BSc in Computing and Information Technology
Birmingham City University
Key Information
Campus location
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 9,250 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* UK students: £9,250 per year | international students: £13,980 per year
Scholarships
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Introduction
The multidisciplinary BSc(Hons) Computing and Information Technology degree will equip you with the technical and managerial skills you will need to embark on a successful IT career. You will use industry-standard equipment and labs and have the chance to put your academic learning into practice during an optional placement year, all of which will prepare you for a computing career with a range of companies. We are also an academy with leading industry names such as Microsoft, Cisco and the Linux Professional Institute providing access to additional industry certifications during your course. Your curriculum is supported by a range of leading industry partners to ensure it continues to be relevant and employment focused.
Throughout your computing degree, you will be supported by expert teaching staff, many of whom have worked in the field of computing, are active in transformational research and are continually innovating with industry partners to achieve success.
What's covered in this course?
This course is for you if you want to combine a highly rigorous academic qualification with real-life practical work experiences, enabling you to put your learning into innovative practice.
You'll be based at our City Centre Campus, where you'll use dedicated, industry-standard facilities to research and work on enterprise software and virtual environments to develop business solutions and real-time systems.
You will develop the strategic mindset to address global challenges; the kind that businesses and communities face on a day-to-day basis to maintain their digital infrastructure. You'll have access to virtual learning environments, as well as networking, electronic, enterprise systems and business intelligence laboratories.
We are preparing you for the workplace. You'll learn computing and information technology skills that are needed to design, develop, operate and maintain effective systems. Your knowledge of the application of computing to provide IT solutions will evolve on a daily basis, and we will ensure you are able to innovate in order to deliver business value and sustainable solutions.
Studying computing with us puts you at the heart of an exciting, innovative community. Part of your first-year assessment will involve taking part in our annual Innovation Fest, where students get together to solve society’s problems with creative technology. Previous projects have included medical assistance drones, accessible gaming controllers, and smart housing solutions. The event brings together students, academics and industry guests, so it’s a great way to have fun, build experience and network, and win prizes!
It's not just about academic and technical knowledge – we'll also help to develop your personal skills so that you can work effectively as a team member and problem-solve at the highest level. This will not only enhance your employability levels but will also make you stand out from the crowd.
Throughout your computing degree, you'll be supported by expert teaching staff, many of whom have worked in the field, are active in research and are continually innovating with the industry.
Professional placement year
This course offers a professional placement year. This allows you to spend a whole year with an employer, between the second and third years of your degree and is a great way to find out more about your chosen career. Some students even return to the same employers after completing their studies.
The University will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. If you do not find a suitable placement, you will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
Please note that fees are payable during your placement year, equivalent to 20% of the total full-time course fee for that year (£1,850 for UK students).
Why choose us?
- Brand new facilities at STEAMhouse - This £70 million state-of-the-art building will become the new home for the School of Computing and Digital Technology in 2022. Based at our expanding City Centre Campus, this unique centre will give you access to outstanding facilities and teaching spaces, as well as opportunities to collaborate with people and businesses across multiple sectors and work on real industry-based projects
- 94% of students are satisfied with this course (NSS 2022)
- Accredited course - This course is accredited with Partial CEng by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
- Top 5 for Information Technology and Systems student satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2023)
- Gain professional body qualifications - Work towards Microsoft, Cisco, Linux and Oracle certificates
- Strong partnerships with industry - Including Microsoft, DELL-EMC, IBM, Co-Op, Santander UK, Conway Packaging Services (CPS)
Gallery
Curriculum
Year One
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 120 credits).
- Applied Operating Systems
- Computer Systems
- Network Fundamentals
- Innovation Project
- Computational Thinking & Professional Development
- Introduction to Programming
Year Two
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 120 credits).
- Networking Technologies
- Enterprise Practice Project
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Server Systems
- Database Systems Development
- Applied Programming
Professional Placement Year (Optional)
In order to qualify for the award of BSc (Hons) Computing and Information Technology with Professional Placement Year or Integrated Masters of Science Computing and Information Technology with Professional Placement Year, a student must successfully complete all of the modules listed as well as the following Level 5 module.
- Professional Placement Year
Final Year
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 120 credits).
- Consultancy and IT Management
- Business Systems Solutions
- Application Solutions Development
- DevOps and Enterprise Automation
- Individual Honours Project
Career Opportunities
Enhancing your employability skills
Our course is designed to equip you with in-depth, first-hand practical expertise as well as provide a rigorous academic understanding of your subject.
It is this combination that will help you to stand out when you look to enter the workplace and why our graduates are very highly sought-after.
We maintain very close links with business and industry to ensure that your studies are always relevant, up-to-date and meet the exact needs of the current marketplace.
You'll develop key academic and technical skills that will demonstrate your ability to understand concepts, principles and theories of complex network technologies, and that will show your understanding of how ICT infrastructure systems for business are designed and implemented.
Recent graduates have gone on to work with first-class organisations such as Hewlett Packard, Bell Microsystems, BT, Cisco, Deloitte, Ericsson, Philips, IBM, Intel, Siemens, Nokia and Capgemini.
Placements
You will have the opportunity for work-based learning, either in the form of a professional or innovation project. This is a negotiated competitive placement pathway in the second year where you will be able complete 60 credit modules whilst employed or starting up a business.
We aim to have you employer-ready by the time you graduate, and as part of your course, you have the option of undertaking an industrial placement after the second year of study.
If you decide to do this, it will extend the duration of your BSc (Hons) course to four years.
Thanks to our excellent partnerships and working relationships with some of the UK's leading companies, you have the chance of undertaking a high-quality industrial placement with leading organisations such as the Bank of England, Cisco Systems, IBM, 3M, Airbus or CapGemini.
Placements will also provide you with an opportunity to develop your practical expertise, earn money and try out a potential career path.