Software Engineering with a Foundation Year - BSc (Hons)

This introductory computer programming module provides the underpinning knowledge and practice for computing students to design, build and test software components. The module will make use of practical sessions primarily to allow you to apply programming principles and constructs in order to creatively solve problems by means of developing small programs. Module content and assessment enables learners to acquire programming skills in a modern imperative language.

Within the Computer Systems Module, you will gain knowledge and experience of computers and computer hardware.

This module presents a holistic view of how computer systems work and it also provides the underpinning knowledge required:

• for the design of computer architecture

• to show how software interacts with hardware

• to apply electronics principles

• to use number systems for computer technology

This module introduces the fundamental concepts of software engineering process models, including the major standard activities of a process model. It also covers some of the most widely used standard software engineering process model.

Data structures and algorithms are essential in computer science, software engineering, and computer games and graphics programming. Data structures are structured representations of data; the design of a data structure determines how operations (such as reading to, writing from, modifying, or computing with the data) can be achieved. An algorithm is a set of instructions which can be followed in order to solve a computational problem.

This module provides an introduction to the essential concepts, core principles, and practical skills of modern requirements engineering, highlighting its role as a vital component of effective software engineering. It will also examine the process of developing requirements, covering the elicitation and analysis of stakeholder needs, and the formulation of a suitable description of the system’s intended behaviour and attributes, along with associated constraints and assumptions.

This first-year project allows you to develop and cultivate a creative mind-set through collaborative innovative practice, allowing you to bring together knowledge and imagination to construct a viable product. It is an opportunity to express your ideas, skills and talent to the wider community of innovative practice.

The project provides you with an opportunity to be part of a thriving community of innovators that practices connected learning. This is facilitated by putting you into inter-disciplinary project teams supported by innovation mentors, advisors and academics; culminating in you exhibiting your work to an international panel of experts.

Programming is an engineering tool that plays a vital role to drive most of the modern technologies surrounding us, including the technological devices for communication, transportation and entertainment. In other words it can be said that our modern lifestyles are heavily dependent on programming.

Moreover, businesses increasingly rely on computers and the software run on them. Programming skills and a broader and deeper understanding of programming are therefore becoming increasingly important to the jobs market.

A very large proportion of software that we interact with and rely on within the modern world simply can’t exist as standalone programs, they are part of far larger, network-enabled systems that connect and communicate with other computer systems, which are known as backend services.

These “backend services” allow us to create some of those important software features which ordinary users might take for granted (e.g. ordering a taxi through uber, accessing and analysing our companies’ finances or sales figures, etc). During the module the student will work to design, develop, use and evaluate a “backend service” system backed by a database.

This module equips students with essential skills to navigate the societal, ethical, and interdisciplinary challenges in software engineering, aligning with the World Economic Forum’s core employability competencies for 2025. Students will analyse the impact of software systems on diverse user groups, integrating ethical risk management, inclusive design, and data-driven insights.

This module is about software engineering with a focus on software design. It covers three stages of the software engineering life-cycle, requirements, design and implementation, but with a focal point on design and an emphasis on the design theme.

The module provides the necessary skills to:

1. construct models of requirements and designs

2. synthesise implementations from design models

3. apply software design patterns.

The standard UML is used as the modelling language, the vehicle through which important design concepts are explored to convey a software engineering ethos based on getting it right by adequately studying the problem and mindfully constructing designs of software solutions.

This module provides a thorough introduction to the theory and practice of project management within the context of software engineering. It is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and tools required to effectively manage software projects across various scales and organisational settings. The module offers a balanced view of both traditional project management approaches and modern agile methodologies, allowing students to develop a flexible and adaptable mindset aligned with current industry practices.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a core component of computer science, aiming at developing intelligent agents that mimic human’s cognitive capability in learning, reasoning, and problem solving.

As a branch of AI, machine learning (ML) allows to create software that adapts and learns (from examples), rather than being explicitly programmed for a particular outcome. Both AI and ML rely on managing, processing and analysis of large datasets, something that Data Science (DS) is concerned with. Many services provided by technology giants such as Google, Microsoft, IBM, Facebook, Amazon, etc. are powered by DS, ML and AI. The recent advances in these subjects have already led to significant industrial applications such as self-driving cars and Industry 4.0.

This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40- week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree. 

The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace. 

The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and research-informed project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. In agreement with your supervisor, you will decide upon your topic which will take the form of a practical outcome (artefact) with accompanying contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your topic is that it must be aligned to the programme you are studying, and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development.

At this level, you will be expected to work independently but you will receive additional one-to-one support from your supervisor, who will be familiar with your chosen topic area. As you progress on the module, extra support will be available and this may take the form of group seminars, workshops and online materials that will help to develop your project. 

This module introduces the fundamental tenets of software security (i.e. confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication, authorisation, auditing) and its significance in modern applications. Then it introduces secure design principles, secure coding practices and software security testing by referring to Secure Development Life Cycle (SDLC) models.

This module will focus on combining theoretical concepts around user experience design with practical “hands-on” approaches used widely in industry and academia to create effective interactive experiences. You will learn about the user-centred design process that places a core emphasis on designing products, applications, and software for “people”.

In particular, you will learn techniques for gathering and understanding a target audience’s requirements, the importance of universal design and accessibility, and methods for undertaking rapid prototyping.

An emphasis will also be placed on gaining practical experience in designing and conducting usability studies, as well as how to incorporate key findings back into the design process. You will apply this knowledge to design and evaluate an innovative digital prototype using industry standard tools.

This module will introduce NoSQL databases and distributed data storage frameworks through practice based activities. Through guided hands-on tutorials, you will become familiar with techniques using non-structured and semi-structured data examples. Also, you will gain knowledge on managing and processing data in a distributed infrastructure. This course will improve your development skills and provide experience with many different data systems.

This module provides a comprehensive introduction to software quality with a focus on Verification and Validation (V&V) principles, grounded in ISTQB standards. Students will explore key testing concepts, learn how to design and execute test cases, and evaluate software quality using industry-approved tools and techniques. The module emphasizes both theoretical understanding and practical experience, with real-world testing scenarios, automation tools, and collaborative quality assurance projects. By the end, students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to contribute effectively to software testing and QA teams in agile and traditional development environments.