Course overview

There is currently a continued growth in demand for specialists in computer science, and our course builds on the subject's core principles, with a specific focus on the issues involved in implementing and maintaining an information system, as well as its design and development.

This course aims to provide you with:

• the intellectual competencies to pursue personal career goals and aspirations within the IT industry
• the ability to design and implement an information system
• skills to respond to challenging situations, including problem diagnosis, and confidence in selecting appropriate solutions
• an awareness of the moral and ethical issues that an information system might impact on, and the ability to implement IT strategies to conform with appropriate moral and ethical guideline constraints
• the ability to evaluate the security of existing information systems and to encapsulate appropriate secure controls with the design of such systems.

It will cover relevant aspects of software development, design and the technical infrastructures of an information system. During your studies you will be expected to develop software applications to support databases, multimedia tools, browsers, servers and to set up the infrastructure to support them.

On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

• utilise an extensive, in-depth knowledge of the concepts and theory of information systems and their design
• communicate an awareness of current research and developments within the discipline, which you can evaluate and critically appraise
• recognise your obligations to function in a professional, moral and ethical way
• interact with others to manage the implications of ethical dilemmas that information systems and scenarios produce, and proactively formulate solutions
• exhibit an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of information systems design and implementation
• undertake the analysis of complex information systems scenarios even when the scenario is incomplete or contradictory, and communicate the outcome in a coherent, complete and useful form
• apply your knowledge of the discipline, both at a fundamental and leading-edge level to synthesise information which may be innovative
• act autonomously at a professional level when developing information system-based solutions, particularly when involving complex and unpredictable scenarios.

Assessment

A broad range of assessment methods will be used, measuring every aspect of your understanding and skilled application of the relevant technologies. These will include written assignments, software projects, presentations, and a final dissertation module worth one-third of the total course assessment.

Facilities

You will have access to specialist computer science laboratories containing a range of desktops, servers and operating systems. Those registered on our course will be able to freely obtain a range of software resources available from the Microsoft Academic Alliance scheme.

Links with industry and professional recognition

This course was developed in response to feedback from a consortium of employers local to the Cambridge area - the Cambridge Network - who have communicated a continued demand (both locally and nationally) for graduates with the skills our course provides.

Associated careers

Graduates might typically work as a support expert, systems administrator or internet software developer. Your postgraduate skills mean you would be likely to lead a team either immediately or shortly after graduation.

Entry Requirements:

An honours degree (2:2 or above) in a Computing/IT subject; no work experience is required. If this qualification requirement is not met, an applicant may be accepted with an honours degree (2:2 or above) in any other subject if it is combined with relevant professional work experience.