Computer Science [with Placement year]
Anglia Ruskin University
UCAS Code: I107 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
GCSE/National 4/National 5
3 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above, including English and Maths.
UCAS Tariff
from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent).
About this course
Develop skills in designing and building computer systems to the latest specifications, and explore computing technology. Study at ARU in Cambridge, in the heart of ‘Silicon Fen’.
Computing can be amazingly diverse, encompassing computer design, graphics, artificial intelligence, gaming, software engineering, programming and applications development. Our BSc (Hons) Computer Science degree is designed to offer you a wide choice of career options when you graduate.
Based in our Science Centre in Cambridge, you'll have the latest digital technology at your fingertips, and collaborate with other students on innovative computing projects.
As you study, you can choose to focus on the core elements of computer science, or to specialise in areas such as software development, mobile applications, computer security, cloud computing, network administration and technical support.
Employability is embedded in the curriculum throughout the course, starting with 12 months access to Pluralsight professional online training courses for programmers, within the Introduction to Programming module. This gives you enhanced opportunities to experience real-world professional training as part of your academic course. There’s also the option to take a placement year as part of your course, and gain valuable work experience.
As a Computer Science student at ARU, you'll spend lots of time in our computing labs. These include a Cisco lab with routing and switching equipment, and our virtual Netlab which offers 24/7 remote access to Cisco equipment.
You’ll also have access to Microsoft Imagine Premium’s professional developer and designer tools, VMware IT Academy’s virtualisation software and tools, plus mobile devices for testing and developing mobile applications.
It’s not just about technical skills, though. You’ll benefit from being based in Cambridge – home to the largest cluster of technology firms in Europe – with lots of opportunities to gain work experience. You'll also benefit from guest lectures and seminars from industry experts such as Citrix, ARM, Atom, Jagex and Sony.
As you study, you’ll learn to work effectively as part of a team and become a creative problem-solver who's aware of social, moral and ethical issues relating to the impact of computers on our lives.
We’ve developed our BSc (Hons) Computer Science degree in partnership with employers and professional bodies. By choosing particular modules, you can apply for Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) status after you graduate.
Our BSc (Hons) course focuses on equipping you with software engineering skills with a slight edge given to programming languages, so if it’s the ability to bend software to your will that excites you, this is course for you. If you're interested, however, in software engineering skills with a slight edge given to networking principles, the BEng (Hons) will give you the tools to enable you to configure complex network systems.
Modules
Year 1 Optional Modules
Operating Systems
Core Mathematics for Computing
Year 2 Core Modules
Database Design and Implementation
Software Engineering
Ruskin Module
Algorithm Analysis and Data Structures
Network Routing
Digital Security
Computing Research Methodologies
Year 3 Core Modules
Work placement
Year 4 Core Modules
Core modules
Professional Issues: Computing and Society
Image Processing
Final Project
Year 4 Optional Modules
Optional modules
Artificial Intelligence
Ethical Hacking and Countermeasures
Cloud Computing
Computer Graphics Programming
Distributed Programming
Human Computer Interaction
Assessment methods
Throughout your BSc (Hons) Computer Science course we’ll use a range of assessment methods to help measure your progress. Besides exams, these will include group work, presentations, case studies, laboratory tests and projects.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Cambridge Campus
School of Computing and Information Sciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Computer science
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Computer science
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
This is a newly-classified subject area for this kind of data, so we don’t currently have very much information to display or analyse yet. The subject is linked to important and growing computing industries, and over time we can expect more students to study them — there could be opportunities that open up for graduates in these subjects as the economy develops over the next few years.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Computer science
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£23k
£25k
£31k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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