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Applied Computing (Top-up) BSc(Hons)

2025-26

Start date

22 September 2025

Duration

1 year full-time

Places available (subject to change)

20

About the course

Reasons to study

  1. Future proof - expand your network of contacts, who knows who you might meet that could impact your future career path.
  2. Enhance your employability - the course allows you to gain vital industry experience, via a work placement in the UK or abroad.
  3. Previous graduates from courses in this subject area have gone on to work in a variety of roles*(for organisations including BBC, West Yorkshire Police, Evri, Microsoft, BT, and Amazon UK. 

Computers are now ingrained into our society, and we rely on them for many of our daily tasks. The range of industries that are keen to employ qualified and skilled computing graduates is vast, and job roles can vary from software developer to database administrator, web developer or project manager. The top five job titles advertised in the UK for graduate roles associated with Computing courses are Embedded Software Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Java Developer, Solution Architect and Full Stack Developer.*

For those with good knowledge of computing, our Applied Computing Top-up degree could help you build on your skills. A one-year top-up course, candidates will be expected to have completed at least two years of university or higher education study in a related subject.

*Lightcast data – job postings from May 2022 to May 2023 showing jobs advertised associated with a selection of relevant graduate roles.

Why study Applied Computing (Top-up) BSc(Hons) at Huddersfield?

This course covers a range of vital topics, such as the development of database management systems and distributed and large-scale systems. You'll also have the chance to learn and apply artificial intelligence algorithms, or explore the different technologies that can support the use of information technologies (IT) in organisations.

Hone your problem-solving techniques and build transferable skills which will benefit you in the future. In addition to core modules, you can tailor your learning with an option module system to allow you to select topics that will suit your career choices in the future.

You will also have the opportunity to grow as a professional in the world of Computing and develop your research and abilities by undertaking an individual project as part of your course. This project aims to push you to work at your best and get under the surface of computing to find talents you didn’t know you had. At the end of the project you will have carried out a major piece of work that demonstrates your capabilities.

Course detail

Information Architecture

This module focuses on the way digital information can be organised to make the content more accessible and more easily understood by users. The module provides you with an introduction to the ways in which information can be organised and structured; for example using metadata, controlled vocabularies, ontologies and classification schemes primarily (but not exclusively) for the Web. Your studies focus on the way these technologies can support formal models of information seeking behaviour.

Software Architecture

Modern societies are highly dependent on complex, large-scale, software-intensive systems that increasingly operate within an environment of continuous availability, which are challenging to maintain, and evolve in response to changes in stakeholder requirements. The continual increase in the size and complexity of software systems has made software systems some of the most complex human-made systems ever created. As a result, a structured and systematic approach to design is essential for the success of software-based systems. Software architectures are fundamental to the development of technically sustainable, i.e., long-living, software systems, as they are the primary carrier of architecturally significant requirements (ASRs), such as performance, extensibility, maintainability, and influence how developers are able to understand, analyse, test, and evolve a software system. This module will introduce you to the fundamental concepts, core principles and practical skills of modern software architectures as a key activity within successful software engineering.

Individual Project

This module is driven by you. You are asked to select a problem to solve which is relevant to your degree, and of appropriate scope and depth to be tackled within a timeframe of 30 weeks. Carrying out the project enables you to develop and demonstrate your ability to undertake research, manage time, use your initiative, learn independently, discuss and write convincingly on a subject requiring independent learning. A supervisor will support you throughout your project. You’ll use your existing knowledge and be encouraged to acquire additional skills as you carry out your project. The aim of the project is to suggest a solution to an identified problem. Your final report should describe the aims, scope and motivation of the project, the research you have undertaken, and the technical solution provided, including justification for design and development decisions.

Entry requirements

A Foundation Degree or HND at Merit, or equivalent in Computing that must include substantial programming in an object oriented programming language, such as Java or C++.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

Computing


A tour of our Department of Computing facilities

Ever wondered how you will use our facilities as part of your course? Follow Isobel on a tour who explains all.

Our students

Your career


Previous graduates from courses in this subject area have gone on to work in a variety of roles such as software engineer, server and storage analyst, senior developer, research software development engineer, systems security engineer, IT Analyst and business analyst in organisations including BBC, West Yorkshire Police, Hermes, Microsoft, LLoyds, BT and Amazon UK.**

Additionally, you may gain skills that are transferable to other industries and may be able to pursue any career that requires a good honours degree. You could go on to further study and the University has many options available for postgraduate study (including postgraduate teacher training) and research which may interest you.

*85.9% of undergraduate graduates from the School of Computing and Engineering who are in work and/or further study within fifteen months of graduation (HESA Graduate Outcomes 20/21, UK domiciled graduates)

**Source: LinkedIn

85.9% Graduates employed

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

Research excellence

Research plays an important role in informing all our teaching and learning activities. Our aim is to research and develop new methods and technology in computer science that will have a real impact on global grand challenges in areas such as transport, health, security, and energy. Through research our staff remain up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, and contribute to society, which means you develop knowledge and skills that are current and highly relevant to industry. For more information, find out more about our Research institutes and centres.

Important information

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules:

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes:

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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