The aim of this
conversion course is to provide students
with a wide understanding of Computer
Science. The course is sufficiently
general to give you an excellent background
for a professional career in industrial
or commercial organisations, and the
required background in computer science
to enable you to undertake further study
leading to the specialisations needed
for a research career. This MSc course
is suitable for students with a wide
range of previous experience.
The programme aims to:
give
an understanding of the theoretical basis of computer science,
and its importance in software development, including formal
methods.
give
an understanding of the underlying principles of computer systems,
and the applications which run on them.
give
a foundation in professional standards of analysis, design,
implementation, testing and documentation in software development.
give
experience in both team working and individual working.
give
an appreciation of the professional, ethical and legal obligations.
give
an appreciation of the current state and future directions of
technological advances in computer science.
At the end of this course you should
be able to:
transfer
skills from specific subject matter
to related or unrelated projects.
develop
and use models to predict the behaviour
of computer applications.
match appropriate
software development methods to given
software problems.
take a
problem and implement an appropriate
software solution to that problem.
document
the problem-solving process.
demonstrate
an appreciation of the advantages
and problems of using computers as
parts of larger systems.
INTRODUCTORY
UNITS
The introductory
units are studied in the first semester.
At the end of this part of the course,
you will be able to approach large-scale
software engineering design in a professional
manner. Emphasis is placed on formal
design and management. An important
integrating factor will be the use of
case studies that draw on facets of
the syllabus. The main thread is the
design of large software systems, starting
from the initial problem and proceeding
through formal specification to a finished
product. The main programming language
used in the course is C. Introductory
units are compulsory.
ADVANCED
UNITS
The advanced units
are studied in the second semester.
In this part of the course, you study,
in depth, a selection of key topics
in Computer Science. Having studied
these topics, you will have the necessary
background to begin work on your dissertations.
Furthermore, you must be capable of
managing all levels of computer systems
in your future careers. These topics
address the academic and professional
requirements to meet these needs
