Software Engineering for Technical Computing - Computational and Software Techniques in Engineering MSc
Course descriptionSoftware Engineering for Technical Computing - option in Computational and Software Techniques in Engineering MSc Course Description: Cranfield University has many years of specialist knowledge and experience in High Performance Computing. What was once a set of techniques used only in the narrow confines of numerical simulation is now the mainstream approach to developing software on modern computing hardware. As such, the Software Engineering for Technical Computing MSc offers a unique insight into the development of computer applications across a wide spectrum of modern computing environments, from multi-core CPUs to specialist GPUs to Cloud Computing, all of which are relevant to the IT industry today. Start Months: SeptemberFull Time/ Part Time:Full-time/Part-time School: School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing Theme: Aerospace Entry Requirements: A first or second class UK Honours degree (or equivalent) ideally in a related subject. Other recognised professional qualifications or several years relevant industrial experience may be accepted as equivalent; subject to approval by the Course Director. For further and specific information please visit the course page. English Language: If you are an international student you will need to provide evidence that you have achieved a satisfactory test result in an English qualification. The minimum standard expected from a number of accepted courses are as follows: IELTS - 6.5TOEFL - 92 Pearson PTE Academic - 65Cambridge English Scale - 180Cambridge English: Advanced - CCambridge English: Proficiency - C In addition to these minimum scores you are also expected to achieve a balanced score across all elements of the test. We reserve the right to reject any test score if any one element of the test score is too low. We can only accept tests taken within two years of your registration date (with the exception of Cambridge English tests which have no expiry date). Students requiring a Tier 4 (General) visa must ensure they can meet the English language requirements set out by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and we recommend booking a IELTS for UKVI test. Duration: Full-time MSc - one year, Part-time MSc - up to three years Course format: TaughtMScOverview: With the advent of ever more sophisticated and powerful computer environments, the techniques needed to develop and produce the software to run on these systems are themselves becoming increasingly complex. This course is unique in that it combines software engineering with high performance computing, giving you the tools and techniques that employers are looking for and an advantage in the job market.This specialist option of the MSc Computational and Software Techniques in Engineering offers a unique insight into the development of computer applications across a wide spectrum of modern computing environments, from multi-core CPUs to specialist GPUs to Cloud Computing, all of which are relevant to the IT industry today. Who is it for?: If you intend to make a career in software development, whether it is in the data centre, on the desktop or in the rapidly expanding mobile application space, you need to have a strong basis in software engineering. This course is unique in that it combines software engineering with high performance computing, giving you the tools and techniques that employers are looking for and an advantage in the job market. Why this course?: Cranfield University has many years of specialist knowledge and experience in High Performance Computing. We are able to offer a unique insight into the development of computer applications across a wide spectrum of modern computing environments, from multi-core CPUs to specialist GPUs to Cloud Computing, all of which are relevant to the IT industry today.We introduce students to parallel software development on the desktop, the super-computer and in the Cloud. Each platform has its own challenges and this course ensure that students become familiar with the best approach to writing software for each one.Cranfield University is very well located for visiting part-time students from all over the world, and offers a range of library and support facilities to support your studies. This enables students from all over the world to complete this qualification whilst balancing work/life commitments. Part-time students have a flexible commencement date.This Msc programme benefits from a wide range of cultural backgrounds which significantly enhances the learning experience for both staff and students. Informed by Industry: The course is directed by an Industrial Advisory Panel that meets twice a year. The committee acts in an advisory role, assessing the content of the course and its relevance to present industrial needs. A number of members also attend the annual student thesis presentations which take place at the end of July, a month or so before the end of the course.The Industry Advisory Panel includes:Dr Peter Grandison, IBM (UK) Ltd.Mr Ed Lambourne, Delcam International.Mr Ray Goult, LMR SystemsMr Nigel Sedgwick, Cambridge Algorithmica.Dr Derek Turnbull, Advanced Technical Projects Ltd.Mr David Harrison, Cray Research (UK) LtdMr Tim Penhale-Jones, Texas Instruments LtdMr Paul Mulvanny, QinetiQDr Richard Burguete, Airbus UK. Your teaching team: Cranfield University is a leader in applies mathematics and computing applications. You will be taught by Cranfield's leading academic staff including:Dr Karl Jenkins, Course DirectorDr Irene Moulitsas.Our teaching team work closely with business and have academic and industrial experience. Knowledge gained working with our clients is continually fed back into the teaching programme, to ensure that you benefit from the very latest knowledge and techniques affecting industry.The course also includes visiting lecturers from industry who will relate the theory to current best practice. In recent years, our students have received lectures from industry speakers including:Richard Stewart, FACTSETDan Nelson, OCADOAdam Vile, Excelian.Course details: The course consists of twelve core modules, including a group design project, plus an individual research project. The course is delivered via a combination of structured lectures, tutorial sessions and computer based workshops.The C++ and Java programming modules, combined with the Software Engineering course, provide the basis of the academic programme and act as a starting point for the more specialist modules encountered later on. The various computational technology platforms are then introduced, giving students both theoretical and hands-on experience of programming in multi-core, General Purpose CPU, distributed and Cloud computing environments.Group project:The process of software production is rarely an activity undertaken by an individual developer. In today’s software industry, many different specialists are required to contribute to the creation of software. To ensure a high level of quality in the final product, different roles and responsibilities must be brought together into a single team and therefore clear lines of communication between team members are crucial if the project is to be a success.An important part of this MSc course is the group project, in which we define a realistic problem and ask each group to propose and implement a solution. It is generally a 6 week project taking place between February and March. Members of each group must decide how to organise themselves, assigning roles to each person.The group project is an opportunity for you to experience first-hand how a software development team is organised and how the different roles contribute to the final product. This is a chance for you to develop an insight into the organisation of development teams in industry, and allows you to understand what is expected from you once you enter employment.Part-time students are encouraged to participate in a group project as it provides a wealth of learning opportunities. However, an option of an individual dissertation is available if agreed with the Course Director.Previous Group Projects have included:Scientific WorkflowsSecurity considerations for distributed computing applicationsAutomated recovery mechanisms for design optimisation.Individual project:The individual research project allows you to delve deeper into an area of specific interest. All projects are based on real research, whether it is an area of interest for members of the department, or as part of an active research project funded by industry. In some cases our industrial partners sponsor specific research projects into real world problems or areas of development that are of direct interest to them. In recent years, students have proposed their own ideas for their research project. You will generally begin to consider the research project after completing 3-4 modules - it then runs concurrently with the rest of your work.For part-time students it is common that their research thesis is undertaken in collaboration with their place of work.Previous Individual Research Projects have included:Using Twitter to Predict Financial Market Sentiment.Visualisation of Source Code and DefectsAndroid Based Monitoring of Hybrid Car EnginesDevelopment of Mutation Analysis Tool for PHP SoftwareTime-dependent Augmented Reality Visualisation on a Mobile DeviceAnalysis of Concurrency in CUDA Based ApplicationsDevelopment of Domain Specific Language for CUDA DevelopmentAutomated Data Flow Checking Tool Development. Assessment: Taught modules 45%, Group project 5%, Individual research project 50% Funding Opportunities: Bursary support to cover UK/EU fees only is available to full-time UK students with a 1st class honours degree in a relevant and appropriate discipline from a UK university.Cranfield Postgraduate Loan Scheme (CPLS)The Cranfield Postgraduate Loan Scheme (CPLS) is a funding programme providing affordable tuition fee and maintenance loans for full-time UK/EU students studying technology-based MSc courses.To help students find and secure appropriate funding, we have created a funding finder where you can search for suitable sources of funding by filtering the results to suit your needs. Your career: The Software Engineering for Technical Computing masters, attracts enquiries from companies all over the world, who wish to recruit high quality software development graduates. There is considerable demand for students with expertise in engineering software development and for those who have strong technical programming skills in industry standard languages and tools.Graduates of this course are in demand by financial software developers, mobile application developers, commercial engineering software developers, automotive, telecommunications, medical and other industries and research organisations, have been particularly successful in finding long-term employment. We have had positive feedback from companies in industries as diverse as finance to computer games studios. As such, we enjoy excellent employment statistics, with over 95% of graduates employed within six months.Some students may go on to register for PhD degrees, many, on the basis of their MSc research project. Thesis topics are most often supplied by individual companies on in-company problems with a view to employment after graduation - an approach that is being actively encouraged by a growing number of industries.Below is a list consisting of companies that have previously recruited our graduates:FACTSETOcadoSAPHSBCIBMBluAgeFDMUBSMindsnacksMandara CapitalCommerzbank AGOracle.