Computer Science MComp (Hons)
- Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
- Typical Offer: 120 - 128 UCAS tariff points
- UCAS Code(s): G410 (full-time); G411 (sandwich)
- Start Date(s): September 2024
- Duration: Four years full-time, five years with placement
- Study Mode(s): Full-time / Sandwich
- Campus: Clifton Campus
Introduction:
The computer science industry is a challenging place but it’s an exciting one too.
Successful managers in the industry need graduates with the right balance of knowledge and experiences. That’s why you’ll start with the fundamentals of computer science, develop your programming skills in the areas of AI and Cloud computing, and then take your studies to the next level with Masters level modules to give you a deeper understanding and the edge in the workplace.
We encourage students to take the optional work placement year at the end of Year Two, which gives you the chance to gain vital experience and put your knowledge into practice.
What you’ll study
This course combines undergraduate and postgraduate content and is designed to cover computer science foundation subjects and then build on this foundation with postgraduate level material in the final year. You will acquire the skills to become an independent learner and gain advanced skills in specialised areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, advanced analysis and design, embedded systems and programming.
A group project to manage and deliver a significant multidisciplinary engineering project will help you to further develop your communication, project management and teamworking skills.
In addition you will undertake a substantive individual project where you will be required to develop software or hardware in an innovative manner.
You have the option to transfer between the MComp degree and the BSc degree during the first two taught years of the course, subject to your performance and your chosen module in year two.
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals course
If you take the Artificial Intelligence module in your final year you will participate in the Microsoft certified Azure AI Fundamentals program as part of your studies. The program is designed as a blended learning experience, combining instructor-led training with online materials accessed on the Microsoft Learn platform.
Microsoft will sponsor your cloud subscription, course materials and certification test fees for no cost to you. You will also get the Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals certificate 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, and detection of human behaviour patterns.
Visit our academic team pages to find out more about our approach to teaching, our partners and research interests.
For information on International student support or to see our academic terms times please visit our International Student Support pages.
Learn a new language
Alongside your study you also have the opportunity to learn a new language. The University Language Programme (ULP) is available to all students and gives you the option of learning a totally new language or improving the skills you already have. Find out more about the ULP.
Foundations of Computer 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.
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
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.
Professional Development for Industry
This module will enable you to learn about the professional bodies and standards relating to the computing profession and enhance your employability potential by increasing your awareness of the technological, social and economic factors driving the IT industry.
Information and Database Engineering
Understand the nature and application of database management systems and acquire skills for database administration and management.
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.
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 they can be used to solve real-world problems in engineering, operations research and science.
Foundations of Artificial Intelligence 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.
Plus choose one module from:
Internet Application Programming
Design and produce a static or dynamic website suitable for both desktop and mobile platforms which may contain complex scripted components.
Software Engineering
The main aim of this module is to introduce and develop confidence using the structures, techniques and technologies to support the development of robust software systems in a team environment.
You have the option to take a one-year work placement in the industry. On successful completion, you will gain an additional award – the Placement Diploma in Professional Practice. The modules below will be taken in Year Four if you go on a placement in Year Three.
Project for MComp
Investigate problems in computing, implement solutions, critically evaluate and reflect on your work, and develop your abilities to communicate, self-organise and manage.
Advanced Analysis and Design
Study the critical elements of 2D and 3D image capture and display systems.
Artificial Intelligence
Learn about the theoretical foundations of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the main methods and techniques and current areas of AI research and development.
Advanced Software Engineering
Service-centric and Cloud Computing
Discover two challenging aspects of implementing distributed computing systems in Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA).
Core modules
Group Design Project
During this module, you will focus mainly on the technical aspects of developing a cross-disciplinary group design project. The set projects will be taken from areas of advancing technology.
Applied Artificial Intelligence
Learn about a variety of artificial intelligence methods such as machine learning, reasoning and optimisation techniques, and how they can be used to solve real-world problems in engineering, operations research and science.
Computer Security
Learn how to critically analyse the security problems affecting computing systems at the operating system and application levels, understand the design patterns for developing secure code and devise security solutions and formulate detailed technical reports.
Artificial Cognitive Systems
Understand Artificial Cognitive Systems (ACS) and how they use their surroundings to autonomously make decisions, anticipate actions and how they learn from experiences and changing circumstances. You’ll also be introduced to artificial neural networks and the current applications and practices.
Optional modules - choose two:
Entrepreneurial Leadership and Project Management
You will develop your appreciation of entrepreneurship and leadership, and their role in economic development, project management and entrepreneurial business success. You will learn the tools and methodologies for effective project management.
Information Security Management
This module provides you with knowledge and understanding of the main issues related to information security. Learn about security solutions, risks and computer forensics.
Deriving Business Value from Data Analytics
Learn how to use data better to deliver goals and value, while accounting for costs and risks in the decisions. You’ll discover how organisations can select and measure the right key metrics to improve their decision making and their overall business.
Computer Forensics
During this module you will develop your knowledge of different computing systems their importance to computer forensics investigations. You’ll develop the skills, methodologies and processes to conduct an initial computer forensics investigation within an organisation and consider aspects such as legal and ethical issues, data storage, reporting and operating systems.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
Video Gallery
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%)
Year 4 - coursework (95%), written (0%) and practical (5%)
A placement year may be taken between year 2 and year 3 of study
Careers and employability
Your career development
This course provides a thorough education in computing for industry, meaning you graduate with the knowledge and skills for employment in almost all computing related fields. In particular, you will gain advanced skills in the development of systems based on advanced technology and in specialist areas such as artificial intelligence and embedded systems.
The technical nature of the course will also provide the necessary underpinning to enable you to engage in further scientific and technological research.
Our recent graduates have secured roles at companies including:
- Veolia Water
- Parexel Informatics
- East England Ambulance Service
- Fujitsu
- Compass Group
They have gone into a wide variety of job roles including:
- Application Developer
- Information Analyst
- Technical Support Analyst
- Senior Software Engineer
- Teacher of Computing
Many students also choose to go on to further study, teaching and research roles in academia.
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.
Our recent students have taken placements across a wide range of companies including Walt Disney, Caterpillar and Schlumberger. They secured varied roles such as Programmer, Technical Support Assistant and Software Development Assistant.
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.
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.
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.
Find out more about the world-class facilities within The School of Science and Technology.
Entry requirements
- Standard offer: 128 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications including an A-level equivalent IT, Maths or Science subject grade C
- Contextual offer: 120 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications including an A-level equivalent 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
- 128 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications including an A-level equivalent 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.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
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 the 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, and 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 textbooks, 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 textbooks, 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 of 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,
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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