Students preparing for their graduation ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral

Computing (Consultancy) with a Year in Industry - BSc (Hons)

UCAS code G509

This is an archived page and for reference purposes only

2016

The Computing degrees give you the skills you need for the practical application of computing to areas typically found in industry. These include e-commerce, information systems, and computer consultancy. 

2016

Overview

Our Computing course can be studied as the Computing general degree, where a subject focus is decided during the course of the study, or as the themed degree, Computing (Consultancy), where the specific focus is decided at the time of enrolment and named in the degree title. The Business Information Technology degree incorporates much of the Computing course, but also includes business oriented modules.

Over half our students choose to do a Year in Industry. This gives you work experience, a salary and the possibility of a job with the same company after graduation. The Kent IT Consultancy option offers the opportunity to learn how to become an IT Consultant by providing computing support to local businesses while earning credits towards your degree.

The School of Computing is an internationally recognised Centre of Excellence for programming education, with 95% of our research judged to be of international quality. The School is also home to two National Teaching Fellows, authors of widely used textbooks and award-winning Java teaching systems such as BlueJ and Greenfoot.

Think Kent video series

Computers are very good at mechanical tasks but can they be creative? In this talk, Dr Anna Jordanous from the School of Computing looks at why we would want to study computers being creative and what we can learn from this work. Anna is based at the Medway campus and teaches at both Canterbury and Medway.

Independent rankings

In the National Student Survey 2015, 87% of School of Computing students were satisfied with the overall quality of their course.

The School of Computing at Kent is ranked 3rd in the UK for graduate prospects in The Guardian University Guide 2016, and, in the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey*, 96% of students had found employment or gone on to further study within six months of graduating in 2014.

*conducted by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Course structure

The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.  Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take ‘wild’ modules from other programmes offered by the University in order that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas of interest to you or that may further enhance your employability.

Year in industry

Spend a year working in an industrial or commercial environment between Stages 2 and 3.

Our students go to a wide range of companies including IBM, Intel, Disney and Morgan Stanley and have been to overseas employers in locations including Amsterdam, Hong Kong and the US. The Year in Industry forms an integral part of your degree and constitutes 10% of your final grade. Assessment comprises an employer evaluation, a reflective report and a logbook/portfolio.

Although it is your responsibility to find a suitable placement, the School of Computing’s dedicated Placement Team will help to identify suitable opportunities, assist with your application and prepare you for interviews.

To automatically progress onto the Year in Industry, you must pass Stage 2 at the first attempt. If you fail, you must pass the first resit opportunity in the August of the same year. Students who do not obtain a work placement will have their registration changed to the equivalent three-year programme without a Year in Industry.

Teaching and assessment

Most modules run for a single 12-week term, and usually include a combination of lectures, seminars, private study and practical sessions.

Teaching is based on lectures, with practical classes and seminars, but we are also introducing more innovative ways of teaching, such as virtual learning environments and work-based tuition. Work includes group projects, case studies and computer simulations, with a large-scale project of your own choice in the final year. Assessment is by a combination of coursework and end-of-year examination and details are shown in the module outlines on the web. Project modules are assessed wholly by coursework.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

  • attract those who have an interest in applied computing and those contemplating a career involving information technology
  • provide an understanding of the principles of applied computing 
  • provide general skills of lasting value in a constantly changing field
  • offer modules covering the foundations of information technology
  • offer options that enable students to study selected areas in depth
  • provide teaching informed by current research and scholarship
  • enable students to engage with aspects of the field that are at the frontiers of knowledge
  • develop critical, analytical and problem-solving skills that can be applied in a range of different settings.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

  • hardware: the functional components of a computer system
  • software: programming languages and practice; tools and packages; computer applications; structuring of data and information
  • communications and interaction: concepts of computer communication networks; communication between computers and people; the control and operation of computers
  • practice: problem identification and analysis; design development, testing and evaluation
  • organisations: their environment and their management with options to study the management of people, operations management, finance, marketing and organisational strategy
  • aspects of the subjects studied from the perspective of a commercial or industrial organisation.

Intellectual skills

You gain intellectual skills in:

  • modelling: the modelling and design of computer-based systems and an understanding of the trade-off involved in design choices.
  • reflection and communication: verbal and written discussion of key themes, the communication of project work to a range of audiences; presenting rational and reasoned arguments
  • requirements: the ability to identify and analyse criteria and specifications for specific problems and plan strategies for their solution
  • criteria evaluation and testing: the ability to analyse the extent to which a computer-based system meets the criteria defined for its current use and future development.
  • methods and tools: deploy appropriate theory, practices and tools for the specification, design, implementation and evaluation of computer-based systems.
  • professional responsibility: be guided by the professional, economic, social, environmental, moral and ethical issues involved in the sustainable exploitation of computer technology
  • computational thinking: demonstrate a basic analytical ability and its relevance to everyday life
  • critically evaluate arguments and evidence
  • analyse and draw reasoned conclusions concerning structured and unstructured problems
  • how to apply some of these skills within the context of a commercial or industrial organisation.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in:

  • design and implementation: how to specify, design and implement computer-based systems
  • evaluation: how to evaluate systems in terms of quality attributes and possible trade-offs presented within the given problem
  • information management: how to apply the principles of information management, organisation and retrieval
  • tools: how to deploy the tools used for the construction and documentation of software
  • how to apply some of these skills within the context of a commercial or industrial organisation.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in:

  • communication: the ability to make presentations to a range of audiences about technical problems and their solutions
  • information technology: effective information-retrieval skills (including the use of browsers, search engines and catalogues) and use of general IT facilities
  • self-management: managing one’s own learning and development including time management and organisational skills.

Careers

Graduates who have both IT knowledge and business skills can expect excellent career prospects. Our recent graduates now work at Accenture, Barclays Capital, BT, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Intel, KCC, Kent Police, Lilly, Microsoft, Oracle, Thomson Reuters, T-Mobile and Thales.

Entry requirements

Home/EU students

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.

Qualification Typical offer/minimum requirement
A level

ABB

GCSE

C in Mathematics

Access to HE Diploma

The University of Kent will not necessarily make conditional offers to all access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If an offer is made candidates will be required to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above.

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma)

Distinction, Distinction, Merit

International Baccalaureate

34 points overall or 16 at HL including Mathematics 4 at HL or SL

International students

The University receives applications from over 140 different nationalities and consequently will consider applications from prospective students offering a wide range of international qualifications. Our International Development Office will be happy to advise prospective students on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about our country-specific requirements.

Please note that if you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes through Kent International Pathways.

English Language Requirements

Please see our English language entry requirements web page.

Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.

General entry requirements

Please also see our general entry requirements.

Fees

The 2016/17 annual tuition fees for this programme are:

UK/EU Overseas
Full-time

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.

The University of Kent is currently considering whether to increase its regulated full-time tuition fees for all returning Home and EU undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250 in September 2017. This would be subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses might also rise by 2.8%.

For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk

UK/EU/International students on an approved Year Abroad for the full 2016/17 academic year pay an annual fee of £1,350 to Kent for that year. Those on an approved Year in Industry pay an annual fee of £865 to Kent for that year. Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.

Funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Details of our proposed funding opportunities for 2016 entry can be found on our funding page.  

General scholarships

Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. For 2016 entry, the scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our scholarships pages. Please review the eligibility criteria on that page. 

The Key Information Set (KIS) data is compiled by UNISTATS and draws from a variety of sources which includes the National Student Survey and the Higher Education Statistical Agency. The data for assessment and contact hours is compiled from the most populous modules (to the total of 120 credits for an academic session) for this particular degree programme. Depending on module selection, there may be some variation between the KIS data and an individual's experience. For further information on how the KIS data is compiled please see the UNISTATS website.

If you have any queries about a particular programme, please contact information@kent.ac.uk.