Course overview

This course takes a multi-faceted approach to the field of computing. It enables students to develop a broad knowledgebase in the early stages of study and as they continue through the course they are encouraged to develop their own interest through various specialised pathways such as web development, project management, information management and programming. If you already have a suitable qualification such as an HND in Computing you can still join us at a later stage of the course.

If you look at the word ‘compute’ in its literal sense it means calculating or working out. That is exactly what is required when you get involved in the world of computing. The systems we use all have to be created. Someone, somewhere has to have the idea, work out its requirements and build it, while ensuring the system still does what we want it to do. Computing is the discipline which makes that happen, from system analysis and design through to systems development. It’s a language that keeps our society communicating in the global world.

As computing is a complex profession with many career routes, this course allows you to select your own study pathway according to your aspirations and interests, offering you a wide range of personal choice in terms of the topics you decide to study. This means that you can begin the course without yet deciding on a particular career specialism; you can develop this as you progress through the course. Teaching is very much based on engineering principles and has a strong practical basis which is built on theory.

If you have the ability to think logically, systematically and creatively you have the ideal attributes for this course. You should have an interest in computers and a curiosity regarding IT systems and how we use them. You are probably also keen to know how computer systems are created and the steps involved in going from the initial idea for a computer application, through to the generation of a useful working system.

Career focused

The entrance criteria of this degree have been designed to comply with the requirements of the major computing graduate programmes. Competent students can have the opportunity to apply their skills to real-life practical problems as part of the department’s partnership scheme with charities, local and global organisations. Please view the 'Career prospects' section for further details.

To find out more about placement opportunities in the Faculty of Technology, please visit our Placements Office pages.

Professional accreditation

Accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS), this degree 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

Core units ensure you develop the key skills in software engineering, systems analysis and design that you need as a computing professional. A wide variety of specialist options, from artificial intelligence, data mining and computer animation through to ecommerce and project management, will allow you to specialise in areas of personal interest.

In addition, you will also have the chance to study a foreign language through our electives programme and your final-year project will give you the opportunity to demonstrate your newly acquired skills. All of these come together to make a varied and interesting study path, geared specifically to the demands of today’s fast moving IT market.

Year one

In the first year the course introduces you to the central skills and topics you will need as a computing professional. Our first year is common to a number of our other courses; this provision enables you to ensure you are on the right course, while building the foundations for future specialist areas at more advanced stages in the course. Embedded in these are topics such as employability, where you will be taught how to apply for a placement year or further employment. These foundation areas include a broad spectrum of topics such as:

• Information systems, which introduces organisational needs and provides you with the opportunity to use systems analysis and design tools and techniques in a practical way by developing database systems.
• Computer architecture, which investigates the hardware and software of a computer system.
• Network communication, which provides the opportunity to get hands-on experience of building small networks together with the simulation of more complex infrastructures.
• Computer programming, where you will gain experience of both Python and Java.
• Web authoring and design of interactive web pages using a number of different tools, both industry standard and open source.

Year two

In year two, you will start to define your specialist area through a range of options where you will get the opportunity to select a specialist pathway which will lead you into your final year. These will include areas such as ecommerce, project management, advanced programming, web development and systems analysis. Core units concentrate on the key topics and continue to build on your first year experience with software engineering, more advanced database development using Oracle/db2, advanced communication architectures and business information security. The course also introduces the concept of usability and accessibility, which is based around systems design and interface issues.

Sandwich year (optional year in industry)

You can opt to do a placement year before continuing to your final year of study. Placements in a wide range of organisations will show you how things are done in the real world and why some of the more academic knowledge you gain is crucial. The University can help you find employment with a range of commercial and public sector companies, plus it has exchange schemes with a number of European countries.

A placement year can significantly enhance your job prospects and your employer pays you a salary during the placement.

Final year

During this year you will consolidate your skills. Having decided what part of the computing profession interests you the most, you will now concentrate your study on specialised areas at a more advanced level. You will also complete a project and two other core units, which will allow you to build on the skills you developed in year two. These units encompass advanced networks, incorporating both the wireless and optical infrastructures looking at new developments in the communications world, to investigating how users interact with technology, whether a new device or piece of software.

The project provides the opportunity for you to consolidate all your learning and research techniques to analyse, design, build and evaluate your own work. The numerous options available to choose from include such areas as neural networks and genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic, educational computing, computer animation and database systems.

Teaching and assessment

By coming to Portsmouth you will experience a lively and modern learning environment with a mixture of lectures, tutorials, laboratory and project work. Lecture classes can be large and in the first year you will have about 12 hours of this type of contact every week. Further time is spent in small group seminars and tutorials. Small group work gives you plenty of opportunity to get individual help in those areas in which you would like to know more or are perhaps experiencing some difficulty. Some course material will also be provided via the internet so that you can work at your own pace and from any location. Staff are generally accessible outside of taught session time if additional support is required.

Assessment is geared towards the subject matter in a way that encourages a deeper understanding and allows you to develop your skills. It takes many forms, from examinations, multiple choice tests, essays and portfolio work, to mini projects, seminars, presentations, case studies or blogs.

You will be supported by your own Personal Tutor who will follow your progress right through to graduation. They are there for day-to-day pastoral advice and guidance throughout your course. In year three when you commence your project you will be provided with a Project Supervisor who will guide you through the whole project experience. Generally, where possible, they will be a specialist in the area of your project interest. The School of Computing also has a Tutor Centre where students can just drop in for both academic and pastoral support. It provides a study area and support on many different issues and runs workshops on areas such as programming and project development. Staff within the School of Computing are student-centred and available to support you through your time with us.

Career prospects

Placement opportunities

In the Faculty of Technology we feel that students should be given as many opportunities as possible to gain meaningful work experience and build employability skills throughout their studies to make them more attractive to future employers.

Working with other University services, the Faculty’s Student Placement and Employability Centre (SPEC) ensure students have access to a range of volunteering and work experience opportunities, including year-long industrial placements, and provide support for the different types of application processes.

Examples of roles our students have taken up as placement roles include:

• IT Service Desk at Kelway
• Website Developer/ Designer at @UKPlc
• Player Support Representative at Jagex

Types of placement roles that could be relevant to this course include:

• Classroom IT Support Technician
• Marketing Software Developer, Production, Test and Technical Support Engineer

To find out more about how you can gain work experience whilst studying BSc (Hons) Computing, please visit our Placements Office pages.

Graduate roles

On graduating from this degree you will be equipped with all the skills needed to pursue a career in this rapidly-evolving and dynamic industry – systems design and analysis, commercial or scientific systems development, or other related computer work.

Students who have studied this degree have gained employment in varied fields of the computing industry or continued with further study. Recently graduates have gained employment as IT managers, network design consultants, first response helpdesks, database administration managers and web development roles to name but a few. Some have gained teaching qualifications specialising in IT. Others have continued their study at both MSc and PhD levels, specialising further in areas such as health informatics, forensic IT and networking.

Facilities and features

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. 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, ensuring that the programmes reflect the current and future needs of commerce and industry.

Many of the specialist units available are strongly research-orientated and we have active research groups in a number of areas, for example intelligent systems, human computer interaction, computer aided learning, multimedia and internet applications, medical applications of IT and distributed systems. You will often be taught by active researchers in these fields.

Tutor Centre

The School of Computing Tutor Centre provides friendly, one-to-one academic support for all School of Computing students. If you need help understanding your assessments, or with a wide range of subjects (programming, networks, systems analysis, databases, web apps), or if you want to talk to someone about your project or about any other academic issues (revision, referral, improving your marks), please come and see us. Appointments not necessary.

Maths Café

The Maths Café is a daily drop-in facility, where ANY student of the University can receive help on any maths or statistics problem they encounter in their studies. We operate in a friendly, informal location which we hope will encourage students to visit us. Handouts on key topics are available to take away. Students can be shown how to use computer aided learning packages, which can be accessed from any computer attached to the University's computer network.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BSc (Hons) Computing for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).