Welcome to the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence course and SPACES (School of Science, Psychology, Arts and Humanities, Computing, Engineering and Sport) at CCCU. As Course Director, I look forward to meeting you on campus at the Department Introduction and Course Induction in September, and supporting you through the next few years of your educational journey at CCCU.

Ruth Thompson
Course Director

Your Teaching Timetable

Teaching for your course will begin w.c 21 September 2026.

To help you plan your first few weeks, you can view an overview of the teaching activities for your course.

View your first semester teaching timetable.

On a mobile device, click the arrow next to “Search” at the top right of the page to view your timetable.

If your course is taught in groups, the overview will show activities for all groups. You will only need to attend sessions for your allocated group.

Once teaching begins, your individual timetable and group allocation will be available in MyTimetable provided you have completed online registration and created your computing account.

Your Semester 1 Modules

Software Development

Introduction to Computing

Success Modules - you will complete 3 of these 5 credit modules*

*Success Modules

Your Journey to Success at CCCU is a compulsory success module. You'll then choose two more Success modules from a choice of eight.

These modules are completed online (asynchronous learning) and are not timetabled, so they won't appear in your teaching timetable.

Key dates

Academic Calendar: Semesters

View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2026-27 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.

Welcome

The academic team are excited to introduce you to the course and Computing section during Welcome Week. You will be sharing your first year with students across Computing courses at CCCU, and this will be a great opportunity to meet one another.

In preparation for the first semester, you will also have guidance sessions on digital resources available, including the library and the Learning Skills Hub. We’ll discuss how we do assessments as well as the expectations and policies for these.

As part of your Welcome Week, you will meet your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), an academic within the School who will be supporting you for the duration of your degree. They can offer support and guidance for your transition into university life, academic development and future employability.

If you have any concerns or worries that may be impacting your studies or experience at CCCU, they can help you or get the support you need.

Getting started

Your Course

The academic year will be split into two semesters – one running from September to January, and a second one from January to May.

For your first semester, you will have two core modules:

  • Introduction to Computing
  • Software Development

These core modules will build your programming skills from first principles and develop your skills in producing well-structured and efficient software

Alongside these you will complete three Success Modules to build a strong foundation for your university experience.

Your second semester will have the core modules:

  • Computer Systems
  • Emerging Technologies

By the end of your first year, you will have a strong foundation in the essential building blocks of modern computer systems, digital communications, machine-level operations and data representation.

Alongside this, you will also explore the future of computing technologies and their global impacts.

Blackboard

Each Computing module is taught on campus with lectures and practical sessions, with learning materials and resources shared on Blackboard, CCCU’s Virtual Learning Environment.

You will be introduced to Blackboard during Welcome Week, and can find further information here: Blackboard | My CCCU

To help you prepare

We recommend you don’t buy any particular software prior to starting at CCCU, as much of any software you need will be made available for free or at a discounted rate.

Laptops are available to borrow (iBorrows | CCCU), although you will find having your own computer extremely useful.

We predominantly use Windows on campus and for taught sessions, so bear this in mind if purchasing a device for your studies. For a minimum specification, see the recommended specification for Visual Studio Professional here: Visual Studio 2026 System Requirements | Microsoft Learn.

Your Must Do Tasks

Once you have been invited to register for your course, there are some key tasks you'll need to complete to make sure you are ready to become a CCCU student. 

Registration invitations are sent towards the end of August. We'll send yours to the email address you used when you applied, so please check this inbox regularly to make sure you don't miss any important information.

Pre-course reading

There is no specific reading you are required to do before arrival, but it may be helpful to keep up to date with technology news from sites such as:

This will give you an idea of common areas that are being talked about in the field and their impacts on society.

International student success programme

International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.

Contact details

Have a question?

Speak to our friendly team for support.