Applied Software Engineering (BSc)

at Cardiff University

Course structure

 

The course is structured as a full-time degree, taught over three years with two semesters per year.  The course is delivered exclusively from the National Software Academy premises in Newport, with full facilities and student support provided. Students will be provided with a travel bursary to cover the costs of travelling to Newport.  The premises in Newport are located in very close proximity to Newport railway station.

 

Formal teaching and group sessions will take place over three days per week in Newport with two days per week left for group project work, self-directed learning and accessing other University resources, support services, clubs, societies etc.

 

Students at the National Software Academy work on the development of software projects for real clients drawn from the private, public and third sectors. Most client-based projects span four weeks and your team will meet with your clients every two weeks during this period. Much of the teaching, learning and assessment is based in the context of these projects.

 

This three-year course starts by building core analytical and coding skills that will underpin your studies and your future career. Web development projects in year one are followed by more substantial projects in year two, when you apply new skills and knowledge to implement enterprise-scale software systems. Meanwhile, you will take on a larger role in project meetings, building your workplace confidence and communication skills.  In year three, you will learn about emerging technologies and combine them with your core skills to produce an innovative product with an appreciation of the latest languages, frameworks and tools.  The Large Team Project in the final year is an opportunity for you manage and deliver a substantial software product over 10 weeks.

 

The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2022/2023 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2022.

 

Year one
In year one you learn to think like a programmer and begin to code in a professional manner. You will work primarily with languages such as JavaScript, Java and Python to design, develop and deploy web applications according to the needs of customers.

 

You also will start to develop your knowledge of relational and NoSQL database systems.  You will learn how to use the same industry-standard tools that are used by real-world developers, following best practice to develop quality software.

 

You will begin to develop your professional skills including communication, project management and the principles of agile development.

 

Year two
In year two you will work on larger, more complex and technically difficult projects.

 

You will expand your knowledge in areas such as performance and scalability, cyber security and DevOps, and develop and deploy mobile-based applications according to the needs of customers.  This will be necessary to support the scale, resilience and security needs of your cloud-based enterprise solutions.

 

At this point you are expected to be leading project meetings to plan and manage development work for a team, and regularly holding meetings with customers.

 

Year three
In year three you will learn about user experience design and emerging trends and use these to develop a product with an appreciation of the latest languages, frameworks and tools. You will learn about managing change and adopting technology in organisations.

 

In the Large Team Project module you will collaborate with other team members to effectively manage a project to develop a high-quality software solution to meet the needs of your clients.

 

The final year builds upon the experiences of years one and two, and brings together all of the elements you will need to think like and work as professional software engineer.

A level
ABB-BBB

Extended/International Project Qualification: Applicants with grade A in the EPQ/IPQ will typically receive an offer one grade lower than the standard A level offer. Please note that any subject specific requirements must still be met.

 

International Baccalaureate
32-31 overall or 665 in 3 HL subjects. 

 

GCSE
Grade C or grade 4 in GCSE English Language.

 

IELTS (academic)
At least 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each subskill.

 

TOEFL iBT
At least 90 overall with minimum scores of 17 for writing, 17 for listening, 18 for reading and 20 for speaking.

 

PTE Academic
At least 62 overall with a minimum of 59 in all communicative skills.

 

Trinity ISE II/III
II: at least two Distinctions and two Merits.
III: at least a Pass in all components.

Tuition fees for 2022 entry

Fees for home status

• £9,000    

 

Fees for overseas status

• £23,450

Skilled software engineers are in extremely high demand, making employment prospects for graduates in the computing and ICT industry superb.

 

As a student at the National Software Academy you will get many opportunities to meet and work with companies and build your industrial contacts.

 

You can use your BSc as a pathway to further study on our brand-new MSc in Software Engineering or to the workforce. Our  graduates have gone on to work for companies such as Admiral and DevOps. Others have chosen further study or research at Cardiff or other top universities.

 

Cardiff University’s Careers and Employability Service is available to all students. Our School also has a dedicated Careers Officer and a Placement Officer who will be able to assist you with career advice.

 

Graduate careers

• Software Engineer
• Web Developer
• Systems Development Officer
• Business Analyst