BSc (Hons) Software Engineering
- UCAS code: G600
- Mode of study: Full time or sandwich with work placement
- Duration: 3 years full time, 4 years sandwich with work placement
- Entry requirements 2013: 260-300 points to include 160 points from a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent.
- Please see details of the range of other qualifications that will also be considered on the 'Entry Requirements' tab below. Please do contact us for advice on other qualifications that aren't listed here.
Find out more:
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 2555
Email: technology.admissions@port.ac.uk
Department: The School of Computing
Course overview
Software engineers are the people that create, support and analyse the computer applications and systems that we use today. They have a practical, creative and rewarding role that involves a great deal of technical knowledge, inventiveness and interaction with people. Our course will prepare you for a career in software systems development and management. You will be able to take an important role in producing novel and creative software solutions for a wide range of different applications.
This course will appeal to you if you have a broad interest in computers and their use in business, industry and science, and are intrigued by how complex software is constructed. The main themes of the course are based around how high-quality software can be engineered. You will study programming techniques, software engineering principles and practice, formal methods, some mathematics and database systems. You will be encouraged to put theory into practice, apply various software technologies to solve complex problems and generally engage with the technology.
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
The course is composed of a number of core and optional units. The core units allow you to gain the knowledge and abilities fundamental to the computing profession, and to develop specific software engineering skills. Optional units allow you to extend your study into specialist areas such as intelligence systems, web programming and computer graphics.
Year one
A number of general topics are covered in the first year to give you a base for development in subsequent years. These include:
- introductory programming
- computer architecture
- foundations of the web
- network fundamentals
- database design and development
Year two
In your second year you will cover a more focused range of themes. Your core study will include the units:
- software engineering processes
- data structures and algorithms
- advanced programming concepts
- mathematical foundations of software engineering
- human-computer interaction
You will also have the opportunity to specialise in particular areas of interest such as computer graphics and developing web-based systems.
Sandwich year (optional year in industry)
This year provides you with an opportunity to apply your newly acquired knowledge. It can be taken in the UK or overseas, with large corporations such as IBM or within smaller companies, and can be facilitated for you by our work placement office or arranged by yourself.
In addition, the University has a number of exchange schemes with other European countries. You will be paid a salary by your employer during the placement year and by the end of it your employment prospects will be significantly enhanced.
Final year
In your final year, you will study core and optional units that cover advanced topics including:
- developing reliable and secure systems
- advanced software engineering
- distributed systems and parallel programming
- neural networks and genetic algorithms
- fuzzy logic
- data warehousing and mining
You will also carry out an individual project, typically involving the development of a substantial software artefact. You will be supervised by a member of our staff and will draw upon the skills and knowledge developed in earlier stages of the course.
Teaching and assessment
The University of 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 University's academic staff also maintain close links with the world of work, both locally and further afield, ensuring that our courses reflect the current and future needs of commerce and industry. Furthermore, many of the units available are strongly research oriented and we have active research groups in a number of areas for example, artificial intelligence, parallel and distributed systems, and healthcare informatics.
You will be taught through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, laboratory sessions and project work. Lectures introduce the fundamental issues and concepts that are important to a unit and tutorials and practical classes will give you the chance to apply and discuss methods, techniques and theories. Practical experience is emphasised throughout the course and you will be encouraged to put your ideas into practice, solving problems using programming languages and software packages relating to the area of study.
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, practical projects, presentations and extended review articles.
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:
- Assistant Software Engineer at Accenture
- Software Developer at Gamma
- Software Engineer at Xerox
Types of placement roles that could be relevant to this course include:
- Software Engineer
- Software Developer
To find out more about how you can gain work experience whilst studying BSc (Hons) Software Engineering, please visit our Placements Office pages.
Graduate roles
This degree course will give you the skills to become a highly competent practitioner in software development. In other words, you will be able to implement, understand and effectively manage he software systems in most types of organisations.
Software engineering is a complex profession with many and varied skill areas. This course is very flexible and allows you to develop a broad skill base or specialise in a particular area. As a result, you will have the technical and communication skills needed for all aspects of today's dynamic computer industry. Skilled staff are always in demand from the multinationals down to the smallest computer companies.
Past graduates have found employment as software engineers, web developers and analyst programmers for software houses, communications companies, data warehouses and many other types of organisation.
Alternatively, you can continue your studies to Master's or Doctorate level, in subjects as interesting and varied as intelligent systems, computer security and forensic computing.
Facilities and features
You will have access to modern computing laboratories that are continually updated with the latest hardware and software, including multimedia applications. Knowledgeable staff are always on hand and the University offers a wealth of up-todate IT, computing and network resources including open access computer suites, wireless networking and intranet access from halls and from home.
The University Library is at the centre of academic life and is only a short walk away. Open from 8am until midnight every day during term-time, it provides a variety of information to help with study and research. It has also invested heavily in the purchase of electronic resources. There are over thousands of electronic journals and ebooks available, which can be accessed across campus, from home or wherever there is an internet connection.
Each student has an allocated personal tutor, as well as a course leader. In addition, academic and pastoral support is provided by a full range of dedicated student services including counselling, study skills, careers and recruitment, housing and finance. The School of Computing also offers its own drop-in Tutor Centre where a wide range of academic problems can be resolved one-to-one with a tutor.
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.