Computing Science
MSc or PGDip or PGCert
Key facts
Start dates
September 2020
Location
Course length
Full time: MSc - 1 year (12 months); MSc with placement 2 years (24 months); PG Dip - 6 months; PG Cert - 3 months
Part time: MSc - 2 years; Msc with placement 3 years (36 months); PG Dip - 18 months (12 months study time); PG Cert - 6 months
Department
School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics
Accreditation(s)
The British Computer Society
Overview
If your first degree is not in computing but you want to move into IT then our BCS accredited MSc in Computing Science is ideal for you.
Our course is rooted in real-world and industry-relevant experiences. It provides the basis for starting a career in computing and IT. We will teach you the fundamentals of:
- programming
- hardware
- networks
- software engineering.
You will develop a sound knowledge of computer software development for a range of problem areas, such as:
- interactive websites
- stand-alone applications
- network systems.
Our teaching staff have extensive experience in research and university teaching. As well as a wide range of previous industrial and commercial backgrounds.
Due to the emphasis on software system construction and management, and data organisation, this qualification is applicable to a wide variety of fields concerned with using computers. As well as directly to the computer industry itself.
How to apply
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
You should normally hold a first degree equivalent to at least a British lower second-class bachelor's degree, in a non-computing subject. If your first degree contains only a small element of technical computing you can also be considered.
For entry to the Postgraduate Certificate Research Project you should provide evidence of experience in research and study methods at an appropriate level.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
If your first language is not English you will require a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 6.0 in all components.
OR
An equivalent English language qualification acceptable to the University.
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.
Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.
If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Application process
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
The full-time fees quoted are for the taught Year 1. Fees will be charged for the placement year in Year 2 and are available on request from finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk in May 2020. For approximate fee levels of the placement year see the placement fee above.
Financial support and scholarships
The Department of Computing and Communication Technologies awards a limited number of scholarships for its taught postgraduate programmes, which are awarded on a competitive basis to UK, EU and international postgraduates each year. Further information can be found at /ecm/courses/scholarships/
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course, if any, are detailed below.
Students on placement are responsible for living costs associated with their placement.
Learning and assessment
The MSc in Computing Science has a modular course unit design giving you flexibility and choice. To qualify you need to achieve credits depending on the level of award you are studying.
MSc in Computing Science
You need 180 credits including:
- six taught modules (20 credits each)
- dissertation (60 credits).
MSc in Computing Science with placement
You'll gain valuable workplace experience with a one year, industry work placement. Placements are not guaranteed but our dedicated placement team help you to find and apply for them.
You need 180 credits including:
- six taught modules (20 credits each)
- dissertation (60 credits)
- zero-credit placement module.
Postgraduate Diploma in Computing Science
You must achieve 120 credits (six taught modules, 20 credits each).
In some cases, it may be possible for you to do three 20 credit taught modules plus your dissertation (60 credits).
Postgraduate Certificate in Computing Science
You must achieve 60 credits (three taught modules, 20 credits each).
Study modules
The modules listed below are for the master's award. For the PGDip and PGCert awards your module choices may be different. Please contact us for more details.
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from that shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Learning and teaching
Lectures serve to provide a theoretical basis, while the practical sessions are used to strengthen your understanding by active involvement.
Coursework and projects form the basis for continuous assessment. Many of the modules are enriched by the teaching staff's research expertise. There are also visiting lecturers from research organisations and industry.
Research
The School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics is home to world-leading and award-winning research.
Our focus is on user-inspired original research with real-world applications. We have a wide range of activities from model-driven system design and empirical software engineering through to web technologies, cloud computing and big data, digital forensics and computer vision.
Staff and students collaborate on projects supported by the EPSRC, the EU, the DTI, and several major UK companies.
Computing achieved an excellent assessment of its UoA (Unit of Assessment) 11 return for REF 2014 (Research Excellence Framework).
Students on this course can be involved with research in the following research groups:
After you graduate
Career prospects
Our MSc students come from all over the world and graduate to follow careers in technical, business-related and creative roles. For example as:
- developers
- engineers
- IT managers
- web developers.
Whatever their interest, our graduates tell us that the relevance of our courses and the skills they've learnt enable them to achieve their goals and build their careers.
Programme Changes: On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website.
For more information, please visit our Changes to programmes page.