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Software Engineering - BSc (Hons) *

Currently viewing course to start in 2026/27 Entry.

This degree in Software Engineering will provide you with the knowledge and skills required to design and manage complex software systems. The course has been designed to provide you with practical experience of models, techniques and tools that drive innovation in the design of software-based systems....

  • Level Undergraduate
  • Study mode Full Time
  • Award BSc (Hons)
  • Start date September 2026

This course is:

Available with Professional Placement year

Open to International Students

Overview

I'm a third year Music Technology student. When I was looking for Music Technology courses, Birmingham City University really stood out to me. I was keen on attending a Bachelor of Science and the course really focussed on the science aspects as well as maintaining the artistic elements of music and sound production. The support of the tutors has been fantastic. The professional standard and the facilities on campus are great due to their accessibility around the clock. The easy access to studios has been extremely helpful in completing my work and keeping on top of deadlines. At BCU, there's been a heavy focus on employability and what I could do with all aspects of my degree. The university has organised the industrial mentor forum, a space where students can communicate with alumni and people within the industry. The Acoustics Special Interest Group also consisted of more bespoke talks from people within the acoustics industry about different aspects of the work and how individual companies run. This is how I developed contact with an acoustic consultancy to complete my placement year. I act as an Acoustic Technician at Dragonfly Consulting. It went so well that I'm returning upon my graduation to continue working with them. The university has given me opportunities I don't think I would have received anywhere else.

I'm a second year computer science student studying at Birmingham City University. As a Computing student, there are plenty of computer labs available. There's entire rooms filled with Cisco networking equipment, as well as laptops that can be rented out to complete your work. Several of the facilities have now moved over to STEAMhouse, which is a £70 million build that is now the new home for Computing and Digital Technology students. One of the main things for me was getting employment at the end of my university degree. And Birmingham City University offers a wealth support for moving into the work environment. The course is a very important focus and a very industry focussed as well. I've been offered roles as a student demonstrator for Python programming. I found that the best way to show that you've understood something is to be able to teach somebody else.

I'm studying Computer Networks and Security. So far, I've really enjoyed my time at BCU. I felt really included within the student community. For the past two years, I've been involved in Innovation Fest. This is an annual event that showcases student work from the faculty. A lot of employers visit this festival, which allows us to widen our professional network. Throughout my time at BCU, I've had some time to

develop a relationship with the Careers+ team and go through tailoring my CV and my cover letters with them. Because of this, I have been presented with many opportunities which they have tailored to me and my needs. Through this, I was encouraged to apply for the women in tech competition.

So it was a one week program and I was working with the team from Cyferd. It's a software company,

and I successfully won and have taken up the placement year with them as a Junior Development Lead.

I look forward to coming back and applying the skills I've learnt throughout my placement and applied them within my studies.

This degree in Software Engineering will provide you with the knowledge and skills required to design and manage complex software systems.

The course has been designed to provide you with practical experience of models, techniques and tools that drive innovation in the design of software-based systems. In addition, the course also focuses on crucial professional considerations, such as users and organisations, cyber security and computer ethics, as well as the latest developments in the ever-changing computing field, such as machine learning and cloud-based data storage.

You will graduate with skills in software design, artificial intelligence, data structures and algorithms and programming ready for a successful career. You could go into roles such as applications developer, full stack developer, software engineer (design, development and testing), site reliability engineer, game developer etc.

STEAMhouse building exterior

Introducing STEAMhouse

STEAMhouse is a centre for technology, innovation, creative thinking, prototyping and business development. Our £70 million pound building is the home for all of our Computing courses.

Find out more

What's covered in this course?

The course covers the fundamental concepts of Software Engineering and Computer Science in the first year, including computer programming, computer systems, data structures and algorithms, software process and requirements analysis.

In the second year, you will consolidate your first-year learning by studying advanced subjects that emphasise software engineering skills including software design, social issues and professional practice, and project management.

After your second year, you have the option to do a professional placement year to gain real-world experience or continue to your final year. We have a dedicated Careers team to support students who wish to take a professional placement year to help with applications and interviews and providing links to opportunities.

In your final year you will broaden your understanding of software engineering by studying specialised subjects like user experience design, and software quality verification and validation. You will also gain insight into artificial intelligence and machine learning, and modern data store.

You will learn in industry-standard computer labs at our £500 million City Centre Campus to develop practical skills and project delivery. The philosophy of the course is to promote lifelong self-learning by providing a curriculum that promotes a variety of approaches to study.

At the end of every academic year, through our flagship annual event - Innovation Fest, you will have the opportunity to showcase your work to potential employers and entrepreneurs, opening doors to future career opportunities.

Professional Placement year

This course offers an optional professional placement year. This allows you to spend a whole year with an employer, following successful completion of your second year, and is a great way to find out more about your chosen career. Some students even return to the same employers after completing their studies.

If you choose to pursue a placement year, you will need to find a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will be able to draw on the University’s extensive network of local, regional, and national employers, and the support of our Careers teams. If you are able to secure a placement, you can request to be transferred to the placement version of the course.

Please note that fees are payable during your placement year, equivalent to 20% of the total full-time course fee for that year.

Accredited By

This course is accredited by:

  • Athena Swan Bronze Award

Why Choose Us?

  • State-of-the-art facilities at STEAMhouse: This state-of-the-art building based at our expanding City Centre Campus gives 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.
  • Practice-based: Practice-based learning is at the heart of this programme. The course team has established on-going links with a wide range of public sector bodies, prestigious companies and industry leaders, such as Amazon, Microsoft and Birmingham City Council.
  • Optional professional placement year:  You will have the opportunity to undertake professional placement in between your second and final year of study.
  • Gain Professional Certification: we have strong links with organisations such as CISCO, Oracle, Linux Professional Institute (LPI), Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), which ensure that the course is relevant and respected by employers.
  • Study a dynamic range of subjects: these include AI, software design, project management, data structures and computer systems so that you graduate ready for a successful career in the industry.

Open Days

Join us for an Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail, chat to students, explore our campus and tour accommodation. Booking isn't open for this event yet, register your interest and we'll let you know when booking goes live.

Next Open Day: 4 October 2025

Register interest Take a virtual tour

Entry Requirements

Essential requirements

112 UCAS Tariff points. Learn more about UCAS Tariff points.

If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.

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 2026

  • 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 2026

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees

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. 

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. Certification costs apply. 

Excess printing (optional) 

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

Personal stationery and study materials (optional) 

Based on the past experience of our students, you might find it helpful to set aside about £30 for each year of your studies for your personal stationery and study materials. 

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[https://www.netacad.com/careers/career-advice/certification-advice/qualify-receive-discount-your-certification-exam]. The CCNA Routing and Switching exam currently costs $325-$330. The CCNA Security is currently around $465. 

Accommodation and living costs (optional)

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

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

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

  • Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Here’s where you explain what makes this course exciting to you. Think about your motivations for studying the course and your future plans. If you’re planning to take a year out, don't forget to give your reasons.

  • How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

This is your chance to show what you’ve learned at school or college. You should include the skills and knowledge you’ve gained from education or training and how this will help you succeed in your chosen course.

  • What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Not everything you’ve learned comes from the classroom. Life experience counts too! You might want to talk about work experience, employment, or volunteering and how they’ve helped you develop the skills needed for your chosen course or future career.

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

Course in Depth

Year one

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

Year two

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

Professional Placement Year (Optional)

In order to qualify for the award of BSc (Hons) Software Engineering with Professional Placement Year a student must successfully complete the following module.

Final Year

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

How you learn

Knowledge and understanding are acquired though a wide range of teaching and learning strategies that may differ module to module depending on the content of the module. Some of the common strategies are formal lectures, tutor-led seminars and practical activities and 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.

Lectures: Lectures are usually held in a lecture theatre and delivered to large groups of students. The purpose of the lectures is to introduce themes, theories and concepts within a particular module. Technology enhanced learning is used, where appropriate, through the provision of online resources, discussion forums and other activities.

Practical sessions: Practical sessions are usually held in various laboratories of the university and delivered to small group of students. These sessions are used throughout the course to develop practical skills and to place theory in a work-related context and most often based upon the topics covered in lectures.

Directed study: In this mode of study academic staff may direct you to undertake individual or group work that is relevant to the module that students study and the assessment that is part of the module. You may be required to carry out the work/study outside of the module’s normal contact time.

Virtual Learning Environment, Moodle, will be heavily used in the delivery of the course. Each module that students study will have its own Moodle site which will contain important documents and information pertaining to that module such as lecture notes, lab handouts, links to external resources.

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

Enhancing your employability skills

Computer Science has significantly influenced the technological advances over the last few decades and software engineering has played the central role in the radical transformation of businesses and industry practices within this period. As the trend continues, software is needed in almost every industry, in every business, and for every function nowadays; hence the importance of software engineering becomes more evident as time goes on.

Through the integration of academic theory and practice, you will develop a strong conceptual and theoretical understanding of fundamental theories, methods, techniques and technologies related to Software Engineering that will lead you to become an autonomous professional in industry or research and be able to work independently and in groups.

Throughout the course you will be supported by expert teaching staff, all of whom have a wide range of research and industrial experience in different sub-fields of Software Engineering. You will develop technical, research, analytical, planning, design and organisational skills, which are highly transferable that will enable you to make effective and professional contribution beyond the boundaries of traditional Software Engineering.

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.

According to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (2014) observation, one in seven jobs will require a postgraduate qualification by 2022. All these facts indicate the contribution of postgraduate study to employability is increasingly significant.

Industry links

The course has strong links with organisations such as Oracle, Linux Professional Institute (LPI), Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), which ensure that the course is relevant and respected by employers. Moreover, BCU is home to a Cisco Systems, and a Microsoft Academy Centre – one of Microsoft’s top UK university-based academies.

The course is also a Cisco ASC (Academy Support Centre), Cisco Instructor Training Centre (ITC) and an AWS Academy. All these ensure that the you can attain a range of vendor certificates, including LPI 1 Beta certification, Cisco networking certificates and AWS Cloud certificates, while studying for your degree. In addition, the course actively endeavours to enable you to interact with potential employers by collaborating with industrial partners and participating in various events throughout the academic year.

Graduate jobs

Following is a list of examples of career destinations that BSc Software Engineering graduates may apply for:

  • applications development
  • game development
  • software engineering (designing, developing and testing)
  • technical support
  • multimedia programming
  • web design/development.
  • Front-end Developer

Placements

You will have the opportunity to take a placement year between your second and third year. This is something that is highly recommended, as it will give you an invaluable opportunity to put your skills into practice, try out a potential career path and get relevant workplace experience that is valued by so many employers.

Facilities & Staff

[00:00:02] Speaker 1 Hello and welcome to the computing tour for Birmingham City University.

[00:00:05] I'm Alex, a second year Computer Science student sitting here today, and I'll be taking you around the facilities here at BCU.

[00:00:11] Right now we're in STEAMhouse. If you're coming on to a computing course, you may be spending time here doing your Innovation Fest project, where you'll be presenting your project that you worked on to industry professionals. So STEAMhouse is a £72 million conversion of the old bike factory that used to be here.

[00:00:31] This is one of the larger learning spaces that we have here at STEAMhouse, completely built around computing. The entire building is modular. All these walls can be opened up and these classes can be made gigantic.

[00:00:43] So here's another space here at STEAMhouse for, sort of like, breakout rooms or for independent learning places you can go as a group to work on projects. To the left of us, there is the business space where visitors come in and they can work on projects there and also allows for students and staff members to integrate with the tech industry. If you'd like to learn more about STEAMhouse, the video link in description. And now I'm going to take you over to Millennium Point.

[00:01:13] Here we are at Millennium Point. This is the level four project space, the space you'll be using in term time to work on things such as the Innovation project. It is also the home of the Maker's Lab, which I'll be showing you in a little bit. It's a completely transformative and modular space.

[00:01:28] Recently, Birmingham City University has spent six and a half million pounds in revamping their Millennium Point building. It's also the area where we will be holding industry events. One of the things that I want to show you very quickly is the Lapsafe here. So Birmingham City University has one of the largest collections of Lapsafes in Europe. And they're not just here in the Millennium Point building. There's also ones over in Parkside and Curzon as well as STEAMhouse. You're allowed to take a laptop out if you haven't got one personally, and you can use it while you're at university for about six or so hours at a time. We also not only have Windows laptops, but also MacBooks.

[00:02:10] So here we are in the Makers Lab, and this is where you'll be spending time as a first year student working on the Innovation facilities there. Basically, this is where the magic happens, right? So in this room is a bunch of component parts and things to work with your systems such as 3D printers.

[00:02:24] So what you can do is you build a schematic up in the software. We send it to the machines and they can print out component parts for your project. It's also a bunch of different other components here at the university that it offers to students that they can use for their projects, such as Arduino, Mark Controllers, and Raspberry Pi is sort of like the heart of your system. You write some code, you flash onto the microcontroller, then it can control the system that you've attached it to. Over here, we've also got a bunch of component parts even using such as light sensors and motion sensors and buttons and keypads and things like that as well.

[00:02:59] So we've got a bunch of previous projects here as well. Here's Sign Genie which is a sign language interpreter, you sign in front of it and it will send back the sign language on the screen here. You can find out more about this project in description below, showing you how they built it from start to finish.

[00:03:16] We also have laser cutting services at University, so if you need, you know, a frame cut out for your project, for example, that we've got here, you can use the laser cutter and cut out little component parts that all fit together as a housing for your project. Okay, So now I think we're going to head down to level one, which houses the network labs and the games lab.

[00:03:42] This is one of the games labs here at BCU. This is more of a high spec facility to help with rendering animation and, you know, running the games that you create as a games development students as well as that. We've also got the different component parts. You need to build a project VR here so you can experiment with VR within the game called events such as Games Jam where students from across Birmingham City University come together to create a game within 24 hours or 48 hours and present it to a panel.

[00:04:14] So this is one of our networking labs here at BCU. It is a Cisco networking lab. All the hardware in here is industry standard and the majority of it is Cisco related. This entire room and several other rooms on this floor are complete separate LAN network from the rest of university. And you can, you know, run tests and simulations and try and configure and connect to of computers within the labs. The software that we use here is called Cisco Packet Tracer or Nethercutt. This is what we use to prototype our networks. And then you can actually physically build them using the hardware in the room to see how it works in practice.

[00:04:55] So this is one of our many computing labs here at Birmingham City University at the College of Computing. We have about 20 computing labs here at the University of all kinds of different software. And then depending on the course that you're doing, we have experts here from industry working as lecturers to have that real world experience and incredibly helpful with helping you to complete your coursework as well as get any additional advice and sort of guide you in the right direction.

[00:05:22] This is one of the big open communal spaces where you can come and catch up on work, but New Macs here that you can work on as well as Windows PCs out at the back can also see that there's more lab space here. So if you want to use a laptop, you can get those as well. Along with that, there's also the main I.T help desk here where you can come in and ask questions if you've got any issues.

[00:05:43] That was just a taste of computing at BCU. If you'd like to experience it yourself, come along to one of our Open Days or applicant taster days in the future. As well as if you'd like to know more about the computing experience. You can watch this video right here.

[00:06:03] You still here? Go watch the video.

Our Facilities

We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £500 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 Ogerta Elezaj

Lecturer of Computing and Digital Technology

For the past six years, Ogerta Elezaj has been a Senior Lecturer in the University of Tirana, teaching different courses such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Mining. She was recipient of Alain Bensoussan postdoctoral fellowship from European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics in 2019-2020 and held ERCIM postdoc...

More about Ogerta

Dr Abdel Rahman H. Tawil

Professor in Software Engineering

Abdel-Rahman H. Tawil is currently a Professor in Computing and Digital Technology. He received his BSc in Computer Science from the University of Jordan in Amman and his PhD is in the area of Semantic Interoperability in Heterogeneous and Distributed Multiple-Information Servers Environment from Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK. Before he...

More about Abdel Rahman

Dr Sara Hassan

Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering

Sara is a full-time Senior Lecturer in software engineering. She received her PhD in Computer Science in 2019 from University of Birmingham, UK. She worked as a teaching assistant for Software Engineering 2015-2019 at the University of Birmingham, UK. Prior to that she got her MEng in Computer Science with Software Engineering from...

More about Sara

Nouh Elmitwally

Lecturer in Data Science

Lecturer in Data Science, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning with 4+ years of experience in the United Kingdom and other countries. He received a PhD degree in Computer Science from the University of Surrey, the UK, and a BSc MSc from Cairo University, Egypt. Before joining BCU in September 2022, he had a long international career in computer...

More about Nouh