Computing

This is a Connected Degree

Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.

Overview

Millions of people rely on sophisticated technology every day – measuring our health goals, tracking our spending, or using networks like the internet and cloud computing to connect with our families, friends and workplaces. Be part of creating future transformative technology as you harness computing, embrace the world of AI, and make your mark on the lives of millions.

On this BSc (Hons) Computing degree, you’ll learn how to turn your interest in computing into a career. You’ll develop skills across topics such as software engineering, programming, interface design and evaluation, databases, and network management and security.

You'll be able to use these skills, and those you choose to specialise in, to build a career as a computing professional in any number of fast-paced industries, including finance, construction, transport, technology, health and government.

Course highlights

• Tailor your degree to match your career ambitions and interests, with optional modules such as 3D animation, ethical hacking, the Internet of Things and cryptography

• Get the chance to attend workplace trips, pop-up lectures and hack days where you'll collaborate on projects with other students and solve challenging problems

• Benefit from our Student Union clubs and societies, such as the IT Society, AI and Robotics Club and Gaming Society

• Apply your skills to real issues through our work with charities and organisations such as Code Club, which places students in afterschool clubs to help 9-13-year-olds with their Scratch, HTML/CSS, and Python projects

Accreditation

This course is accredited by the British Computer Society, partially meeting the educational requirement for CITP.

Careers and opportunities

With 95% of our course graduates in work or further study after they graduate, it's clear that the skills you learn on this course are in line with what employers are looking for. What's more, you're likely to graduate into a market where your computing skills are highly sought after – in April 2021, more than 40,000 'open' job roles asked for related computer science skills and qualifications.

If you want to push the limits of where computing can go, you could continue your studies to MSc or PhD level, specialising in areas such as health informatics, forensic IT and networking.

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have worked for companies such as:

• BAE Systems

• Fujitsu

• Barclays

• Metricell

• Macquarie

What jobs you can do with a computing degree?

Our graduates now work in roles including:

• cognitive global market developer

• field application engineer

• IT business analyst

• network performance developer

• software developer

Interested in becoming a Computer Science teacher?

You can combine your computing studies with teacher training and school teaching placements by taking the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) pathway. If successful, you'll save an extra year of study, get a £9,000 bursary in your final year of study and get Qualified Teacher Status with your BSc Computing degree.

"My degree has helped me immensely with a job opportunity, new skills, interests and knowledge, and also much needed experience in a real-world IT environment." Daniel Evans, Computing Student

Year 1:
Architecture and Operating Systems - 20 credits
Core Computing Concepts - 20 credits
Database Systems Development - 20 credits
Networks - 20 credits
Programming 1 - 20 credits
Programming 2 - 20 credits
Year 2:
Core modules:
Software Engineering Theory and Practice - 20 credits
User Experience Design and Implementation - 20 credits
Database Principles - 20 credits
Operating Systems and Internetworking - 20 credits
Business Information Systems Security - 20 credits
Optional modules:
3D Computer Graphics and Animation - 20 credits
Big Data - 20 credits
Discrete Mathematics and Functional Programming - 20 credits
Data Analytics and Visualisation - 20 credits
Ethical Hacking - 20 credits
Security and Cryptography - 20 credits
Web Programming - 20 credits

Year 3:
Core modules:
Engineering Project - 40 credits
Advanced Networks - 20 credits
Usability Testing - 20 credits
Optional modules:
Artificial Intelligence - 20 credits
Distributed Systems and Security - 20 credits
Graphics and Computer Vision - 20 credits
Practical Data Analytics and Mining - 20 credits
Project Management - 20 credits
Security Management - 20 credits
Advanced Database Concepts - 20 credits
Business Analytics - 20 credits
Digital Enterprise and Innovation - 20 credits
Internet of Things - 20 credits
IT and Internetworking Security - 20 credits

Exchange study abroad or placement year (optional)

On this course, you can do an optional study abroad or work placement year after your 2nd or 3rd years to get valuable experience working in industry.

We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

How you're assessed

You’ll be assessed through:

• multiple choice tests
• essays and portfolio work
• written exams
• mini projects
• presentations
• case studies
• blogs

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:

• Year 1 students: 33% by written exams and 67% by coursework
• Year 2 students: 35% by written exams, 3% by practical exams and 62% by coursework
• Year 3 students: 22% by written exams and 78% by coursework

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• British Computer Society