Software Engineering, BEng

​​​We are delighted to welcome you to the course and look forward to supporting you as you begin your studies. During Welcome Week, you will have the opportunity to meet the course team, learn more about the structure of your course, explore the university systems and resources you will be using, and begin getting to know your fellow students. It is very important that you attend all scheduled Welcome Week activities, as these sessions will help you understand what to expect from the course and how to access support from the beginning.

​As part of your Welcome Week, you will meet your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), who is an important point of contact 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.​​

​​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 and Software Development, alongside three Success Modules to build a strong foundation for your university experience. These core modules will build your programming skills from first principles and develop your skills in producing well-structured and efficient software.

​Your second semester will have the core modules Computer Systems and 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 emerging computing technologies within a variety of areas, and their global impacts.

​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. This is where you should expect to find module information, teaching materials, announcements, assessment briefs, submission points, feedback and other learning resources. You should check Blackboard regularly, as it will be one of the main ways module teams communicate important information. You may also use other university systems for email, timetable information, library resources, online learning materials, assessment submission and student support. You will be introduced to Blackboard during Welcome Week, and can find further information here: Blackboard | My CCCU.

​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​.

There is no particular reading we want you to do before you arrive, but it may be worth looking at the Technology pages of online news sources to see the common areas that are being talked about in the field of computing and business.

We suggest the following sites:

• BBC News - Technology
• BBC News - Business
• The Guardian - Technology
• The Telegraph -Technology
• Computerweekly
• Computing

They are worth looking at once or twice a week, if you are not accustomed to reading current affairs articles. You can often find background information to the stories by searching Wikipedia which may help your understanding of the topic.

In addition, you may wish to practice with introductory Python tutorials, such as beginner Python exercises (Python Tutorial and download from Welcome to Python.org) or basic scripting practice in Visual Studio Community (download from Visual Studio Downloads for Windows).