer-related discipline, at a level equivalent to UK Level 5, with the equivalent of 240 UK credits (120 ECTS credits).

Examples of courses which could be considered include: BTEC Higher National Diploma, SQA Higher National Diploma, Chinese three year Dazhuan Diploma, Malaysian Advanced Diploma, Nigerian Higher National Diploma, United Arab Emirates Higher College of Technology Higher Diploma, Romanian Diplomă de Absolvire (a Colegiului Universitar) (Higher Education Diploma (Short-cycle), NCC Level 5 Diploma.

 

International students who cannot meet the direct entry requirements can begin their degree studies at Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC).

Fees & How to Apply

Please select your student status to view fees and apply
  • UK Student
  • International Student

UK students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: BSc (Hons)

Starting: Sep 2023

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees

International students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: BSc (Hons)

Starting: Sep 2023

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • One Year Top Up
  • £13,980 in 2023/24

Access to computer equipment

You will require use of a laptop, and most students do prefer to have their own. However, you can borrow a laptop from the university or use one of our shared computer rooms.

Printing

You will receive £5 print credit in each year of your course, available after enrolment.

Field trips

All essential field trips and associated travel costs will be included in your course fees.

Access to Microsoft Office 365

Every student at the University can download a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 to use whilst at university and for 18 months after graduation.

Key Software

You will be able to download SPSS and Nvivo to your home computer to support with your studies and research.

Key subscriptions

Subscriptions to key journals and websites are available through our library.

Microsoft Certifications (optional)

The exams required to gain Microsoft Office (MOS), Microsoft Technical Certification (MTC) and Microsoft Technical Associate (MTA) certifications are currently free for our students. We also provide free self-paced resources and access to practice exams via dedicated Moodle pages. Find out more about the exams available, and the objectives covered.

Certification training (optional)

Training is provided by the University to prepare you for the Linux Professional Institute (LPI) and CISCO Certifications without any extra costs. For certification costs, please see information below.

Project materials (mandatory)

This course includes project work that requires you to develop and produce a portfolio or collection. You'll be expected to provide the materials for use in your individual major projects; costs will vary depending on the materials selected.

Excess printing (optional)

Once you have spent your £5 credit, additional printing on campus costs from 5p per sheet.

Books (optional)

Some modules may suggest that you purchase a key textbook. All module key texts will be in the University library, but in limited numbers. Many students choose to purchase a copy.

Placement expenses (optional)

If you choose to undertake a placement, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst living or working away from home.

Linux Professional Institute (LPI) Certification (optional)

Students wishing to gain certification will need to purchase an exam voucher in order to sit the exam required for certification. The cost of a voucher for students at the University is normally around £50 (around 50% of the normal price). The exam is sat on campus.

CISCO Certification (optional)

If you wish to take the exam required for CISCO certification, you will need to pay to take the exam(s) required. Currently, students who achieve over 70% in the Cisco CCNA 3, or CCNA Security finals (depending upon which degree you study) will receive a 50% discount from Cisco for the cost of the exams. The CCNA Routing and Switching exam currently costs $325-$330. The CCNA Security is currently around $465.

Accommodation and living costs

The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.

Guidance for UK students

UK students applying for most undergraduate degree courses in the UK will need to apply through UCAS.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK organisation responsible for managing applications to university and college.

Applying through UCAS

  1. Register with UCAS
  2. Login to UCAS and complete your details
  3. Select your course and write a personal statement
  4. Get a reference
  5. Pay your application fee and submit your application

Guidance for International students

There are three ways to apply:

1) Direct to the University

You will need to complete our International Application Form and Equal Opportunities Form, and submit them together with scan copies of your original academic transcripts and certificates.

2) Through a country representative

Our in-country representatives can help you make your application and apply for a visa. They can also offer advice on travel, living in the UK and studying abroad.

3) Through UCAS

If you are applying for an undergraduate degree or a Higher National Diploma (HND), you can apply through the UK’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

You can request a printed form from your school or nearest British Council office. You will be charged for applying through UCAS. Birmingham City University’s UCAS code is B25 BCITY.

Personal statement

UK / EU students are required to submit a personal statement as part of their application for this course.*

The personal statement gives you a crucial opportunity to say why you’re applying and why the institution should accept you.

Here are the key areas you’ll need to address:

  • Course choice - Why does this course appeal? What areas are of particular interest?
  • Career plans - If you have a specific career in mind, say how your chosen course will help you pursue this goal.
  • Work experience - Mention any work that is relevant to your subject, highlighting the skills and experience gained.
  • School or college experience - Highlight skills gained at school/college, eg summer schools or mentoring activities.
  • Non-accredited skills or achievement - eg Duke of Edinburgh Award, Young Enterprise scheme.

You should also mention your future plans – if you’re planning to take a year out, don't forget to give your reasons. Talk about any subjects you’re studying that don’t have a formal assessment and any sponsorships or placements you’ve applied for. And don't be scared to add in details about your social, sports or leisure interests.

Worried about Personal Statements?

If you've got no idea where to start or just want to check you're on the right track, we’ve got expert advice and real examples from our students to help you nail your personal statement. You can even download our ultimate personal statement guide for free.

Get personal statement advice

*Non-EU students are not required to submit a personal statement when applying for this course.

Course in Depth

Year Three

In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).

Download course specification

Download now
BSc Computer Science image 2 619x232

Knowledge and understanding are acquired though a mixture of formal lectures, tutor-led seminars and practical activities, with other independent learning activities at all stages.

Emphasis is placed on guided, self-directed and student-centred learning with increasing independence of approach, thought and process.

The course provides access to effective commercial development environments and ensures students have practical awareness of computer systems requirements. You are required to meet strict deadlines, and to manage and plan your overall workload.

Knowledge is assessed formatively and summatively, by a number of methods, including seminars, course-work, viva, presentation, interactive automated assessment, formal examination and project work.

Assessment criteria are published both at a generic course level and to provide guidance for individual items of assessment. Anonymous marking systems are in place for all formal examinations.

You will undertake a major project involving research and application of that research in the solution of appropriate systems problems.

Attendance requirements

For more information on attendance requirements, course contact time and suggested self-study hours, download the course specification.

Athena Swan Bronze Award
Athena Swan Bronze Award

We have successfully secured the Athena SWAN Departmental Bronze Award recognising a commitment to gender equality.

The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research.

Employability

BSc Computer Science image619x232

Enhancing your employability skills

Our graduates typically design and implement software across such rewarding areas as web development, interface design, security issues and mobile computing.

We know that employers are looking for graduates who have a good balance between in-depth academic knowledge and technical and practical expertise, which is why our course is geared towards employability.

What you learn on our course will help you to stand out when you look for your first professional role and because you’ll know how to use sophisticated, industry-standard equipment and software, you will be able to demonstrate that you can put into practice your deep theoretical knowledge.

We will also prepare you for a career by equipping you with myriad transferable skills, such as complex problem-solving expertise, the ability to analyse in a careful and considered manner, and working as a team member.

In addition, our specialist industry links with the Linux Professional Institute, the Oracle Academy, Cisco, and Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle, plus our world-class facilities, will mark you out as a highly employable graduate.

It’s why our graduates have gone on to pursue computing and software development and designer careers in a wide range of industries, from SME software companies, to industry, government, banking, and healthcare.

Further study

Successful completion of the course can open up opportunities for employment in IT industry, but you may think to continue your studies at postgraduate level, studying a computer science subject in greater detail by means of MSc or PhD.

Where our students go 

  • Google
  • IBM
  • Amazon
  • Kuehne+Nagel
  • Zurich Insurance
  • Kagool
  • HPE
  • SOTI
  • CapGemini
  • Birmingham City University

And in jobs such as:

  • IT Infrastructure Specialist
  • Network Administrator
  • Cloud Solutions Architect
  • ERP Consultant
  • Technical Infrastructure Architect
  • Storage and Virtualisation Analyst

Placements

We aim to have you employer-ready by the time you graduate and, as part of your Computer Science course, you have the option of undertaking an industrial placement after the second year of study.

If you decide to do this, it will extend the duration of your course to four years.

Thanks to our excellent partnerships and working relationships with some of the UK’s leading companies, you have the chance of undertaking a high-quality industrial placement with leading organisations such as IBM, Dignity Plc, Mortgage Brain, and Griffiths-Waite.

Learn more about some of the prestigious organisations that our students are placed with:

Full details can be found on the School placements page.

International

Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.

The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.

Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:

Facilities & Staff

Our Facilities

We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £260 million on new learning facilities. This course will be taught at Millennium Point at the City Centre Campus.

The course is supported with a wide range of cutting-edge facilities in the City Centre Campus. We have a state-of-the-art computer games technology lab which contains high-performance PCs, Sony PlayStation development kits and a range of industry standard software including Unity, Unreal and a suite of professional Microsoft development tools.

We also have many open access areas where students can study together and even hire out laptops for use in these spaces and others within the university.

Within the University there are many internationally recognised research teams giving you the opportunity to collaborate with them on exciting interdisciplinary projects.

Computer networking

The laboratories are well-equipped for all our computer networking courses, as well as specialist areas for practical work such as voice-over internet protocol (VoIP), forensic and ethical hacking technologies, wireless and mobile technologies and radio frequency identification technologies to name but a few.

Software development and computer programming

There are a number of open access, software development and computer programming laboratories that can be used to develop systems and programmes, including database management systems such as MySQL, to name but a few.

Systems laboratories

Our embedded systems laboratories are used to develop real-time systems, such as specialist hardware training and development resources, and industrial-standard software development and simulation tools. These include microcontroller software and robotics design and development, to name but a few.

Electronic systems

To underpin the basic principles of electronic systems, we have a well-equipped laboratory of general and specialist test and measurement kits, including powered prototyping development boards, dual power supplies, frequency generators and counters and digital multi-meters to name but a few.

Forensic computing

Our successful development of forensic computing has led to a specialist forensics laboratory that is fully equipped with essential hardware and software for this sensitive area of study. The laboratory includes high-spec PCs with built-in multi interface Tableau write blockers, EnCase and FTK computer forensic software and steganography detection and analysis software, to name but a few.

More on our facilities

Our staff

Dr Khaled Mahbub

Associate Professor in Software Engineering

Khaled started his academic career, in September 1999, as a Lecturer (US hierarchy) in Computer Science & Engineering at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he worked until March 2001.

More about Khaled

Ron Austin

Associate Professor

Senior lecturer Ron Austin is the Associate Professor of the MSc Advanced Computer Networks course and teaches all network-related courses. His expertise and areas of interest include: Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), security technologies, and forensic and ethical hacking.

More about Ron

Harjinder Singh

Senior Lecturer

Harjinder is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing and Digital Technology. He joined Birmingham City University (BCU) in 2000 and has 10 years experience in teaching and consultancy, prior to joining BCU Harjinder worked in Industry as a software developer mainly in C++.

More about Harjinder