Brand new facility opened January 2021
Find out more about the Verena Holmes Building, an inspirational learning environment, with industry-standard, hi-tech facilities on every floor.
I switched to software engineering because I wanted to learn things that were not in other courses. At first I was worried it would be too difficult, but I found it so interesting and engaging so that change has been really smooth.
David
Software Engineering with Foundation Year
Software Engineers who can collaborate with others in effective teams to produce reliable, robust software on time and on budget are in very high demand.
This is a dynamic course that will develop your skills in analysis, design, programming, testing and evaluation. You will learn to produce secure, high quality, usable and adaptable software systems.
This degree will also develop your skills in analysis, design, programming, testing and evaluation to produce software solutions, ensuring you have all the necessary skills to flourish in your career.
Software Engineering is a fast moving exciting field of study with the challenges involved to engineer high quality, secure and reliable software systems. This programme will enable you to adopt a professional approach to the entire process of developing software, from the initial gathering of requirements, through to the design of the functionality and interfaces, to the implementation of the final product using industry best practices.
A typical offer would be 88-112 UCAS tariff points including level 3 qualifications in IT or computing or mathematics. Plus, 5 GCSEs at grade C, or above (or equivalent) including mathematics, science and English language).
BEng Software Engineering with Foundation Year is available for those who do not meet these entry requirements.
For more information on the IELTS (International English language Testing System) requirements for this course, please click here to visit our dedicated web page.
The programme’s emphasis is on high quality software development and programming, software design, analysis, quality assurance and project management, all of which will enable you to develop knowledge and skills in this area.
All through the course, you'll experience through hands-on learning from on and off campus and on-line learning. This will develop your practical agile problem-solving approach to create software engineering solutions to problems. You will undertake group projects, typically sourced from industry or akin to problems in industry. Your group work will be supported through the use on-line tools and on-line project management solutions. You'll also develop skills enabling you to:
You’ll gain the engineering skills, knowledge and confidence needed to study at BEng level where you’ll use the pioneering CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement and Operate) approach to problem solve software challenges. We are one of only a handful of universities in the UK to offer the CDIO international engineering education model developed by MIT that allows you to learn in a practical, hands-on way to tackle real industrial problems.
The course will:
You will have the opportunity to work collaboratively in mixed engineering teams to research and solve industry work-related/based sourced problems. The CDIO approach will typically enable you to make contributions to industry - your software engineered prototype solution maybe the building block to a final solution used by industry.
You will have the opportunity to take a placement in your third year, providing you meet the requirements. If you can identify and secure a placement opportunity, with the support from the computing team. A placement will provide you with the further opportunity to develop your skills as a practicing computing professional, a personal development plan and evidence of your abilities for your future employers.
Year-long placement opportunities in software engineering often lead to opening doors to great potential engineering graduate employment opportunities with companies such as IBM, BULL, P&O, UEL and South Eastern Railway.
We have also offered a number of paid summer student internships open to students to apply for. A previous opportunity involved two students who undertook a development internship with us to look at the production of a prototype healthcare system. This was used to demonstrate the capability of such a system to surgical teams in Kent.
Students on this programme can expect to go on a small number of optional trips such as the National Computing Museum at Bletchley Park. We also have a number of guest lecturers each year.
Please note that the list of optional modules and their availability may be subject to change. We continually review and where appropriate, revise the range of modules on offer to reflect changes in the subject and ensure the best student experience. Modules will vary when studied in combination with another subject.
This degree uses a Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate-like structure – where some of your teaching will be done via real-world inspired projects. You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and practical labs. You will typically have around 12 contact hours per week and are expected to also spend about 4 hours each week co-ordinating with team members on group activities. Labs will often emphasise working in small groups to enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures and place theory into practice.
You will also have regular scheduled meetings, in addition to the above contact hours, with an assigned academic personal tutor, which is your first point of contact for assistance to your undergraduates needs.
Your actual contact hours depend on the option modules you select.
All programmes are informed by the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy 2015-2022.
When not attending timetabled sessions it is expected you will continue learning through self-study. Typically, this involves completing computer-based exercises, preparing for workshops and seminars, undertaking research in the library, working on projects, undertaking coursework assignments or preparing for class-tests and examinations and reading journal articles and books. Your module leader will direct you towards specific readings and/or activities to complete before class.
For your final year individual study (dissertation), you will undertake independent research and will be assigned a supervisor; who will guide you through your first substantial and independent work through regular scheduled meetings.
Your overall workload typically consists of 12 contact hours and an additional 25 hours of independent learning. In addition, there may be field trips.
For each 20-credit module, your study time will about 10 hours a week plus work on assessments or preparation for examinations. Assessments would normally be expected to take approximately 50 hours for an assignment worth 50% of a 20 credit module. A similar amount of preparation and revision time would be expected for an examination worth 50% of a 20 credit module.
The team consists of highly qualified academics. They have a range of expertise and experience.
All our team members hold Doctoral or professional qualifications (e.g. Member of the British Computer Society or Eur. Ing.). Find out more about the current teaching staff. You should note members of the teaching team might change.
Postgraduate students assist in some teaching and assessing some modules. However, experienced academics teach the majority of lectures and seminars.
We will work with you to develop the technical and people skills you will need to work successfully in the software industry.
Tina EagerProgramme Director
You will be assessed largely by coursework and project work, though some modules will also have examinations or class tests. Coursework is mainly practically-oriented with appropriate theoretical elements to ensure a well-rounded education. Assessments are generally individual, with group work in some modules where this matches the approaches used in industry.
We use coursework assessment methods based on their suitability for specific modules. Formative feedback is provided formally in year one and during the year three individual study, and informally in workshops and seminars. Methods of assessment used include production of software artefacts, project plans and diaries, essays, reports, ‘investigation-based’ presentations, oral presentations, individual studies/projects, poster presentations, online assessment, logs, examinations and time constrained assignments.
Software Engineering currently offers some of the highest paid engineering roles in the UK and employment opportunities include working for major IT organisations such as IBM, BULL, Compuserve and Siemens.
Working as a software engineer could lead you to work in:
As a graduate of software engineering, you could also be in demand in many non-IT sectors and involved in work with:
This list represents possible career opportunities and in some cases you may be required to undertake further studies or gain relevant work experience and/or professional accreditation in order to pursue particular roles. Further academic study can enhance your career prospects and lead you to senior and specialist positions both within engineering and also teaching or research-related roles.
The 2021/22 annual tuition fees for this course are:
UK | Overseas | |
---|---|---|
Full-time | £9,250 | £13,000 |
Full-time - placement year | £1,850 | N/A |
Tuition fees for all courses are payable on an annual basis, except where stated.
Please read the 2021/22 Tuition Fee Statement for further information regarding 2021/22 tuition fees and year on year fee increases.
Duration:
3 yearsUCAS code:
I302Location(s):
CanterburySign up to hear the latest from the University, including upcoming events, useful updates, student life and more!