Computer Science - Artificial Intelligence BSc (Hons)
- Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
- Typical Offer: 112 - 120 UCAS tariff points
- UCAS Code(s): G414 (Full time); G415 (Sandwich)
- Start Date(s): September 2024
- Duration: Three years full-time / four years with placement
- Study Mode(s): Full-time / Sandwich
- Campus: Clifton Campus
Introduction:
This course is aimed at students who are interested and inspired by the new AI technologies and want to work to become a leader in meeting the challenges posed by AI and big data. This course will support students with a broad range of skills required to work in the field of AI - including machine learning, natural language processing, problem solving and other cognitive techniques, as well as an understanding of the professional and ethical considerations that surround AI.
It is designed to enable you to develop the knowledge and skills that are necessary for, specifically, a career in the industry sectors undertaking the design of intelligent computer systems and emerging smart technologies and, generally, for a broad range of careers in industrial, commercial and scientific computing. The BSc (Hons) Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) degree has been designed to meet the accreditation requirements of BCS – the Institute for IT, for both CITP and partial CEng registration.
Professional accreditation
Accreditation of courses by the BCS provides independent recognition that the course content is relevant to the IT profession. It ensures a level of standardisation across Higher Education institutions so that the courses meet the needs of employers. A key part of the accreditation is the incorporation of professional, ethical, social and legal issues relating to computing. Graduating from a BCS accredited degree allows students to apply for professional membership of the BCS, giving an accelerated route to Chartered status. Employers often look for accredited degrees, and accredited degrees are recognised internationally.
Develop your portfolio
The course puts theory into practice through skills development relevant to the modern world, in particular, the use of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and cognitive computing in an increasing number of industry sectors. It offers skills development as an integral part of the curriculum and as preparation for the world of work. As well as practical skills necessary for the industries using AI, you will develop transferable skills which will make you suitable for general graduate employment in an ever-changing job market.
Research informed teaching
As well as giving you a robust general education in Computer Science, with emphasis on AI design and development, the Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) degree will provide the knowledge and skills necessary for research and development in other technically advanced fields of computing.
Take a work placement
The salaried placement year is an important feature of the sandwich version of the course. The work experience gained from a placement year can give you a distinct advantage on graduating. It requires a successful application process through a company. The NTU Employability team provide support in finding a placement that is right for you and support all stages in the placement application process. Students can transfer between full-time and sandwich versions of the course up to the end of Level 5 (year 2).
What you’ll study
During your course you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for careers in digital and technology occupations across a wide variety of different sectors in industrial, commercial and scientific computing. You will develop the skills and knowledge required to design and implement robust, efficient, quality software.
You will then develop the knowledge and skills needed to face new technological and ethical challenges associated to the emerging new intelligent systems, and to adapt them for the real-world problems at both local and global scales.
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals course
Microsoft will sponsor your cloud subscription and course materials. There will be no cost to you for your certification test fees. You will also get the Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals professional certification when you graduate – a valuable addition to your CV.
Find out more about Azure AI Fundamentals course.
About the Computer Science Team
We have a rich mix of knowledge ranging from software development for different types of system through to hardware aspects such as networking. This involves many uses of computing and considers all aspects including security and management. Our knowledge is built up and maintained through our wealth of industrial experience, our industrial links and our research activity. These are the ingredients for ensuring the relevance and vitality of your course.
Our highly regarded academics are active in a broad range of research areas, particularly in the areas of Games for Learning and in Security. For example, Professor David Brown leads several projects, funded by the European Union, in games and assistive technology while Professor Paul Evans' innovative developments in security are supported by USA Dept of Homeland Security.
We engage fully in our subject area and this engagement feeds directly and indirectly into our teaching. Other examples of our activity are:
- developing patents e.g. in voice signal processing
- organising conferences on Interactive Technology and Games and on Intelligent Environments
- working with local companies on funded projects e.g. enhancing the capability of the press association to search their image database
- publishing novel findings in research publications on for example financial prediction, mobile communications, detection of human behaviour patterns.
Foundations of Computing Technology and Programming
This module has several strands including programming and technical aspects that introduce you to the fundamentals of writing computer programs, as well as numeracy and website development.
Computer Science Programming
Learn about programming languages relevant to software with industrial scale, reliability and performance characteristics.
Computer Technology and Mathematics
Understand how a computer works, look at issues arising from the hardware architecture and extend your mathematical knowledge and ability.
Systems Analysis and Design (SAD)
Introducing you to the fundamental principles of SAD, this module gives you a working knowledge of key systems development methodologies, techniques and tools.
Essential Skills
Develop the skills required to succeed on your computing degree. You’ll learn how to confidently deal with numerical aspects of your course and practice your web publishing skills by creating and formatting basic web documentation.
Professional Development for Industry
This module will enable you to learn about the professional bodies and standards relating to the computing professional, and enhance your employability potential by increasing your awareness of the technological, social and economic factors driving the IT industry.
Foundations of AI and Machine Learning
The rate at which data is being stored is growing at a phenomenal rate and many businesses are struggling to analyse and make sense of this vast collection of data. This module will introduce you to a number of ‘machine learning’ techniques to process and discover patterns in data.
Data Analytics Techniques and Programming
The rate at which data is being stored is growing at a phenomenal rate and many businesses are struggling to analyse and make sense of this vast collection of data. This module will introduce you to a number of techniques to process and discover patterns in data.
Practical Project Management and Professional Development
Continued professional development and lifelong learning are important to your future career. Through this module you’ll improve your time and project management skills, presentations and report writing. This module also includes detailed guidance about the development of your CV and provides experience of selection assessments for industrial placement/graduate employment positions.
Software Design and Implementation
Gain the knowledge and skills in software development techniques to support the development of robust, secure, maintainable and portable software systems.
Systems Software
Learn about operating systems theory, network solutions, design and implementation and how computer systems can be connected to form large, complex distributed systems.
Optional year-long work placement. If you are not taking a placement you will progress directly to your final year in year three.
Project
Investigate problems in computing, implement solutions, critically evaluate and reflect on your work, and develop your abilities to communicate, self-organise and manage.
Distributed Database Engineering
Study the processes, techniques and technologies that data scientists use to support the challenging workloads for data science.
Artificial Intelligence
Learn about the theoretical foundations of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the main methods and techniques and current areas of AI research and development.
Cognitive Computing (20 cp)
Learn how to develop systems capable of autonomously making decisions based on their surroundings. This module brings together cutting-edge approaches from computer science, digital electronics and embedded systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and artificial intelligence.
Choose one of the following modules:
Advanced Analysis and Design
Understand the object model – what it’s based on and how it can be applied to build systems. Learn how to use the notation and follow the process for object-oriented development.
Service-centric and Cloud Computing
Discover two challenging aspects of implementing distributed computing systems in Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA).
Advanced Software Engineering
Develop techniques and strategies to analyse, choose, propose, design, implement, test and evaluate software elements.
Mobile Platform Applications
Understand the requirements, capabilities and constraints of a variety of mobile platform technologies and consider how they can be used to build systems that are outside the traditional desktop paradigm.
OR
Communicating Science and Technology*
This module will be of interest to you if you are considering a career in teaching and / or want to develop your portfolio of transferable skills.
*Communicating Science and Technology will be of interest if you wish to explore teaching as a career route as it involves working with teachers in a school setting.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
Video Gallery
How you’re taught
The teaching methods used on this course have evolved over a number of years based on feedback, review and reflection. Our approach is to use practical illustration and first-hand experience to enhance learning wherever possible.
Learning is facilitated in a range of different ways. Most modules involve a series of lectures to explain and develop the subject concepts to you. These are accompanied by either seminars or laboratory sessions or sometimes a combination of both. In these you apply the theory from the lectures. This leads to a more thorough understanding of the subject and the development of any practical skills associated with it.
The seminars and laboratories are also often used to help you in coursework assignments, which in themselves help to embed knowledge and develop skills. In the laboratory sessions, staff will help you to explore and use the technology, and give you feedback on your practical work. They will discuss links between theory and practice in these sessions. Some modules have optional surgery sessions to support learners. These are student-driven in that students bring to the sessions questions on any aspects of the module that they are finding difficult.
The nature of the subject means that much of your learning will be computer-aided. As well as using software development environments and packages for coursework implementation tasks, you will also use some computer-aided learning packages and techniques such as online discussion groups. Again, we aim for you to become an engaged learner who takes responsibility for your learning.
Contact hours
Year 1 - lectures/seminars/workshops (28%) and independent study (72%)
Year 2 - lectures/seminars/workshops (28%) and independent study (72%)
Year 3 - lectures/seminars/workshops (20%) and independent study (80%)
A placement year may be taken between year 2 and year 3 of study
How you’re assessed
Year 1 - coursework (70%), written (8%) and practical (12%)
Year 2 - coursework (67%), written (25%) and practical (8%)
Year 3 - coursework (80%), written (20%) and practical (0%)
A placement year may be taken between year 2 and year 3 of study
Careers and employability
NTU Enterprise
You'll also have the opportunity to turn your ideas into a viable business with help from NTU Enterprise, NTU's purpose-built Centre for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise, a support centre to help students create, develop and grow their own businesses.
Excellent placement opportunities
Placements
NTU is one of the most employment-focused universities. Increasingly, employers want to recruit graduates who have real-world work experience. That’s why all of our courses, across every subject area, offer you a work experience opportunity. Our experts help build and support your future with a range of career programmes and events.
On this course, after your second year, you will have the opportunity to take a year's work placement (sandwich placement). This will give you the chance to gain vital experience and put your knowledge into practice. You're also twice as likely to secure a graduate job within six months if you take a work placement.
You'll be supported and assessed throughout your placement year and will write a reflective report and diary at the end of your placement. When you successfully complete your placement, you will be eligible to receive an additional award of a Diploma in Professional Practice.
Find out more about work placements.
Our recent graduates have secured roles at companies including:
- University of Hertfordshire
- E.On UK Plc
- Hillarys
- John Lewis Partnership
- NHS
They have gone into a wide variety of job roles including:
- Research Assistant: Rehabilitation Robotics
- iPhone Application Developer
- Site Reliability Engineer
- SAP Developer
Campus and facilities
You will learn in a creative and stimulating environment that will give you the knowledge and transferable skills you need to be ahead of the graduate crowd.
We provide facilities that enhance the quality of our education and push the boundaries of our research. Students have access to specialist centres including:
- games console laboratories
- networking and security laboratories
- human-interactive technology
- stereo-projection.
Students also enjoy working with the latest software. Examples include:
- EnCase
- 3D StudioMax
- XNA Xbox development suite
- The Adobe Creative Suite (Flash, After Effects, Photoshop)
- the Unreal and Half-life Games Engines.
Entry requirements
- Standard offer: 120 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications including A-level equivalent in an IT, Maths or Science subject grade C
- Contextual offer: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications including A-level equivalent in an IT, Maths or Science subject grade C
Contextual offers
A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here but who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Find out how we assess your application.
Other qualifications and experience
We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.
Meeting our entry requirements
Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS tariff points attached to specific grades, including A levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
- 120 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications including A-level equivalent in an IT, Maths or Science subject grade C
International qualifications
We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:
English language entry requirements
You can meet our language requirements by successfully completing our pre-sessional English course for an agreed length of time, or by submitting the required grade in one of our accepted English language tests, such as IELTS:
Undergraduate preparation courses (Foundation)
If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Foundation courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:
Advanced standing (starting your undergraduate degree in year 2 or 3)
You may be able to start your undergraduate course in year 2 or 3 based on what you have studied before. This decision would be made in accordance with our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy.
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
Fees and funding
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there’s no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
What's included in the course fees?
Your course fees cover all the facilities and support you need to succeed.
- You will have access to extensive computing facilities, some available 24 hours a day and including technician support.
- You will have dedicated online storage to support backup of work.
- You will have access to Microsoft Academic Alliance membership which gives you free copies of all Microsoft developer software including operating systems, Visio and Project.
- As one of our students, you will be able to join the Oracle Academic Initiative as an individual member and get free database software.
- Students are able to register for a free personal copy of 3D Studio Max.
- Extensive equipment is available to loan for coursework and project work. For example, you can borrow cameras and phones.
- We offer extensive free training software including tutorials on 3D Studio Max, Flash, Photoshop, TCP/IP Packet analysis, Java, Javascript, HTML5, Oracle.
- Most major software is available across the campus machines, including Adobe Master Collection Suite.
Additional Costs
Your course fees cover the cost of studies, and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.
Library books
Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential text books, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.
Field trips
All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
Students will also be required to pay additional costs for printing, poster preparation and final dissertation copies in their final year - estimated costs approximately £20 - £50.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service on telephone +44 (0)115 848 2494.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are payable for each year that you are at the University. The level of tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your undergraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government. See our fees.
Scholarships
We offer scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for your scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.
Living costs
Get advice on the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget:
Paying fees
Find out about advanced payments, instalment plan options and how to make payments securely to the University:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
What's included in the course fees?
Your course fees cover all the facilities and support you need to succeed.
- You will have access to extensive computing facilities, some available 24 hours a day and including technician support.
- You will have dedicated online storage to support backup of work.
- You will have access to Microsoft Academic Alliance membership which gives you free copies of all Microsoft developer software including operating systems, Visio and Project.
- As one of our students, you will be able to join the Oracle Academic Initiative as an individual member and get free database software.
- Students are able to register for a free personal copy of 3D Studio Max.
- Extensive equipment is available to loan for coursework and project work. For example, you can borrow cameras and phones.
- We offer extensive free training software including tutorials on 3D Studio Max, Flash, Photoshop, TCP/IP Packet analysis, Java, Javascript, HTML5, Oracle.
- Most major software is available across the campus machines, including Adobe Master Collection Suite.
Additional Costs
Your course fees cover the cost of studies, and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.
Library books
Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential text books, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.
Field trips
All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
Students will also be required to pay additional costs for printing, poster preparation and final dissertation copies in their final year - estimated costs approximately £20 - £50.
How to apply
Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.
Writing your application and personal statement
Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only make a decision based on what you tell us. So include all of your qualifications and grades, including resits or predicted grades.
Your personal statement is a really important part of your application. It’s your chance to convince us why we should offer you a place! You’ve got 4,000 characters to impress us. Make sure you use them to show how your skills and qualities are relevant to the course(s) you’re applying for. For more hints and tips, take a look at our page on how to write a good personal statement.
Keeping up-to-date
After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!
You can apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our NTU applicant portal.
Application advice
Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example. After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
Writing your personal statement
Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
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