Software Engineering with a Foundation Year
Entry requirements
A level
BBB (any A Level); BBC including Maths and at least one of Physics, Chemistry or Biology
Access to HE Diploma
Award of Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject, with 45 credits at Level 3, including 24 at Distinction (to include 12 Maths units), and 21 at Merit + GCSE Maths grade 7/A
GCSE/National 4/National 5
If you are studying both Maths and a science (Physics, Chemistry or Biology) at A Level or equivalent, we have no additional GCSE requirements. If you are studying any other subject combination, we require GCSE Science grade 6/B and Maths grade 7/A.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
32 (any subjects); 31, with Maths and at least one of Physics, Chemistry or Biology at either Higher Level 5 or Standard Level 7
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H2,H2,H2,H3,H3,H3-H2,H2,H3,H3,H3,H3
H2 H2 H2 H3 H3 H3 (any subjects); H2 H2 H3 H3 H3 H3 including Maths and at least one of Physics, Chemistry or Biology
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
in Engineering or IT + A at A Level (no STEM at A Level) + GCSE Science grade 6/B and Maths grade 7/A; DD in Engineering or IT + B in an A Level science subject (Physics, Chemistry or Biology) + GCSE Maths grade 7/A; DD in Engineering or IT + C in A Level Maths + GCSE Science grade 6/B
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
in Engineering or IT + GCSE Science grade 6/B and Maths grade 7/A
Scottish Higher
A,A,B,B,B-A,B,B,B,B
AABBB (any subjects); ABBBB including Maths and at least one of Physics, Chemistry or Biology
T Level
The Digital Production, Design and Development T Level is acceptable with Distinction overall and B in the core component + GCSE Science grade 6/B and Maths grade 7/A
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
+ BB at A Level (any subjects); B + BC in Maths and either Physics, Chemistry or Biology at A Level
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
If you want to study software engineering but don't meet our standard entry requirements, our foundation year could be for you.
You'll learn the fundamentals of maths, physics and engineering in a variety of innovative ways to prepare you for your degree.
Our software engineering degree focuses on the art of engineering complex software systems. The course not only teaches you state-of-the-art software design and programming technologies, but also lets you practise your skills in project management, teamwork and working with customers - skills expected by employers.
You'll get a solid grounding in the fundamentals of computer science and the opportunity to explore aspects of artificial intelligence. In the second year, you'll develop software for real companies. In the third year you'll carry out an individual research project, giving you scope for creative and intellectual input.
**The BEng course is accredited by the British Computer Society. The courses fully meet the requirements for Chartered Information Technology Professional and partially meet the requirements for Chartered Engineer.**
**The MEng courses is accredited by the British Computer Society. The courses fully meet the requirements for Chartered Information Technology Professional and Chartered Engineer.**
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Sheffield
Interdisciplinary Programmes in Engineering
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.
Software engineering
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.
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
£30k
£37k
£39k
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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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?
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