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Computer Science with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


A level

D,D,D

Access to HE Diploma

D:0,M:24,P:21

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMP

T Level

P

UCAS Tariff

72

We encourage you to outline all your qualifications and achievements in your application to provide us a full picture. Your offer will typically be based on your predicted and/or achieved grades from full level 3 qualifications or above e.g. A levels, BTEC Ext Diploma, Access to HE, etc. Any subject specifics are outlined below in the Further Information section, and these specifics are applicable across all equivalent qualifications. A strong application/performance and appropriate experience will be taken into account where typical criteria is not met.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Computer science

Software is everywhere, running everything from our desktop computers and mobile phones to home appliances, games consoles, cars, planes and industrial machinery. On this course, you’ll be exposed to a wide range of current issues in Computing and Mathematics.

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change.

**KEY FEATURES OF THE COURSE**

- **WORKING WITH INDUSTRY**: We’re renowned for our contacts with employers, and you’ll benefit from this by being set challenging projects and having the option to take a placement year.

- **EXPERT STAFF**: You’ll join a friendly community including our enthusiastic Computing Society and research-active lecturers. You’ll have the opportunity to get involved with research projects which our teaching team are working on.

- **FACILITIES**: Use cutting-edge software development tools in our industry-standard labs including Python, Visual Studio, Unreal Engine, Unity, Apache, PHP, MySQL, Azure Cloud Services and DirectX/OpenGL. You'll also have access to our XR (cross-reality) lab and Makerspace - a dedicated, student-led facility where you can turn your ideas into prototypes.

- **FLEXIBILITY**: After completing your first year, you’ll have the option to transfer to another degree in our Computing portfolio including BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming and BSc (Hons) Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

- **NO EXAMS**: We’ll assess you via other methods throughout your degree.

**WHAT YOU'LL COVER:**

- You'll study applied computer science with a strong emphasis on practical programming skills. In the first year, you'll cover the fundamentals of computer science before studying a range of areas in your second and third years, including programming, network systems, software engineering, AI and operating systems. You'll also have the option to tailor your degree to your specific interests in your third year with a range of optional modules.

**HOW YOU’LL LEARN:**
You will learn through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, laboratory work, and e-learning. Instead of exams, a variety of assessment methods are used. Some modules are assessed through coursework only, others by a combination of: 

- Coursework 

- Portfolios 

- Assignments 

- Case studies 

- Oral and graphic presentations 

- Collaborative and interdisciplinary teamwork projects 

- Computer-based testing 

**YOUR CAREER:**
Our Computer Science course is employment focused with industry-standard technologies that ensure you will have the skills and confidence when you graduate to secure the right role in this expanding and exciting industry. You could go on to roles such as: 

- Software Engineer 

- Project Manager 

- Technical Architect  

- Chief Technology Officer 

- Network Specialist 

- Network Administrator 

- Network Technician 

- Network Analyst 

- Network Engineer 

You will also develop wide-ranging skills, such as numerical and analytical skills, teamwork and project management. 

**STUDY OPTIONS:**
This course is also available without a Foundation Year option and a Placement Year option.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£14,900
per year
International
£14,900
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Derby

Department:

Department of Computing and Mathematics

Read full university profile

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.

75%
Computer science

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

82%
Staff make the subject interesting
93%
Staff are good at explaining things
66%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
89%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

91%
Library resources
71%
IT resources
93%
Course specific equipment and facilities
63%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

84%
UK students
16%
International students
88%
Male students
12%
Female students
66%
2:1 or above
23%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
D

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.

£23,000
med
Average annual salary
93%
med
Employed or in further education
86%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

70%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
18%
Information technology technicians
3%
Business, research and administrative professionals

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.

£23k

£23k

£25k

£25k

£31k

£31k

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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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here