Software and Electronic Systems Engineering

Course Content (including module information)

BEng

This degree requires three years of full-time study plus an optional sandwich year in industry, which is usually taken after Stage 2, and students may gain a Licentiateship of the City & Guilds from this period of work. Transfer from the BEng degree to the MEng is possible subject to satisfactory performance.

Stage 1

• Circuits and Communications
• Design Projects
• Electronics
• Embedded Systems
• Mathematics
• Object-oriented Programming

Stage 2

A choice of modules is offered, including:

• Circuits and Control
• Computation Theory
• Database Systems
• Data Structures and Algorithms
• Design Projects
• Electronics
• Embedded Systems
• Mathematics
• Networks and Communications
• Professional Practice
• Signals and Communications
• Software Engineering and Group Project

Stage 3

A choice of modules is offered, including:

• Agile and Component Based Development using .NET
• Concurrent Programming
• Connected Health
• Control Systems Engineering
• Digital Systems Architecture and Design
• Individual Project
• Industrial Project (MEng only)
• Information System Security
• Networks and Communications Protocols
• Professional Studies
• Signal Processing and Communications
• Software Engineering
• Software Testing and Verification

This four-year extended degree is designed to provide a supply of well-qualified graduates who will become future industry and business leaders. The first three years are common with the BEng degree and there is an optional sandwich year in industry.

A choice of modules is offered, including:

• Advanced Software Engineering
• Algorithms Analysis and Application
• Applied Cryptography
• Computer Architecture & Organisation
• Design Project
• High Performance Computing
• Intelligent Systems and Control
• Media Security
• Network Security and Monitoring
• Project
• Real-Time DSP
• System & Computer Security
• Wireless Communications Systems
• Wireless Sensor Systems

Assessment (general): The way in which you are assessed will vary according to the Learning objectives of each module. Some modules are assessed solely through project work or written assignments. Others are assessed through a combination of coursework and end of semester examinations. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Student Handbook which is provided to all students during their first year induction.

Feedback (general): As students progress through their course at Queen’s they will receive general and specific feedback about their work from a variety of sources including lecturers, module co-ordinators, placement supervisors, personal tutors, advisers of study and peers. University students are expected to engage with reflective practice and to use this approach to improve the quality of their work. Feedback may be provided in a variety of forms including:

• Feedback provided via formal written comments and marks relating to work that you, as an individual or as part of a group, have submitted.
• Face to face comment. This may include occasions when you make use of the lecturers’ advertised “office hours” to help you to address a specific query.
• Placement employer comments or references.
• Online or emailed comment.
• General comments or question and answer opportunities at the end of a lecture, seminar or tutorial.
• Pre-submission advice regarding the standards you should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid. In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which you can review in your own time.
• Feedback and outcomes from practical classes.
• Comment and guidance provided by staff from specialist support services such as, Careers, Employability and Skills or the Learning Development Service.

Once you have reviewed your feedback, you will be encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of your work.

The School has a world class reputation for research and provides excellent facilities, including access to major new research centres in Secure Information Technologies, Electronics, Communications and Information Technology and Sonic Arts. A number of modules on the course are closely linked to the research expertise of these centres and evolve and change rapidly to reflect some of the current, emerging and exciting developments in the field.

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable student to achieve their full academic potential.

On the BEng in Software and Electronic Systems Engineering we do this by providing a range of learning experiences which enable our students to engage with subject experts, develop attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners. Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this course are:

• Lectures: introduce basic information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. Lectures also provide opportunities to ask questions, gain some feedback and advice on assessments (normally delivered in large groups to all year group peers).
• Practicals: where you will have opportunities to develop technical skills and apply theoretical principles to real-life or practical contexts.
• E-Learning technologies: Information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online. A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree through, for example: interactive group workshops in a flexible learning space; IT and statistics modules; podcasts and interactive web-based learning activities; opportunities to use IT programmes associated with design in practicals and project- based work etc.
• Seminars/tutorials: Significant amounts of teaching are carried out in small groups (typically 10-20 students). These provide an opportunity for students to engage with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions of them and to assess their own progress and understanding with the support of peers. You should also expect to make presentations and other contributions to these groups.
• Self-directed study: This is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date and assignment research and preparation work is carried out.
• Work placements: Students taking Software and Electronic Systems Engineering undertake a work-placement after Level 2. This is a significant learning and employability enhancement opportunity.
• Supervised projects: In final year, you will be expected to carry out a significant piece of research on a topic or practical methodology that you have chosen. You will receive support from a supervisor who will guide you in terms of how to carry out your research and will provide feedback to you on at least 2 occasions during the write up stage.
• Personal Tutor: Undergraduates are allocated a Personal Tutor who meets with them on several occasions during the year to support their academic development.