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Computer Science

Entry requirements


UCAS Tariff

88-112

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Computer science

Throughout the BSc (Hons) Computer Science course, you'll build advanced programming skills and be taught how to develop highly dependable and reliable systems, within an object-oriented design approach.

You'll study the process involved in managing the development of large-scale software projects. Furthermore, specialist modules allow you to explore the areas of real-time systems, cloud computing, data science, design patterns, AI and more!

If you love the idea of creating valuable new applications and software, then our Computer Science programme could be perfect for you. Across the world businesses and organisations rely on complex computer-based systems, and there is an ever-increasing demand for people with the skills to update, maintain and enhance the software. It is essential for qualified professionals to be available to keep national and international economies running.

**Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?**
Buckinghamshire New University is invested in you and your future. We work hard to ensure that our courses are designed with you and industry in mind, so that you can graduate confident that you can make competitive job applications post-university. We know that the industry is constantly changing and rapidly evolving, which is why we are committed to implementing new and improved technologies in our topics, teaching and facilities. This course has a shared first year across multiple specialisms. After your first year, if you want to study a different specialism you can choose to change between: BSc (Hons) Computer Science and BSc (Hons) Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence.

We’ve created our Computer Science programme to help you design and programme systems capable of solving real-world challenges. Our programme is a part of our strong Computing school, and you’ll be taught by a team of expert lecturers who have vast experience of working in their respective fields. To further enhance your education, we invite in guest lectures to share their experience and expertise and host day-long interactive events run by leaders in their field giving you the chance to put your knowledge into action.

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers.

**What will I study ?**

You'll acquire a broad range of skills covering computation theory, fundamentals of computer science, compliers and operating systems, basic programming, software development and testing, web applications and databases, algorithms and data structures, whilst building secure web and mobile applications, alongside analysing life-critical systems. From your first day and onwards, you are with us, you will be studying topics ranging from, Computer Architecture, Discrete Mathematics, User Experience (UX) and Data Science.

This programme is grounded in software and web technologies with a focus on the technical side of web-based applications and services for working in industries that require expertise in web focused sectors of computing. The course provides a balance of theory and practice, providing opportunities to apply knowledge into real projects where possible. You will acquire a wide range of skills and competences such as the ability to think critically about real-world problems. You will be exposed to a variety of computing discipline areas, so that you will then be able to select and apply appropriate principles, theories, best practices and appropriate technologies to address the needs of different business contexts, users, customers and stakeholders.

Modules

**Year one** **Core Modules** Programming Concepts Computer Architecture Networks Web Development Computational Fundamentals **Opportunity Modules** 2 x 10 credit year one Opportunity modules **Year two** **Core Modules** Data Essentials Object Oriented Programming Research Methods **Optional Modules** Introduction to Natural Language Processing Real-Time Systems Algorithms and Data Structures **Year three** **Core Modules** Advanced Programming Extended Independent Work **Optional Modules** Design Patterns Critical Systems Cloud Computing Data Science Knowledge-Based Systems in Artificial Intelligence

Assessment methods

At Buckinghamshire New University we like to foster an interactive and student-focused teaching style where we have a combination of formal lectures, tutorials, practical lab sessions, seminars and guest speakers to enhance the learning experience. We like to design our course to reflect the workplace so you will have the opportunity to carry out independent study, supported through distance learning technologies such as Blackboard, our Virtual Learning Environment. We will also provide reading lists and suggested resources to enhance independent study. You are more than a number at BNU, and we are here to support you through your education journey. We have in place regular contact hours with our tutors and provide you with informal feedback throughout the programme of study. Over the years of your course you will be assessed and graded in a multitude of ways to allow you to develop and expand on your abilities and skills. Assessments for the various modules will mostly take the form of practical coursework, lab tests and written exams, with the focus being on testing the practical application of the various concepts and techniques being conveyed.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£15,000
per year
International
£15,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Buckinghamshire New University

Department:

School of Creative And Digital Industries

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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.

75%
Computer science

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

75%
Staff make the subject interesting
75%
Staff are good at explaining things
85%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
80%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

71%
Library resources
53%
IT resources
68%
Course specific equipment and facilities
65%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

59%
UK students
41%
International students
80%
Male students
20%
Female students
60%
2:1 or above
30%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
D
D

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.

£20,000
low
Average annual salary
83%
low
Employed or in further education
60%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

33%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
15%
Information technology technicians
13%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

£22k

£22k

£21k

£21k

£26k

£26k

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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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

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:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here