Overview
Brunel's computer science graduates' earnings rank in the top 15 in the UK according to the government's latest LEO data.
As the amount of digital information increases, major institutions in sectors such as finance and medicine rely on robust structures that can grow and adapt. By specialising in software engineering, you’ll focus on how to build high quality systems which will be easier to maintain and develop as the requirements of the system change and available technologies evolve. The techniques involved include testing, service-oriented architectures, and refactoring.
On the Computer Science (Software Engineering) BSc degree course, you’ll also learn how to build different types of software, from web-based systems to mobile solutions. In the final year you’ll take compulsory modules in advanced computer science and choose optional modules that interest you in a variety of compelling areas.
In addition, you’ll acquire in-depth knowledge of algorithms, design, programming and testing techniques. By the end of the course, you’ll have confidence in your knowledge of common system and network architectures and system development approaches, requirements capture, design methods, models, tools, and techniques.
You’ll become well-versed in implementing and testing systems and software maintenance. Key to this course is cultivating a reflective approach to project management issues arising from team-based software development.
This specialist degree course allows you to display an in-depth knowledge of the management, organisation and execution of large-scale software design and development activities including reuse and integration. All our degrees emphasise acquiring knowledge and skills to develop your new understanding creatively and professionally. Although this is an academic degree, the course balances theory with real-world practice in information and computer management.
Our course is designed for flexibility, so if you’re not sure which route you want to go, you can select modules and specialise gradually during your time with us. You can transfer between Computer Science and Business Computing up to the start of Level 2, then, should you wish, to choose a specialism up to the start of Level 3.
We know that when you graduate, you’ll be working on large projects. That’s why one third of each year of our programmes is project-based. On Levels 1 and 2, you’ll build a software solution in a team, and in your final year you’ll carry out an individual project. You’ll also have the opportunity to showcase your projects at the annual Made in Brunel (Software Innovation) event, with awards presented by the likes of Cisco, Sky and Xerox.
As part of your degree course, you’ll have the chance to take a year-long work placement between your second year and third year. We’ll support you in finding that all-important paid professional experience, in the UK or abroad. The feedback we’ve received is that those who have taken a placement are much more likely to find a job for which their degree was a formal requirement as it gives you a competitive advantage. Recent graduates have gone on to work for well-known names such as Accenture, Toshiba, Microsoft, British Airways, O2, and Barclays.
Our programmes are accredited by the British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT, for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP).
The accreditation also allows you to apply for professional membership of the BCS after you have successfully completed your degree.
The department has been awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze, recognising our dedication to the advancement of gender equality in STEM subjects. We now have an ongoing three-year action plan to further implement strategies and improve our practices. As part of this endeavour, Brunel’s Women in Engineering and Computing mentoring scheme provides our female students with invaluable help and support from the industry.
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Course content
You’ll gain an excellent understanding of computer science and grasp the important elements of a computer system before moving on to large-scale software engineering projects.
Compulsory
- Data and Information
This module aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to different kinds of data and how it can be collected, stored, retrieved, analysed and then communicated to satisfy user information needs.
- Information Systems and Organisations
This module aims to develop understanding of the complex, dynamic, and emergent behaviour of information systems (IS) with particular emphasis on the way these characteristics are modelled in the modern working environment.
- Logic and Computation
This module aims to provide knowledge and skills needed to model problems using mathematics and logic, to transform such models into versions which are amenable to computational solutions, and to give a basis for how to select the appropriate modelling methods and computational paradigms in order to achieve practical computational solutions.
- Introductory Programming
This module aims to provide a basic level of programming competence.
- Programming Applications
This module aims to provide opportunities for students to apply fundamental programming concepts as a solution to non-trivial problems.
- Group Project
The group project aims to integrate skills covered by the Year 1/Level 4 modules into a non-trivial, practical group task including a significant degree of programming and technical engagement. It is also intended to develop confidence in technical abilities.
Compulsory
- Algorithms and their Applications
This module aims to develop an understanding of a set of useful data abstractions and algorithms, to stimulate students' critical thinking and develop their ability to choose appropriate algorithms in solving practical problems and implementing them in software.
- Level 5 Group Project
The group project aims to integrate skills covered by the Year 2 modules in a practical group task including analysis, programming and technical engagement and requires the gathering and analysis of information, production of detailed requirements statements and designs, the development and integration of data and non-trivial code, and the communication of the outcomes in clear and concise fashion.
- Networks and Operating Systems
This module aims to investigate issues and motivations involved in creating applications that make use of the networking facilities provided by the Internet or corporate Intranets, as well as the impact that the underlying operating system has on such applications.
- Software Development and Management
The module aims to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for the design and implementation of software systems using recognised methodology, tools and technologies. The module provides an introduction to software engineering and follows a development process from requirements and design through to implementation, creating a number of software artefacts.
- Usability Engineering
This module aims to develop a critical understanding of usability engineering guidance and principles and how they might be applied within the design and development cycle when creating computing-related products, services and applications
- Fundamentals of Alogrithms
This module aims to develop knowledge and comprehension of various valuable data structures and algorithms, to stimulate critical thinking and enhance skills in evaluating the trade-offs involved in selecting the most suitable algorithms for specific purposes.
Compulsory
- Advanced Topics in Computer Science
This compulsory module provides an opportunity for students to research advanced and debatable issues in Computer Science. An advanced topic is one that is related to the area of Computer Science, will typically be a current area or issue of concern, but is not explicitly covered in this level of detail elsewhere in the course.
- Computer Science Final Year Project
The final-year project enables a demonstration of an integrated approach to topics covered in the programme: analytical and problem-solving skills; defining a problem to be explored and the work to complete it; independent research and development; describing and solving a problem so it can be evaluated; adapting and applying knowledge and skills in the investigation and solution of a problem.
- Software Engineering
This optional module aims to provide a grounding in topics that directly influence the quality of software, an understanding of key artefacts that inform software quality from a process and product perspective (in particular, the use of and application of software metrics), and to articulate the state-of-the-art in terms of topics such as software patterns, service-oriented engineering and security issues.
Optional
- Artificial Intelligence
This optional module aims to develop understanding of the basic principles and techniques for the computer-based simulation and modelling of intelligent behaviour.
- Cybersecurity
This optional module aims to develop the competencies and skills sets required for delivering cybersecurity solutions in practice.
- Digital Media and Games
This optional module aims to critically examine the use of a complex and heterogeneous mix of digital media in the delivery of entertainment content and the creation of games. In addition, the module aims to provide a practical understanding of how such content is utilised in the development of console, mobile and web-based entertainment and gaming systems.
- Human-Computer Interaction
This optional module aims to develop an understanding of the importance in emerging technology domains and the role of advanced research approaches to solving problems and evaluating solutions arising within HCI.
- Network Computing
This optional module aims to investigate the impact that network systems, the internet or corporate intranets, have on the development of advanced networked computing applications.
- Software Project Management
This optional module aims to provide explicit coverage of project management tools and processes in order to consolidate the project management experience experienced during the rest of the programmes. It deals with planning, monitoring and control of a project, and the important people issues of which a project manager must be aware.
This course can be studied 3 years full-time or 4 years full-time with placement, starting in September.
This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of undergraduate degrees at Brunel.
Careers and your future
Our Computer Science graduates enjoy excellent employment prospects. With the ability to handle the increasing demands of scientific, technological and commercial development in the 21st century, you'll be in high demand with the wide-ranging companies and organisations increasingly dependent on computer technology.
You might start out as a general analyst or programmer, or join a consultancy firm. These are often the first steps towards setting up your own business.
Recent graduates have gone on to work for household names including Microsoft, IBM and Toshiba.
UK entry requirements
2024/25 entry
- GCE A-level AAB-BBB.
- BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DDM in Information Technology, Computer Science or Computing.
- BTEC Level 3 Diploma DM in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computing, Electronic/Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering with an A-level at grade B.
- BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma D with A-levels grade BC.
- International Baccalaureate Diploma 30 points. GCSE English equivalent SL 5 or HL 4 and Mathematics SL 4 or HL 4.
- Obtain a minimum of 120 UCAS tariff points in the Access to HE Diploma in Computing, Computer Science, Information Technology, IT or Engineering with 45 credits at Level 3.
- T levels : Merit overall in Digital Business Services or Digital Support Services
For Brunel Mathematics and Computing with Integrated Foundation Year progression requirements, see the course page.
Five GCSEs at grade C or grade 4 and above are also required, to include Maths and English Language.
Brunel University London is committed to raising the aspirations of our applicants and students. We will fully review your UCAS application and, where we’re able to offer a place, this will be personalised to you based on your application and education journey.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.
If you are unable to meet the direct entry criteria above, you are invited to apply for a foundation course in Computer Science at Brunel Pathway College. When you successfully pass the foundation year, you can progress on to the Computer Science (Software Engineering) BSc.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6.5 (min 5.5 in all areas)
- Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 63% (min 55% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 90 (min R18, L17, S20, W17)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2024/25 entry
UK
£9,250 full-time
£1,385 placement year
International
£21,260 full-time
£1,385 placement year
Fees quoted are per year and may be subject to an annual increase. Home undergraduate student fees are regulated and are currently capped at £9,250 per year; any changes will be subject to changes in government policy. International fees will increase annually, by no more than 5% or RPI (Retail Price Index), whichever is the greater.
More information on any additional course-related costs.
See our fees and funding page for full details of undergraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Please refer to the scholarships pages to view discounts available to eligible EU undergraduate applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
Our teaching sessions, including lectures, labs, seminars, and tutorials, will primarily be delivered in-person, on campus. There may be instances where other forms of delivery (e.g. online) are adopted, where necessary and/or if appropriate, to enhance the teaching experience. However, you'll be expected to attend all teaching sessions, examinations and other relevant assessments in-person, on campus.
You'll benefit academically from the highly practical teaching and socially from the group led sessions by attending them on campus.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
We take an innovative, dynamic and highly participative approach to teaching. Our lecturers often have experience of working as consultants for major blue chip companies at home and overseas. Around 40 academic staff teach in the department.
The research that the academic staff undertake is largely applied and spans areas that include Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Human-Computer Interaction, Software Engineering and Simulation. The Department of Computer Science is a member of the Microsoft Alliance, the Apple iOS Academic Developer Programme and is an nVidia CUDA Teaching Centre.
Brunel has a strong heritage of technology and we have excellent infrastructure which includes more than 250 computers and servers for exclusive student use, all running state-of-the-art software.
Study
You will have about 12 hours a week of directed study. Your tutors and lecturers are also happy to answer queries outside of class. In addition, you’ll be putting in about 25 to 35 hours of private study weekly.
Lectures/Seminars
Teaching is carried out via lectures, lab work, small group-work, and one-to-one sessions. Lectures offer a broad overview of key concepts and ideas allowing you to then pursue more in-depth study independently. Lab work helps you develop your technical skills to build software. You’ll do some individual work, but a tutor will be assigned to you to lead discussion on common issues, when they arise.
In the first and second years, you’ll work in small groups on computing-related problems with regular guidance from a member of staff. These sessions enable you to develop key professional skills such as report-writing, evaluation, and communication skills. They also ensure continuity and help you get to know your tutor, which we think is important to help you feel supported, particularly in your first year.
In your final year you’ll normally have small group or one-to-one supervision for your major project. The department has a team of personal tutors, so there’s always someone available to discuss personal or academic problems. If you go on placement, your personal tutor will help you set objectives and monitor your progress – and provide further support if you need it.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
Assessment and feedback varies from one module to another and may be based entirely on coursework, entirely on examination or on a combination of both. As you progress, you’ll learn how to reliably assess the quality and value of your own before you submit it.
Level 1 does not count towards your final degree classification; Level 2 is worth a third; and Level 3 accounts for two thirds. Your final year project is worth a third of the Level 3 marks. Overall the exam-to-coursework ratio is about 60:40.
Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.