Course overview

The course is aimed at those who wish to pursue careers as professional software engineers within information systems environments and/or undertake further research in the field. You will acquire knowledge and skills in the key areas of existing and emerging software techniques against competitive software market need, and you will develop a holistic view, so that you are able to understand that success comes from integrating several software technologies against a defined system need.

Topics on this course are oriented toward working with modern software technologies within realistic development environments. The main subject areas covered are:

• advanced programming
• project management
• web and mobile application development
• requirements engineering
• formal methods

Portsmouth has a reputation for providing a supportive and friendly atmosphere in which its students can quickly settle and enjoy their studies. Programmes offer many individual subject choices, which allow you to tailor your programme to your individual strengths and interests. Staff are very experienced in providing support to students. Help and guidance is readily available through a strong system of personal and subject tutors.

By coming to Portsmouth you will experience a lively and modern learning environment with lectures, tutorials and web-based learning sessions. Portsmouth has a long and distinguished record of running very successful degree courses and prides itself on working at the leading edge of technology and learning methods.

The School of Computing runs a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Computing. The staff of more than 40 full and part time academics and researchers are active in many subject areas, including medical informatics, educational technology, networking, digital forensic investigation, and bring their enthusiasm for their subjects to their teaching. The School has computing labs for teaching, and a number of specialist labs for particular subject areas. Postgraduate students benefit from their own small lab, and common room.

Professional accreditation

This course is accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS), which will enable you to gain Chartered IT Professional status and carries exemptions from the professional examinations needed to gain Chartered Engineer and Chartered Scientist status.

Course content

The full-time course runs from September to September and consists of a taught programme from September to June and a project that is undertaken in the summer period, from June to September. The part-time mode runs over three years, with the taught programme being delivered over the first two years and followed by a project year.

The course is made up of units to a total of 180 Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CATS) points. The taught element consists of 120 credits taught in units rated at 30 credits each. The project unit is rated at 60 credits. You will take four taught units:

• Advanced Programming Skills for the Web: you will learn a number of advanced system development skills, focusing on how they can be applied to the development of web applications.
• Software Project Management: this unit covers the process and managerial issues of producing complex software.
• Formal Approaches to Software Development: rigorous approaches to requirements engineering, system specification and system development will be explored and applied in this unit.
• Mobile Application Design and Development: this unit aims to give you the knowledge and skills required to design, implement and evaluate applications for mobile computing devices.

You will also undertake a substantial project where you will apply the skills and knowledge from the taught part of the course to a practical software engineering problem, often supplied by local businesses or other external clients.

Teaching and assessment

You will be taught using a combination of formal lectures, tutorials and lab sessions. In addition to these scheduled activities, each unit requires significant time to be spent in private study, which may involve additional software development or private study as appropriate to the unit.

You will encounter a range of assessment depending on the content and nature of the unit. This will almost certainly include coursework, supervised work sessions (day-long assessments, generally comprising both a group element and an individual section), examinations and at least one presentation. The most significant assessment element is the final dissertation, which reports and reflects on the project undertaken during the latter stages of the course.

You will have a personal tutor who can help with any other personal or academic problems should they arise and access to the School's Tutor Centre, which provides ad hoc support.

Career prospects

The effective use of software engineering is increasingly seen as vital to industry and commerce. Graduates from the course can expect to find employment in software development, either at the systems or application levels, where high-level professional skills are a prime requirement.

Graduates may expect to work as software professionals in corporate settings on modern computer and network installations. Alternatively, there are many opportunities to work in specialist software houses working, for example, in the rapidly growing area of mobile or hand-held devices.

Facilities and features

You will have easy access to a wide range of powerful and modern multimedia computers and associated hardware, equipped with the latest software, as well as day-to-day contact with knowledgeable, enthusiastic and highly motivated staff. In addition, academic staff maintain close links with the world of work, both in Portsmouth and further afield. These links ensure that our programmes reflect the current and future needs of commerce and industry.

You will also have access to many online library resources, including ebooks, journals and interlibrary loans. The School also subscribes to the Association of Computer Machinery (ACM) Digital Library, which will give you access to full text articles from leading computing and computer science journals.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for MSc Software Engineering are shown above, for more detailed information please contact:

Department: The School of Computing
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 2555
Email: technology.admissions@port.ac.uk