School of Computing

Computer Science - BSc (Hons)

Canterbury

This general degree covers the core subjects of program design and implementation using Java, and software engineering, as well as offering a broad range of computer science topics including operating systems, computer architectures, computer security, concurrent programming, theory, databases and the web. This programme has full Chartered IT Professional (CITP) accreditation from the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

Computer Science is an exciting and rapidly evolving subject that affects every area of our lives. A deep understanding of computing puts you in a great position to influence the future as well as opening up excellent employment prospects and well-paid careers.

Overview

Computer science is an exciting and evolving subject that affects every area of our lives. A deep understanding of computing puts you in a great position to influence the future as well as paving the way to excellent employment opportunities and well-paid careers.  

You'll be offered plenty of support, including peer mentoring, web forums and study skills services to give you the best start to your career.

Accreditation

This degree has been accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT on behalf of the Engineering Council. Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK- PEC). 

Independent rankings

89% of Kent Computer Science and Information Systems graduates were in graduate-level jobs or further study 15 months after graduation. (The Guardian University Guide 2023)

Computer Science at Kent scored over 87% for graduate prospects in The Times Good University Guide 2023.

 

Course structure

The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules and provides details of the content of this course. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

Teaching & Assessment

Teaching

We know that people learn in a variety of ways, so most modules consist of a mix of lectures, practical classes and seminars, but we are also introducing more innovative ways of teaching, such as virtual learning environments and work-based tuition. Work includes group projects, case studies and computer simulations, with a large-scale project of your own choice in the final year.

Teaching staff

Courses are taught by leading researchers who are experts in their fields. You'll have access to authors of widely-used textbooks and award-winning scientists.

Overall workload

Each stage comprises eight modules. Most modules run for a single 12-week term and have two lectures and one to two hours of classes, making 14 formal contact hours per week and eight hours of drop-in sessions each term.

Academic support

We provide excellent support for you throughout your time at Kent. This includes access to web-based information systems, podcasts and web forums for students who can benefit from extra help. We use innovative teaching methodologies, including BlueJ and LEGO© Mindstorms for teaching Java programming.

Assessment

Assessment is by a combination of coursework and end-of-year examination and details are shown in the module outlines on the web. Project modules are assessed wholly by coursework.

The marks from stage one do not go towards your final degree grade, but you must pass to continue to stage two. 

Most stage two modules are assessed by coursework and end-of-year examination. Marks from stage two count towards your degree result. 

Most stage three modules are assessed by a combination of coursework and end-of-year examination. Projects are assessed by your contribution to the final project, the final report, and oral presentation and viva examination. Marks from stage three count towards your degree result.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

In stage three your project counts for 25% of the year's marks. 

Programme aims

For programme aims and learning outcomes please see the programme specification.

KIS Course data

UNISTATS / KIS

Key Information Sets

Discover Uni is designed to support prospective students in deciding whether, where and what to study. The site replaces Unistats from September 2019.

Discover Uni is jointly owned by the Office for Students, the Department for the Economy Northern Ireland, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and the Scottish Funding Council.

It includes:

  • Information and guidance about higher education
  • Information about courses
  • Information about providers

Find out more about the Unistats dataset on the Higher Education Statistics Agency website.

Entry requirements

Home/EU students

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. All applications are assessed on an individual basis but some of our typical requirements are listed below. Students offering qualifications not listed are welcome to contact our Admissions Team for further advice. Please also see our general entry requirements.

Qualification Typical offer/minimum requirement
A level

BBB

GCSE

Mathematics grade 4/C

Access to HE Diploma

Obtain the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3, with 24 credits at Distinction and 21 credits at Merit.

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma)

Distinction, Distinction, Merit

International Baccalaureate

120 tariff points from your IB Diploma, including Maths at 4 at HL or SL, typically H5, H6, H6 or equivalent

International students

International students

If you are an international student, visit our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country. For details about the International Foundation Year and International Year Zero, please visit our International College website. Please note that international fee-paying students who require a Student visa cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.

Please note that meeting the typical offer/minimum requirement does not guarantee that you will receive an offer.

Qualification Typical offer/minimum requirement
English Language Requirements

This course requires a Good level of English language, equivalent to B2 on CEFR.

Details on how to meet this requirement can be found on our English language entry requirements web page.

Examples:

IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component

GCSE Grade 4/C or above in English Language

IB Standard Level Grade 5 or above in English A: Language and Literature

A Level Grade C or above in English Language or English Literature

General entry requirements

Please also see our general entry requirements.

Careers

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have gone on to work in:

  • software engineering
  • mobile applications development
  • systems analysis
  • consultancy
  • networking
  • web design and e-commerce
  • finance and insurance
  • commerce
  • engineering
  • education
  • government
  • healthcare.

Recent graduates have gone on to develop successful careers at leading companies such as:

  • BAE Systems
  • Cisco
  • IBM
  • The Walt Disney Company
  • Citigroup
  • BT.

Help finding a job

The University has a friendly Careers and Employability Service, which can give you advice on how to:

  • apply for jobs
  • write a good CV
  • perform well in interviews.

You have access to a dedicated Employability Coordinator who is a useful contact for all student employability queries.

Career-enhancing skills

You graduate with a solid grounding in the fundamentals of computer science and a range of professional skills, including:

  • programming
  • modelling
  • design.

To help you appeal to employers, you also learn key transferable skills that are essential for all graduates. These include the ability to:

  • think critically
  • communicate your ideas and opinions
  • analyse situations and troubleshoot problems
  • work independently or as part of a team.

You can also gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.

Professional recognition

Our Computer Science degree has full Chartered IT Professional (CITP) accreditation from the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

Funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details. 

Enquire or order a prospectus

Resources



Contacts

Related schools

Enquiries

T: +44 (0)1227 768896

Open days

Come along to our next Open Day on Saturday 20 April. Hear from staff and students about our courses, find out about our accommodation and see our stunning campuses for yourself.

 

The University of Kent makes every effort to ensure that the information contained in its publicity materials is fair and accurate and to provide educational services as described. However, the courses, services and other matters may be subject to change. For more information please read our terms and conditions.

*Where fees are regulated (such as by the Department for Education or Research Council UK) permitted increases are normally inflationary and the University therefore reserves the right to increase tuition fees by inflation (RPI excluding mortgage interest payments) as permitted by law or Government policy in the second and subsequent years of your course. If we intend to exercise this right to increase tuition fees, we will let you know by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which we intend to exercise that right.

If, in the future, the increases to regulated fees permitted by law or government policy exceed the rate of inflation, we reserve the right to increase fees to the maximum permitted level. If we intend to exercise this extended right to increase tuition fees, we will let you know by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which we intend to exercise that right.

School of Computing, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NF

Enquiries: +44 (0)1227 824180 or contact us.

Last Updated: 23/11/2015