MSc Software Development
Belfast, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
GBP 23,150 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international fee
Introduction
The MSc in Software Development is designed in collaboration with industry to provide a year of intensive education in software development and is specifically designed for graduates of non-computing disciplines. It has an extremely high graduate employability rate and is the highest-rated MSc computing course for student satisfaction in the UK.
Course content
You will learn the foundations of computing and acquire industry-relevant skills. These core skills include programming, databases, web development, software engineering and problem-solving. You need no computing background at all to do this course, but on successful completion, you will be equipped with the technical, analytical and professional skills required to take on a range of roles in the computing industry.
The curriculum was designed and is continually reviewed in collaboration with significant industrial partners, who helped ensure the most relevant module content. This helps ensure that our graduates are highly trained and much sought after by employers.
Who will be teaching you
Many of the course teaching teams have worked in the computing industry and have particular research specialisms in developing novel and effective methods for teaching computing. Several of the team have been awarded student-nominated teaching awards for their work.
Please note:
Applications for this course received after 12th August 2022 may not be accepted. In addition, a deposit will be required to secure a place.
Software Development Highlights
This course is also available for part-time study. Search our course listings for more information.
Industry Links
- Alongside the core course curriculum, students are also encouraged to take part in a series of Employment and Professional Skills Workshops, which run at regular intervals during the year. The workshops cover CV writing, Technical Interview Technique, Assessment Centres, etc. and later involve events to allow students to network with representatives from some of the largest employers in the Software Development sector in Belfast. Students get the opportunity to mix with a diverse industrial group, ranging from testers and developers up to senior managerial level staff. Students also have the opportunity to get involved in other industrially sponsored events such as hackathons etc.
Career Development
- The School has a team of staff specifically dedicated to the development of student employability skills alongside technical capabilities. They provide a range of services to help students gain employment during the course, eg one-on-one CV advice and mock job interviews etc.
World-Class Facilities
- Most of the lectures and lab-based activities are in our Computer Science Building opened in 2016 after a £14 million re-development. The four-storey, 3,000m2, state-of-the-art facility has large well-equipped computing labs and formal and informal student spaces which support a high level of group and project work.
Student Experience
- The course is the highest-rated for the overall student experience Computing Master course in the UK (2019). This includes excellence in student experiences in the quality of teaching and learning, student engagement, quality of assessment and feedback, organisation and management, learning resources and careers and employability.
- The course encourages a hands-on approach to learning, with an emphasis on learning by doing. We provide videos of lecture content and continually offer you opportunities to gauge your progress in each module through self-assessments and practical activities and challenges.
Program Outcome
- You’ll learn how to analyse problems and design robust and elegant software systems to solve the problems. This includes gaining skills in programming, web development, database design, software testing and software engineering.
- You will also have the opportunity to learn how to work as part of a development team using modern development techniques and tools.
Career Opportunities
Employment opportunities in software engineering are excellent, as evidenced by the consistent and continued growth of the software sector. A career within the profession is not only well remunerated but also rewarding, with software professionals able to select between a range of career progression paths. Given the diversity of careers, the variety of skills gained from a non-IT primary degree is strongly valued by IT employers and will help augment the employment opportunities of graduates from this programme.
Where could you be in 5 years?
You could be working for the largest companies on the planet (IBM, Citi, Allstate, Liberty to name a few). You could be doing cutting edge computer science research in topics such as Cyber security or Video Analytics, or creating a software start-up or the next killer app.
Curriculum
Course Structure
The programme has two key parts:
1. A set of taught modules which build from foundational to advanced topics of software
engineering and programming
2. A substantial project based element or three Specialised Mini Project based modules
The foundational modules are studied in the first semester and cover introductory programming
using the Java programming language alongside computing foundations, including software
engineering, software testing and databases.
The second semester concentrates coverage of more advanced algorithmic and object-oriented
programming, together with Web programming (php and javascript) and Software Engineering
(with a team based project).
Each module generally involves 3-4 hours of lectures per week along with up to 2-3 hours per
week for tutorials and lab practicals. Alongside these timetabled activities, students are expected
to work on group and individual assignments and projects
Project: You can choose either a single three-month long individual self-directed project or you can take 3 x smaller Mini Projects. The Mini Projects give you a chance to study some state-of-the-art specialisms in computing such as: User Experience Design, Secure Softwarized Networks, Data Analysis & Visualisation, Cloud Computing and Machine Learning
Modules Programming
- Databases
- Software Engineering
- Web Development
- Computing Fundamentals
- Teaching Times
- Teaching takes place in the morning and afternoon (3 days a week); there are between 15 and 18 hours of contact teaching hours per week.
Career Prospects
Introduction
Employment opportunities in software engineering are excellent, as evidenced through the consistent and continued growth of the software sector. A career within the profession is not only well remunerated but also rewarding, with software professionals able to select between a range of career progression paths. Given the diversity of careers, the variety of skills gained from a non-IT primary degree are strongly valued by IT employers and will help augment the employment opportunities of graduates from this programme.
Where Could You Be In 5 Years?
You could be working for the largest companies on the planet (IBM, Citi, Allstate, Liberty to name a few). You could be doing cutting edge computer science research in topics such as Cyber security or Video Analytics, or creating a software start-up or the next killer app.
Learning and Teaching
Each module generally involves 3 hours of lectures per week along with up to 2/4 hours per week
for tutorials and computer lab practicals. Alongside these timetabled activities, students are
expected to:
• Work through blended-learning resources and activities on the Canvas Virtual Learning
environment which includes watching videos, reading online materials and taking online quizzes
and practical assignments
• Work on group and individual assignments and project
Modern software development is typically carried out within a team environment and employers
are very keen for students to have gained significant experience working within teams. Therefore,
many of the project and assessment activities on the course have been designed to give students
exposure to the variety of team-based roles and responsibilities they will encounter in the software
industry.
Admissions
Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
How do I fund my study?
The Department for the Economy will provide a tuition fee loan of up to £5,500 per NI / EU student for postgraduate study.
A postgraduate loans system in the UK offers government-backed student loans of up to £10,609 for taught and research Master's courses in all subject areas. Criteria, eligibility, repayment and application information are available on the UK government website.
International Scholarships