Software Engineering with Foundation Year BSc(Hons)

In this module you explore and practice using the necessary mathematical tools and principles required for your first-year studies. You will begin with some basics in arithmetic, algebra, and trigonometry these will be followed rapidly by the more advanced areas of sets, matrices, vectors and calculus.

This module will allow you to consider some of the main areas of study within computing and information technology. You will develop knowledge and understanding of computer systems and the principles of computing (including programming), as well as how these are applied to the solution of problems in the real world.

Problem solving, whether by human or by a computer, demands an in-depth understanding of the strengths and weakness of its underlying process. Computational thinking underpins the core fundamentals of this process by incorporating problem description, decomposition, abstraction and ultimately realisation. This module introduces you to the theoretical foundation of computational thinking through a collection of problems with incrementally challenging complexity. You will then put these concepts into practice through the introduction of key programming principles. These all serve as a gateway into further study on core computer science subjects such as discrete mathematics, data structures and algorithms.

This module will provide you with fundamental knowledge of computer hardware and systems software. You will gain knowledge in the fundamentals of computer hardware ranging from basic digital logic to instruction sets and microarchitecture. The practical elements of this module will equip you with an ability to work with basic system software at a machine instruction-level.

This module introduces the core fundamental principles of computer networking. You will gain knowledge of the theoretical concepts of networking, such as addressing, switching and routing. Furthermore, you will be exposed to key issues, such as network security, along with typical techniques used to address these issues. In addition to the theoretical aspects of networking, you will plan, design and implement practical solutions using live or simulation tools.

Working as part of a team, this module aims to provide you with an understanding of hardware, software and industry best practices used by businesses. In your teams you’ll be supported in planning, designing and developing a prototype product. This experience has been designed to introduce you to the product development cycle, technology limitations and possible future developments.

This module aims to introduce you to the core programming concepts using procedural programming fundamentals. In addition, you will gain knowledge of variables, operators, and control flow including loops and branches, functions and data types.

This module aims to introduce you to fundamental programming concepts using an object-oriented programming approach. Additionally, you will gain knowledge of high-level notions of algorithms, data structures, and program testing and evaluation.

This module aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to design, implement and query a relational database. You’ll be supported in gaining an understanding of the functionality necessary to enable web pages to interact with a database. You’ll be given the opportunity to become familiar with web architectures and the design considerations necessary for implementing a database driven web application.

This module allows you to explore the programming language that underpins major operating systems, applications, the Internet and the World Wide Web. Throughout this module you’ll be supported in expanding on the procedural and object-based coding skills that you have developed so far. You’ll be given an introduction to 'C' programming leading into C++ programming with a push toward Objective-C. You’ll then be supported in building a client-server system where the client could be a smartphone, tablet or a desktop PC. Techniques for accessing Object Request Brokers and databases will be covered, and the concept of Design Patterns will be introduced.

In this module you will be supported in expanding your programming skills to cover a range of standard data structures (e.g. lists, trees and graphs) and algorithms (e.g. searching, sorting and traversals) for both sequential and concurrent systems. You will also study how to analyse systems in order to determine their complexity, correctness and safety, and to calculate their efficiency.

Can machines (in particular computers) be intelligent? And what does that mean precisely? These are the main questions that we try to answer in this module. We will explore how machines can achieve intelligent tasks in a variety of settings. In the first half of the module we consider settings with full observability and determinism, these are like laboratory conditions or puzzle games. In this setting, we will look at knowledge representation, problem solving, and planning. In the second half of the module the settings are relaxed, and we will study how to deal with the uncertainties that arise from this. In particular, we will see how to deal with opponents, with incomplete and/or uncertain information, and how intelligent agents can learn.

This module introduces fundamental concepts in computer and network security, enabling the identification of vulnerabilities and the selection and implementation of suitable mitigation technologies. Throughout this module you’ll learn about securing data through the use of cryptography, operating system security and multi-user environments, creating secure programs, state-of-the-art methods for identifying potential threats, and legal and ethical issues surrounding computer security. This module teaches a broad range of subjects and you will learn both essential theoretical and practical aspects of computer security. This knowledge is in demand by employees and the module will empower you to start to specialise in security. The module covers issues pertinent to industry such as how to maintain data security through using strong encryption, detecting complex security threats, and also in maintain compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In this module you will study the architectures of computer operating systems, including how they deal with resource allocation, management and security, in both single processor systems and multiple distributed processor systems (networks).

This module provides a detailed analysis of a range of techniques for the development of distributed and client-server systems architectures. You will indicatively explore remote method invocation, CORBA (Common Object Request Broker: Architecture and Specifications), web and cloud services. You will also examine some typical distributed systems, including distributed file systems, distributed databases, and other common architectures.

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.

This module aims to provide you with an understanding of computational perspectives of mathematics, with an emphasis on matrix methods and data modelling. You’ll be supported in developing the ability to use both analytical and numerical techniques for solving large systems of linear equations and in analysing the resulting algorithms in terms of robustness, performance, stability and accuracy. You’ll be encouraged to broaden your mathematical understanding by applying your knowledge to real-world problems in developing solutions to a range of computational challenges using industry standard software (such as Matlab).

Recent advances in information technology have facilitated massive collection of data in numerous areas, leading to major developments in data-driven Artificial Intelligence (AI) approaches. This module allows you to obtain a fundamental understanding of such approaches, particularly advanced machine learning techniques to construct intelligent systems capable to recognise, classify, or decide, among others. We will consider several widely known approaches, including deep learning, and investigate typical applications and potential limitations. You will learn which techniques are appropriate for which learning problem and their advantages and disadvantages. You will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge using industry standard tools and delve into high profile data-driven applications such as medical imaging and natural language processing.