Computing

Computer Science for Health with a Year in Industry - BSc (Hons)

UCAS code I101:K

This is an archived page and for reference purposes only

2019

Computer Science is an exciting and rapidly evolving subject that offers excellent employment prospects and well-paid careers. Taught by acknowledged experts, this programme allows you to explore the subject’s fascinating growth as it relates to health and well-being, while developing a thorough understanding of current practice in computer science. You have the opportunity to put your skills into practice on a paid year in industry. 

Overview

You learn the skills to participate in the healthcare technology revolution, apply your expertise in assistive technology projects, develop the next generation of fitness tracking apps or contribute to future NHS software systems. The knowledge you gain in core fundamentals will also open doors to careers across the entire span of computer science disciplines.

Our programmes are taught by leading researchers who are experts in their fields. The School of Computing at Kent is home to several authors of leading textbooks, a National Teaching Fellow, an IET (Institute of Engineering and Technology) Fellow and two Association of Computer Machinery (ACM) award-winning scientists. Kent was awarded gold, the highest rating, in the UK Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework*.


Our degree programme

Our programme focuses on the technical aspects of computer science. You learn how to develop software, program mobile devices and discover the underlying protocols on which the internet runs. Specialist modules cover human physiology and sensing, advanced topics in eHealth, mobile fitness and health computing.

The first language you learn is Java, the standard programming language for many mobile devices and widely used in industry. Other areas covered include software engineering, network technology and human-computer interaction.

You study a broad range of compulsory modules in your first and second years, which prepare you for either a year in industry followed by a final year of study, or direct entry to the final year. In your final year, you select from a wide variety of options taught by acknowledged experts on cutting-edge computer science topics.

There is a continual emphasis on health-related computing which includes mobile devices, health and fitness tracking, analysis of human measurements and data, understanding of back-end IT infrastructure, front-end web-based and mobile applications, data security, and human-centric computing.

We also offer modules that allow you to gain practical experience. On our Kent IT Consultancy option, you learn how to become an IT consultant, providing computing support to local organisations and businesses while earning credits towards your degree.

Year in industry

Your year in industry takes place between your second and final years. Our students go to a wide range of companies including:

  • IBM 
  • Intel
  • Disney
  • Morgan Stanley.

They have also been to overseas employers in locations including Amsterdam, Hong Kong and the US. 

You can take this programme as a three year degree with no year in industry. For more information please see Computer Science for Health.

Extra activities

Apart from core learning towards your degree, we provide access to a wealth of other activities such as entrepreneurship (including business start-up opportunities), community engagement, public lectures, participation in short research projects and assistance in obtaining summer placements.

The School of Computing also hosts events that you are welcome to attend. These include our successful seminar programme where guest speakers from academia and industry discuss current developments in the field. 

Professional networks

Our programmes are informed by a stakeholder panel of industry experts who give feedback on the skills that employers require from a modern workforce.

Our two dedicated placement co-ordinators help students obtain and benefit from high-quality work placements. Previous year in industry participants have worked with leading companies such as BAE Systems, Citigroup and The Walt Disney Company. Many return to their final year with the security of an employment offer – testament to the high esteem in which our graduates are held by industry.

We also have a dedicated Employability Coordinator who is the first point of contact for students and employers.


*The University of Kent's Statement of Findings can be found here.

Independent rankings

Computer Science at Kent scored 92.1 out of 100 in The Complete University Guide 2019.

For graduate prospects, Computer Science at Kent scored 92% in The Guardian University Guide 2019, over 91% in The Times Good University Guide 2019 and 93 out of 100 in The Complete University Guide 2019.

Of Computer Science students who graduated from Kent in 2017 and completed a national survey, over 92% were in professional work or further study within six months (DLHE).

Teaching Excellence Framework

All University of Kent courses are regulated by the Office for Students.

Based on the evidence available, the TEF Panel judged that the University of Kent delivers consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality found in the UK.

Please see the University of Kent's Statement of Findings for more information.

TEF Gold logo

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 ‘elective’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.

Year in industry

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

Teaching

Within the School of Computing are authors of widely used textbooks, a National Teaching Fellow and Association of Computer Machinery (ACM) Award-winning scientists. Programmes are taught by leading researchers who are experts in their fields.

Overall workload

Each stage comprises eight modules. Each module has two lectures and one to two hours of classes, making 14 formal contact hours per week and eight hours of 'homework club' drop-in sessions each term.

Academic support

We provide excellent support for you throughout your time at Kent. This includes access to web-based information systems, podcasts and web forums for students who can benefit from extra help. We use innovative teaching methodologies, including BlueJ and LEGO© Mindstorms for teaching Java programming.

Teaching staff

Our staff have written internationally acclaimed textbooks for learning programming, which have been translated into eight languages and are used worldwide. A member of staff has received the SIGCSE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education. The award is made by ACM, the world's largest educational and scientific computing society.

Assessment

The marks from stage one do not go towards your final degree grade, but you must pass to continue to stage two. 

Most stage two modules are assessed by coursework and end-of-year examination. Marks from stage two count towards your degree result. You must pass stage two to go on your year in industry.

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.

Most stage three modules are assessed by a combination of coursework and end-of-year examination. Projects are assessed by your contribution to the final project, the final report, and oral presentation and viva examination. Marks from stage three count towards your degree result.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

In stage three your project counts for 25% of the year's marks.

Contact Hours

For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours.  The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

The progrmame aims to:

  • Provide a programme that will attract and meet the needs of both those contemplating a career in computing and those motivated primarily by an interest in Computer Science and its application to Health.
  • Be compatible with widening participation in higher education by offering a wide variety of entry routes.
  • Provide sound knowledge and systematic understanding of the principles of Computer Science.
  • Familiarise students with the rapidly evolving landscape of technologies and applications of Computer Science to areas that include modern medicine, health and sport, data mining, data handling and health data analytics.
  • Provide a fundamental computing skillset that will be of lasting value in a field that is constantly changing, and will act as a firm foundation for future learning.
  • Offer a range of options to enable students to match their interests and study some of the many aspects of health-related computing in greater depth.
  • Provide teaching which is informed by current research and scholarship in the field, which requires students to engage with aspects of work at the forefront of current research and development.
  • Develop general critical, analytical and problem solving skills that can be applied as best practice in context of their specialisation.
  • Prepare students for a successful and productive career as computer scientists and software engineers working to advance the application of computing in Health.

The year in industry additionally aim to:

  • Provide relevant work experience. 
  • Provide an opportunity to develop knowledge understanding and skills of relevance to Computer Science within an industrial or commercial organisation, preferably also of relevance to their specialisation.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain a knowledge and understanding of:

  • Hardware: the major functional components of a computer system.
  • Software: programming languages and practise; 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 CO 
  • Practise: problem identification and analysis; design development, testing and evaluation. 
  • An understanding of the scientific method and its applications to problem solving in this area.
  • Domain specific knowledge in Health: Understand the landscape of modern medicine, health and sport, and the potential for applications of Computer Science in these contexts.
  • Computer applications with emphasis on software for modern medicine, health and sport; structuring of data and information for Health applications.
  • Communication between computers and health service users and practitioners; the control and operation of computers and mobile platforms for Health.

Year in Industry programmes:

  • Aspects of the core subject areas from the perspective of a commercial or industrial organisation.

Intellectual skills

You gain the following intellectual skills:

  • Modelling: knowledge and understanding in the modelling and design of computer-based systems in a way that demonstrates comprehension of the trade-off involved in design choices. 
  • Reflection and communication: present succinctly to a range of audiences rational and reasoned arguments.
  • Requirements: Identify and analyse criteria and specifications appropriate to specific problems and plan strategies for their solution. 
  • Criteria evaluation and testing: 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: Recognise and 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.
  • Apply some of the intellectual skills specified for the programme from the perspective of a commercial or industrial organisation.

Subject-specific skills

You gain the following subject-specific skills:

  • Design and implementation: Specify, design, and implement reliable secure and usable computer-based systems.
  • Evaluation: Evaluate systems in terms of general quality attributes and possible trade-offs presented within the given problem. 
  • Information management: Apply the principles of effective information management, information organisation, and information-retrieval skills to information of various kinds, including text, images, sound, and video.
  • Tools: Deploy effectively 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: Operate computing equipment and software systems effectively. 
  • The ability to plan and manage projects to deliver computing systems within the constraints of requirements, timescale and budget.
  • The ability to recognise any risks and safety aspects that may be involved in the deployment of computing systems within a given context.
  • The ability to critically evaluate and analyse complex problems, argument and evidence, including those with incomplete information, and devise appropriate computing solutions, within the constraints of a budget.
  • Understand, design, and evaluate software for Health, including fixed and mobile software for social, medical and lifestyle interaction with humans.
  • Create new software and applications for Health, showing an understanding and appreciation for the risks and benefits of software applications in such a human-centric field.
  • Apply some of the subject-specific skills specified for the programme from the perspective of a commercial or industrial organisation.

Transferable skills

You gain the following Transferable Skills:

  • Teamwork: Be able to work effectively as a member of a development team. 
  • Interaction reflection and Communication: Make succinct presentations to a range of audiences about technical problems and their solutions.
  • Information Technology: Effective use of general IT facilities; information retrieval skills
  • Intellectual skills: critical thinking; making a case; numeracy and literacy; information literacy. The ability to construct well-argued and grammatically correct documents. The ability to locate and retrieve relevant ideas, and ensure these are correctly and accurately referenced and attributed.
  • Self-management: Managing one’s own learning and development, including time management and organisational skills.
  • Professional Development: Appreciating the need for continuing professional development in recognition of the need for lifelong learning.
  • Contextual awareness: the ability to understand and meet the needs of individuals, business and the community, and to understand how workplaces and organisations are governed. 
  • Sustainability: recognising factors in environmental and societal contexts relating to the opportunities and challenges created by computing systems across a range of human activities. 

Careers

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have gone on to work in:

  • software engineering
  • mobile applications development
  • systems analysis
  • consultancy
  • networking
  • web design and e-commerce
  • finance and insurance
  • commerce
  • engineering
  • education
  • government
  • healthcare.

Recent graduates have gone on to develop successful careers at leading companies such as:

  • BAE Systems
  • Cisco
  • IBM
  • The Walt Disney Company
  • Citigroup
  • BT.

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.

The School has a dedicated Employability Coordinator who is a useful contact for all student employability queries.

Work experience

You can gain commercial experience working as a student consultant within the Kent IT Consultancy. 

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

This is a new programme. When a full-cohort has graduated, we will apply for accreditation from BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT. 

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 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

ABB

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)

The University will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF; OCR) on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us for further advice on your individual circumstances.

International Baccalaureate

34 points overall or 16 points at HL including HL or SL Maths at 4 or SL Maths Studies at 5

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. 

However, please note that international fee-paying students cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.

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 advice 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 2019/20 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.

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.* 

Your fee status

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.

Fees for Year in Industry

For 2019/20 entrants, the standard year in industry fee for home, EU and international students is £1,385

Fees for Year Abroad

UK, EU and international students on an approved year abroad for the full 2019/20 academic year pay £1,385 for that year. 

Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status. 

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.

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.