Entry requirements
Selected entry requirements English language: IELTS 6 (minimum of 5 in any component), TOEFL 550 (TWE of 5), Internet Based TOEFL 79 (minimum of 19/30 in each component), Computer Based TOEFL 213 (TWE of 5) A level: AAA-AAB: AAB where one of the A-levels is Maths. AAA where at least one of the A-levels is a science. Unit grade information: The University of Manchester welcomes the provision of unit grade information which, like all other available information, will inform the consideration of applications. Unit grades will not normally form part of offer conditions, except for Mathematics programmes. GCSE: Five academic subjects at grades A or B including Mathematics, English Language and dual science. Key Skills qualification: The University warmly welcomes applications from students studying the Key Skills qualification. However, as the opportunities to take these modules are not open to all applicants, currently this is not an essential requirement of the University. International baccalaureate: 35 points overall including 6 in Mathematics and 5 in two further subjects with a scientific bias at Higher level. Additional entry requirements Additional entry requirements exist for this course. You may view these by selecting from the list below.
Course description
Course description
Software systems are the cornerstones of all modern business. Such systems are often complex and long lived, and must be robust and adaptable. By studying software design and production techniques, this degree programme will equip you with the skills needed to follow a career specifying and developing these systems, and other computer-based solutions.
You will gain not only knowledge and practical experience of the latest technologies, but also a grounding in the underlying principles of the subject. It is this combination of skills that enable our graduates to keep pace with this fast moving subject, and secure financially rewarding careers that can be pursued almost anywhere in the world.
Special features
Examines the fundamentals of the business environments within which complex software systems are deployed
Students can make course unit choices that allow them to change between the Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Distributed Computing programmes at the end of the first year.
Course units and themes of particular relevance to software engineering include:
-Software Engineering Project.
-Distributed Systems Development
-Information Systems Modelling.
-Specification of Software Systems
-Software Evolution.
-Software Quality.
-Agile Methods.
-Data Integration and Analysis
Career opportunities
Increasingly, employers are seeking graduates with high-level computing skills, and the ability to apply them in innovative ways to solve the problems facing their organisations. Opportunities exist in fields as diverse as finance, films and games, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, consumer products, and public services - virtually all areas of business and society.
Employers, from large multinational firms such as EA Games, IBM and Microsoft to small local organisations, actively target our students, recognising that Manchester Computer Science graduates are equipped with the skills that enable them to excel in a whole host of positions, including many that are not traditionally associated with computing graduates.
What our students say
Geraint North: BSc Software Engineering graduate
'The degree programme at Manchester ensured that I built a broad understanding of the fundamental aspects of computer science, which I could apply to any technologies that I would end up working with. The software industry moves so fast that a course that taught only the current hot technologies wouldn't be of much use to you five years down the line. This meant touching on some quite esoteric subjects, even in the first year, such as SML and LISP. Although very few people will find the concepts introduced in these programmes immediately applicable in their future careers, I've found that they taught me some alternative ways of thinking about software problems that have led me to solve them in pretty innovative ways. The effects of this kind of teaching, which gives you the mental tools to solve any problem that you come across lasts much longer than training on the specific tools of the day.'
