Computer Science with a Foundation Year
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
From a suitable subject area. 3 Distinctions must be in Maths.
We recognise the EPQ as an excellent indicator of success. If you are predicted a Grade B or above in the EPQ, you will receive an offer with a one grade reduction, to include your EPQ with a grade B.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
To include 5 in HL or 6 in two of Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Electronics, Further Mathematics, Mathematics (any variation), Physics, Psychology, Statistics (Economics may replace Psychology) and 5 in SL English.
Minimum of 360 points overall to include a minimum of 3 B1 passes in Higher/Honours paper (including two of Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Electronics, Further Mathematics, Mathematics (any variation), Physics, Psychology, Statistics (Economics may replace Psychology).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
From BTEC in Computing or Information Technology
Requirements are for A Levels where you can substitute the same non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Level Core Grade
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Computer Science plays a key role in virtually every aspect of modern life, and this degree will give you the knowledge, experience and expertise for a wide range of careers in this exciting and rapidly developing field.
This degree you will learn how to identify solutions to problems and measure their efficiency, analyse and assess systems and design new ones. You will be able to learn about computer graphics, modelling computer systems, software engineering, writing mobile apps, data visualisation and some of the more advanced theoretical aspects of Computer Science. The foundation year covers the key scientific, mathematical and engineering concepts to prepare you for the BSc in Computer Science, as well as giving you experience of other science subjects.
You will be able to develop your programming skills (in C and Java), and tackle advanced tasks, both individually and in groups, helping you to gain and develop valuable transferable skills, including team working, communication, presentation and problem-solving.
**Computer Science facilities at Swansea include:**
Our £32.5m Computational Foundry, a world class centre with state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and research, as well as networking and meeting spaces, which bring students, academics and industry together, Vision and Biometric Lab, Maker Labs, FIT Lab (Future Interaction Technologies), Theory Lab, Cyber Security Lab, User Experience Lab and the Visualisation Suite.
This programme is accredited by the British Computer Society, and allows graduates to join immediately as professional members.
**All of our courses are available with a Year in Industry or Year Abroad**
These placement years increase our students confidence and communication skills as well as help them to gain valuable experiences that will ultimately enhance their employability.
**We guarantee that you will be made a conditional offer for a course at Swansea University. Subject requirements will apply. Please come along to our next Open Day or get in touch for further information.**
Modules
In Year 0, the Foundation year, you will study a range of content to prepare you for the BSc. Your first semester will cover programming, the mathematics relevant to Computer Science, key skills and topics from environmental science and physics. In your second semester, you will study more advanced concepts in Computer Science, and you will learn how to analyse and present data, as well as studying topics from bioscience and geography.
In Year 1 you will learn how to program (in Java), study how computers work, be introduced to software engineering, and learn about the fundamental mathematics and theory of Computer Science. Year 1 is common for our Single Honours degree schemes.
In Year 2 you will learn about operating systems and networking, computer graphics, databases, compilers, advanced and specialised programming, specification, and some of the more advanced theoretical aspects of Computer Science. You will develop your programming skills (in C and Java) and have the opportunity to attempt advanced tasks.
In Year 3 you will undertake a large project, accounting for 25% of the credit for the year, and study a selection of our advanced option modules. These vary, but currently include graphics, advanced programming, human-computer interaction, the internet, artificial intelligence, concurrent systems, hardware and theory.
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Computer science
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Computer science
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
This is a newly-classified subject area for this kind of data, so we don’t currently have very much information to display or analyse yet. The subject is linked to important and growing computing industries, and over time we can expect more students to study them — there could be opportunities that open up for graduates in these subjects as the economy develops over the next few years.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Computer science
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£27k
£32k
£39k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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