MSc in Advanced Computer Science

Learning and assessment

You will have maximum flexibility and choice in your studies with our modular course-unit design.

You can update your skills as a computing industry professional with our Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma in Advanced Computer Science. You will concentrate on the taught element of our degree.

There is also the option of completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Computer Science research project.

Study modules

Compulsory modules

• Research, Scholarship and Professional Skills (20 credits)
  This module equips you with the tools necessary for the scholarship and research skills needed for the computing field as well as equipping you with the professional skills and outlook needed for a lifelong career in the computer industry. Compulsory for MSc.
• Secure Systems Architecture (20 credits)
  This module studies computer and network security and the ways that computer systems can be secured. This module looks at both the technological and human issues involved in securing and assessing the security level of a modern networked computer system. It also introduces basic concepts of operating systems and architecture. Compulsory for MSc.
• Advanced Software Development (20 credits)
  This module equips you with the tools necessary for the scholarship and research skills needed for the computing field as well as equipping you with the professional skills and outlook needed for a lifelong career in the computer industry. Compulsory for MSc.
• Enterprise Networking (20 credits)
  This module teaches the principles and practice of computer networking looking at how networks are used in modern enterprises. Compulsory for the MSc.
• Data Science and Machine Learning (20 credits)
  This module introduces you to the fascinating and increasingly important worlds of Data Analytics and Machine Intelligence. This module covers the key current technologies in these areas, illustrates how these technologies are being used to revolutionise business, and exposes you to current research directions in this rapidly evolving field. Compulsory for the MSc.
• Big Data and the Cloud (20 credits)
  The cloud has become a key part of modern life and with it comes vast amounts of data. This module looks at how clouds work and can be used to tackle the big data challenges of modern science and business. Compulsory for the MSc.

Final project

• MSc Dissertation in Computer Subjects (60 credits)
  An individual research and development project that allows you to study a topic of your choice in-depth, guided by your supervisor. The work may be undertaken in close co-operation with a research, industrial or commercial organisation. You undertake your dissertation over the summer period.

Learning and teaching

Your understanding will be strengthened with a combination of lectures and practical sessions.

The modules you study will be enriched by our teaching staff's research expertise. We also invite visiting lecturers from research organisations and industries.

To qualify you will need to pass modules amounting to the following levels of credit:

• master’s degree - 180 credits

As a part-time student, you can distribute your work over a two-year period.

Assessment

We will assess you throughout your course with coursework and projects. And you will discuss your work and progress directly with your lecturers.

Research

We have a vibrant and growing research community with a wide range of activities:

• model-driven system design
• empirical software engineering
• web technologies
• cloud computing and big data
• digital forensics
• computer vision.

Staff and students collaborate on projects supported by the EPSRC, the EU, the DTI, and several major UK companies. Our course design is informed by state-of-the-art research undertaken in the school.

Students on this course can be involved with research in the following research groups:

• Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence
• Advanced Reliable Computer Systems (ARCoS)
• Applied Software Engineering and Data Analytics (ASEDA)
• Cloud Computing and Cybersecurity group (CCC)
• Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Group (AIR)
• Visual Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (VAIL)

Graduates of this course are employed across a whole range of careers from development roles in small software houses, to the activities of IT departments in large, multinational corporations, to more specialist roles for providers of IT and telecommunications services.

These include:

• technical roles, including software design and development.
• specialist product support.
• infrastructure and security management roles.