Requirements represent the real-world needs of stakeholders affected by a system. Requirements engineering is critical to the success of a software development project as poor execution of this activity within the overall software engineering process is a common cause of project failure. This module introduces you to the fundamental concepts, core principles and practical skills of modern requirement engineering as a key activity within successful software engineering. You will explore the process of constructing requirements, including the elicitation and analysis of stakeholders’ needs and the creation of an appropriate description of desired system behaviour and qualities, along with relevant constraints and assumptions.

This module aims to introduce you to the core programming concepts using procedural programming fundamentals. In addition, you will gain knowledge of variables, operators, and control flow including loops and branches, functions and data types.

This module introduces you to the fundamental concepts involved in the design, implementation and use of relational databases. We aim to develop the skills and knowledge needed to model relational databases based on user requirements, and implement and query databases using a suitable relational database management system (RDBMS) and SQL.

Working as part of a team, this module aims to provide you with an understanding of hardware, software and industry best practices used by businesses. In your teams you’ll be supported in planning, designing and developing a prototype product. This experience has been designed to introduce you to the product development cycle, technology limitations and possible future developments.

This module introduces the core fundamental principles of computer networking. You will gain knowledge of the theoretical concepts of networking, such as addressing, switching and routing. Furthermore, you will be exposed to key issues, such as network security, along with typical techniques used to address these issues. In addition to the theoretical aspects of networking, you will plan, design and implement practical solutions using live or simulation tools.

This module is aimed at helping you to develop the knowledge and practical skills needed to create basic interactive websites. The technologies covered are typically HTML, CSS and JavaScript. You'll aim to create a portfolio of webpages that demonstrate a range of HTML and CSS features. You'll also aim to develop a JavaScript application in response to a specified problem.

In this module you will gain an understanding of organisations, how they function, and how different elements of organisational behavior affect one another while working as an IT specialist. This module considers the organisational context, individuals in the organisation, groups and teams, organisational structure, and management processes, looking at relevant theory and practical examples.

We are now in an age of the ‘knowledge economy’ and ‘data science’ where new business models based upon the exchange and creation of data are able to deliver considerable value for organisations. A successful IT professional needs to understand the potential of data to enable and enact change within organisations. This module introduces learners to the analytical and robust use of data that is stored remotely in distributed and cloud-based systems.

One of the key determinants of a computer system’s success is whether or not humans are able and willing to use it. This module aims to provide you with the skills necessary for designing, prototyping and evaluating usable user interfaces. The module explores the subjects of interaction design, information systems, user experience, social media and how computer-based products fit into organisations, societies and culture. As a part of the work on this module you’re expected to develop user requirements for an interactive device, then write up your user testing results, reflecting on what you have learnt from the module.

Working as a part of a team, you’ll have the opportunity to design and develop a software application, or explore some aspect of information systems. You’ll be encouraged to explore theories and principles of team working and project management through the development of your chosen application. Alongside your team work you will also explore important legal and professional issues for people working in the IT industry.

This module introduces fundamental concepts in computer and network security, enabling the identification of vulnerabilities and the selection and implementation of suitable mitigation technologies. Throughout this module you’ll learn about securing data through the use of cryptography, operating system security and multi-user environments, creating secure programs, state-of-the-art methods for identifying potential threats, and legal and ethical issues surrounding computer security. This module teaches a broad range of subjects and you will learn both essential theoretical and practical aspects of computer security. This knowledge is in demand by employees and the module will empower you to start to specialise in security. The module covers issues pertinent to industry such as how to maintain data security through using strong encryption, detecting complex security threats, and also in maintain compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

This module builds on the Foundation level Introduction to Web Programming module. The Foundation module covers front-end web development and the languages HTML, CSS and JavaScript. This intermediate level module is focused on backend (server-side) web development. You will develop the skills and knowledge needed to design and build database driven web applications using a suitable server-side web programming language.

This module focuses on the way digital information can be organised to make the content more accessible and more easily understood by users. The module provides you with an introduction to the ways in which information can be organised and structured; for example using metadata, controlled vocabularies, ontologies and classification schemes primarily (but not exclusively) for the Web. Your studies focus on the way these technologies can support formal models of information seeking behaviour.

In increasingly complex systems it is important to have tools that help make sense of this complexity. Systems’ thinking takes a holistic approach to understanding how systems influence one another. This module aims to introduce the key concepts of the subject area to help you understand problems. It covers a specialised language, methods, and set of techniques that can be used to address highly complex problems that can help in the design of enduring solutions in any system. This module aims to help you make sense of the complexity within systems and how to assess the impact of decisions made beyond the immediate environment.

This module is driven by you. You are asked to select a problem to solve which is relevant to your degree, and of appropriate scope and depth to be tackled within a timeframe of 30 weeks. Carrying out the project enables you to develop and demonstrate your ability to undertake research, manage time, use your initiative, learn independently, discuss and write convincingly on a subject requiring independent learning. A supervisor will support you throughout your project. You’ll use your existing knowledge and be encouraged to acquire additional skills as you carry out your project. The aim of the project is to suggest a solution to an identified problem. Your final report should describe the aims, scope and motivation of the project, the research you have undertaken, and the technical solution provided, including justification for design and development decisions.

Software Architecture or Digital Campaigns and Communications

Advanced Web Programming or Advanced Analytics