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Software Engineering with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


UCAS Tariff

32-56

A typical offer will require a UCAS Tariff score between 32 - 56. Every application is considered on an individual basis. For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our General Entry Requirements pages.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Software engineering

If you are looking to make an impression in the fast-paced IT world, studying a degree that provides you with a strong foundation in computing and an in-depth specialised knowledge in software engineering, this is a great place to start.

Working in the computing industry developing software is an exciting career that challenges you to use both analytical and creative skills and be at the forefront of the latest technological advances.

This course is offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme.

**Why study at BNU?**
This programme offers you the opportunity to gain a broader understanding and expertise in a range of areas. You’ll focus on the three key disciplines of large-scale software design, development, and delivery based on the up-to-date tools, techniques, and methodologies. You’ll explore all aspects of the software lifecycle, covering both the technical aspects addressing the activities of procurement, requirements capture, design, testing and maintenance, and the nontechnical aspects of project management, quality management and configuration management. Within this course, you will see how the successful combination of these essential elements will impact upon the current software crisis, by producing quality software systems on-time, within budget and fulfilling the customer’s needs.

This exciting course allows you to explore the diversity of modern software engineering, gaining the integral skills required for today’s industry workplace. We do not just teach in the classroom; you will increase your knowledge through involvement on real-life projects and gain hands-on experience of working either individually or in a software development team. You will also get opportunities to expand your knowledge both inside and outside of the lecture theatre. Students have previously visited sites of historical importance, including Bletchley Park, to learn more about the history of computing and how it impacted the world.

**Facilities**
You can learn on industry standard systems and software, meaning that you can make an easy transition from education into employment. We have a range of large labs, most filled with dual-screen, dual boot (Windows and Linux) systems. Latest industry standard software is also included on devices to allow you to develop your skills to what is needed in the workplace. We have numerous devices that will provide the basis for various supervised projects you will carry out across the programme. These include but are not limited to Virtual Reality headsets, 3D printers, Raspberry Pi microcomputers, EEG headsets.

**What will I study?**
During this course you will acquire skills in programming, building secure web and mobile applications and work on team-based software projects; whilst exploiting an agile development approach. You’ll learn how to develop highly dependable and reliable systems, within an object-oriented design approach, using a number of industry standard approaches, such as UML. In addition, you will gain an understanding of the process involved in managing the development of large-scale software projects. Furthermore, specialist modules allow you to explore the areas of artificial intelligence, media programming, real-time systems, cloud computing and security.

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.

Modules

**Foundation Year**
**Core**
Preparing for Success Knowledge and Creativity
Preparing for Success Self-development and Responsibility
Inquiry Based Learning
Digital Media
Computing Essentials

**Year one**
**Core**
Programming Concepts
Computer Architecture
Networks
Web
Computational Fundamentals

**Opportunity**
2 x 10 credit year one Opportunity modules

**Year two**
**Core**
Software Engineering
Object Orientated Analysis and Design
Research Methods

**Optional**
Object Orientated Programme
Agile Project Management
Algorithms and Data Structures
Data Essentials
Real-time Systems
Web Application Development
Computer Science

**Year three**
**Core**
Advanced Programming
Extended Independent work

**Optional**
Software Testing and QA
Design Patterns
Digital Innovation
Cloud Computing
Advanced Mobile
Critical Systems
Data Science
Network Security

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

Extra funding

Buckinghamshire New University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.bucks.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/financial-support-bursaries-and-scholarships

The Uni


Course location:

Buckinghamshire New University

Department:

School of Creative And Digital Industries

Read full university profile

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.

80%
Software engineering

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.

Software engineering

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
80%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
90%
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

70%
Library resources
56%
IT resources
89%
Course specific equipment and facilities
70%
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?

79%
UK students
21%
International students
94%
Male students
6%
Female students
60%
2:1 or above
30%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
D
B

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.

Software engineering

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

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
11%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
11%
Design occupations

A specialist subject, and not surprisingly graduates tend to go into software engineering roles or related. The degree classification students achieved made a particular difference last year — computing graduates with the best grades were much less likely to be out of work after six months and employers can even rate a good grade as important as work experience. Most students do get jobs, though, and starting salaries are good — particularly in London, where average starting salaries for good graduates were getting towards £38k last year. Be aware that at the moment, recruitment agencies are much the most common way for graduates from this degree to get their first job, so it may be worth getting in touch with a few specialist agencies in advance of graduation if you take this degree to get a foot in the door.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Software engineering

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 criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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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:

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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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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