B.Sc. Computer Software Development (Hons)

Course Content Year 1 A common first year across all of our courses covers the fundamental aspects of the subject, including topics such as C# Programming; software engineering skills; human–computer interaction; mathematics; computer hardware architectures and operating systems; and professional skills for computer science.

These elements constitute a core set of computing and professional skills, ensuring that you are ready to meet the challenges of Year 2. You will learn through a mixture of lectures, small-group tutorials and practical laboratory sessions that give you the chance to put theory into practice.

Assessment is a mix of exams and coursework, generally 50:50 in the first year and leaning towards coursework in later years. Example first year coursework includes building a small game or business application in C#, a performance analysis of different software algorithms and a presentation on different aspects of computer hardware.

Due to the common first year, you can easily switch your degree course at any point until the start of Year 2, when more specialist material begins to be introduced.

Year 2 In the second year of your degree, you will begin to specialise more in the area of software development. In addition to studying the fundamentals of the software engineering process, including software design and systems analysis, topics covered include C++ Programming; information systems; user interface design; and networking technologies.

By this stage, there is a greater focus on practical software development, meaning more time spent developing in the computer labs and an increased emphasis on coursework-based assessment over exams. There are also more opportunities for teamworking, which plays an important part in several significant pieces of coursework.

Year 3 This is the most specialist year of your degree and provides you with the opportunity to work on a major individual software project as part of your dissertation. Year 3 allows you to dig deeper into the subject, acquiring the expertise and experience that will stand you in good stead when entering industry or pursuing further study. Areas covered include advanced software engineering; 3D graphics; software project management; databases; commercial games development; compilers; concurrency; distributed systems.

The highlight of the third year is the individual software project. You can choose from a range of suggested topics or propose your own idea, and you will then spend time across both semesters researching, developing, and writing about your chosen software project. Previous projects have included AI simulations, 3D games, emulators for historic computers, stock control management systems, robotics and even a Jedi lightsaber training simulator using 3D motion tracking and virtual reality.