Students preparing for their graduation ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral

Computer Science (Consultancy) - BSc (Hons)

UCAS code G403

This is an archived page and for reference purposes only

2017

You can study our general Computer Science degree (where a subject focus is decided during the course of your study) or a themed degree where a specific focus (here, Consultancy) is decided at the time of enrolment and named in the degree title. See 
'Related to this course' below for our range of themed programmes.

Overview

Computer Science is an exciting and rapidly developing subject that offers excellent employment prospects and well-paid careers. At Kent, we teach you the fundamentals of computer science as well as giving you the opportunity to specialise in an area of your choice.

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. For details, see Computer Science (Consultancy) with a Year in Industry.

The Kent IT Consultancy option offers you 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 a National Teaching Fellow and authors of widely used textbooks. The award-winning Java teaching systems, BlueJ and Greenfoot were developed at Kent.

Independent rankings

Computer Science at Kent was ranked 12th for graduate prospects in The Complete University Guide 2017.

Of Computer Science students at Kent who graduated in 2015, 92% were in work or further study within six months (DLHE). Of those who went into employment, 95% found professional jobs.

Course structure

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.  

On most programmes, you study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also be able to take ‘wild’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.

Teaching and assessment

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

  • provide a programme that attracts and meets the needs of those contemplating a career in computing and those motivated primarily by an intellectual interest in computer science
  • be compatible with widening participation in higher education by offering a wide variety of entry routes
  • provide knowledge and understanding of the principles of computer science
  • provide computing skills that will be of lasting value in a field that is constantly changing 
  • offer a range of options so students can match their interests and study selected areas of computing in more depth
  • provide teaching informed by current research and scholarship, which requires students to engage with work at the frontiers of knowledge
  • develop general critical, analytical and problem-solving skills that can be applied in a range of computing and non-computing settings.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

  • hardware – the major functional components of a computer system
  • software – programming languages and practice; tools and packages; computer applications; structuring of data and information 
  • communication and interaction – basic computer communication network concepts; communication between computers and people; the control and operation of computers
  • practice – problem identification and analysis; design development, testing and evaluation.

Intellectual skills

You develop intellectual skills in:

  • modelling – knowledge and understanding of the modelling and design of computer-based systems including the trade-off involved in design choices
  • reflection and communication – presenting rational and reasoned arguments succinctly to a range of audiences
  • requirements – identifying and analysing criteria and specifications appropriate to specific problems and planning strategies for their solution
  • criteria evaluation and testing – analysing the extent to which a computer-based system meets the criteria defined for its current use and future development
  • methods and tools – deploying appropriate theory, practices and tools for the specification, design, implementation and evaluation of computer-based systems
  • professional responsibility – recognising and being guided by the professional, economic, social, environmental, moral and ethical issues involved in the sustainable exploitation of computer technology
  • computational thinking – demonstrating analytical ability and its relevance to everyday life. 

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in:

  • design and implementation – specifying, designing, and implementing computer-based systems
  • evaluation – evaluating systems in terms of general quality attributes and possible trade-offs
  • information management – applying the principles of effective information management, information organisation and information retrieval skills to information of various kinds, including text, images, sound, and video
  • tools – deploying the tools used for the construction and documentation of software, with particular emphasis on understanding the whole process involved in using computers to solve practical problems
  • operation – operating computing equipment and software systems effectively.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in:

  • teamwork – working effectively as a member of a development team
  • communication – making succinct presentations to a range of audiences about technical problems and their solutions
  • information technology – effective use of general IT facilities; information retrieval skills
  • numeracy and literacy – understanding and explaining the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of a problem
  • self management – managing your own learning and development, including time management and organisational skills
  • professional development – appreciating the need for continuing professional development.

Careers

Graduate destinations

Our high graduate employment rate speaks for itself. Recent graduates have gone on to work at:

  • Accenture
  • BT
  • Cisco
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • IBM
  • Intel
  • Lilly
  • Microsoft
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Oracle
  • Thomson Reuters
  • Siemens
  • T-Mobile.

Help finding a job

The University has a friendly Careers and Employability Service, which can give you advice on how to:

  • apply for jobs
  • write a good CV
  • perform well in interviews.

Work experience

You can gain commercial experience working as a student consultant within the Kent IT Consultancy. You can also gain teaching experience by taking the Computing in the Classroom module.

Career-enhancing skills

You graduate with a solid grounding in the fundamentals of computer science and a range of professional skills, including:

  • programming
  • modelling
  • design.

To help you appeal to employers, you also learn key transferable skills that are essential for all graduates. These include the ability to:

  • think critically
  • communicate your ideas and opinions
  • analyse situations and troubleshoot problems
  • work independently or as part of a team.

You can also gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.

Professional recognition

Our Computer Science degree has full Chartered IT Professional (CITP) accreditation from the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

Independent rankings

Of Computer Science students who graduated from Kent in 2015 and went into employment, 95% found professional jobs (DLHE).

According to Which? University (2017), the average starting salary for graduates of this degree is ‘high’ at £27,000.

Entry requirements

Home/EU students

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact us for further advice. 

It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.

New GCSE grades

If you’ve taken exams under the new GCSE grading system, please see our conversion table to convert your GCSE grades.

Qualification Typical offer/minimum requirement
A level

AAB

GCSE

Mathematics grade C

Access to HE Diploma

The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. 

If we make you an offer, you will need 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, Distinction

International Baccalaureate

34 points overall or 16 points at HL including Mathematics 5 at HL or SL, or Mathematics Studies 6 at SL

International students

The University welcomes applications from international students. Our international recruitment team can guide you on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country.

If you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes.

Meet our staff in your country

For more advise about applying to Kent, you can meet our staff at a range of international events. 

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. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme. 

General entry requirements

Please also see our general entry requirements.

Fees

The 2017/18 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.

UK/EU fee paying students

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

In accordance with changes announced by the UK Government, we are increasing our 2017/18 regulated full-time tuition fees for new and returning UK/EU fee paying undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses will also rise from £4,500 to £4,625. This was subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. This fee will ensure the continued provision of high-quality education.

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.* 

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

General additional costs

Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.

Funding

University funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details. 

Government funding

You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.

The Government has confirmed that EU students applying for university places in the 2017 to 2018 academic year will still have access to student funding support for the duration of their course.

Scholarships

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. The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

The scholarship is also extended to those who achieve AAB at A level (or specified equivalents) where one of the subjects is either Mathematics or a Modern Foreign Language. Please review the eligibility criteria.

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.