Advanced Computer Science - MSc
Currently viewing course to start in 2024/25 Entry. Switch to 2025/26 Entry
The MSc Advanced Computer Science programme intends to develop your competence in using tools and techniques for producing computer systems solutions, from a sound mathematical and scientific base while appreciating the professional responsibilities and quality needed by industry.
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time
- Award MSc
- Start date January 2025
- Fees View course fees
- Subject
- Location City Centre
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
The MSc Advanced Computer Science programme intends to develop your competence in using tools and techniques for producing computer systems solutions, from a sound mathematical and scientific base while appreciating the professional responsibilities and quality needed by industry.
Introducing STEAMhouse
STEAMhouse is a centre for technology, innovation, creative thinking, prototyping and business development. Our £70 million pound building is the home for all of our Computing courses.
What's covered in this course?
The course is designed to cover a number of advanced computing topics in computer science, namely, ontological engineering, service-oriented design, database design, data engineering, and mobile-application development. In addition, you will receive a solid grounding in research methods and project management before undertaking an individual project that provides an opportunity to demonstrate technical and general employability skills in preparation for career progression. More specifically, the individual project simulates typical graduate workplace tasks that require in-depth knowledge and skills in a specific area of computer science. This will include consideration of wider issues and the ability to manage activities and resources, as well as generate, implement and report on solutions to meet task objectives.
Throughout your masters in computer science, you’ll be supported by our expert teaching staff, all of whom have a wide range of research and industrial experience in areas such as intelligent systems, mobile computing, Semantic Web, machine learning and software engineering, which they use to enhance the curriculum.
Tailor your degree
The Professional Placement version of the course is optional and is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course. This will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.
Accredited By
This course is accredited by:
I started studying Computer Science at Birmingham City University to improve and broaden my knowledge in this field, so that I can find a career in the near future in this field as it has always been my passion. BCU's great labs, library, resources and knowledgeable tutors made this university the best place to start this journey.
I have been away from Computer Science for a few years but the support I received from the Faculty at BCU has made the first few challenging weeks of my study enjoyable.
Maryam Mehdigholi
Why Choose Us?
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Working with Google to improve employability - On completion of the course, our Advanced Computer Science graduates will be equipped to apply for roles in companies such as Google and Facebook.
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Industry-standard facilities - Our fully equipped laboratory is based within the £114 million Millennium Point building where you can undertake work in artificial intelligence, human computer interaction, mobile and web application development, and data science.
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Professional Placement option - Gain desirable employability skills with the option of a professional placement.
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Home to Cisco and Microsoft Academies - We are home to a Cisco Systems and a Microsoft Academy Centre and a member of the Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance. We are also a Cisco ASC (Academy Support Centre) and Cisco Instructor Training Centre (ITC).
- Content which matches international trends - The course is supported through the activities of the Innovations in Computing Education research group, designed to keep teaching and assessment in line with international trends.
- Accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT – The course meets standards set by the profession.
- Strong industry links - strong links with companies such as Oracle, LPI, Microsoft, AWS and Apple, ensure that the course is relevant and respected by employers.
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OPEN DAY
Join us for an on-campus Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail, chat to students, explore our campus and tour accommodation.
Next Event: 24 November 2024
Entry Requirements
Essential requirements
Essential Requirements
Our typical entry requirement is a 2:2 honours degree, or equivalent, in a computing-related subject. However, equivalent work experience in a computing-related field will be taken into account for those with degrees in other disciplines. |
If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MSc
Starting: Jan 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 12 months
- £9,710 in 2024/25
- Full Time
- 18 months with Professional Placement (see below*)
- £10,685 in 2024/25
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MSc
Starting: Jan 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 12 months
- £17,710 in 2024/25
- Full Time
- 18 months with Professional Placement (see below*)
- £19,485 in 2024/25
Professional Placement option*
The Professional Placement option will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School.
Placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course. All students who do not find a suitable placement or do not pass the competitive selection process will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
Personal statement
You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
If you are applying for a stand alone module, please include the title of the module you want to study in your Personal Statement.
Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.
Course in Depth
Module
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 180 credits):
Mobile application development often requires you as the developer to target a specific platform such as Android, iOS or Windows Mobile. An alternative option is to develop a mobile application that may be delivered through the web, thereby is independent of platform. This module will examine and make use of a wide range of tools, libraries and frameworks to facilitate the creation of web based mobile applications that are independent of operating system and hardware platform. You will learn how to structure and present a mobile application, work with sensor and location data, cloud based data storage solutions and how to create a rich user interaction experience.
This module covers the fundamental principles of service-oriented design and the core technologies that enable the implementation of service-oriented systems. It aims to equip you with the key skills and knowledge in order to perform service-oriented systems design and implementation.
Within this module, you will gain knowledge and experience of advanced concepts of database systems and implementation techniques of database management systems. The module begins with reviewing the fundamental concepts necessary for designing, using, and implementing relational database systems.
This includes conceptual design, relational modelling, Structured Query language (SQL) programming and database implementation techniques. The module then explores some of the advanced concepts of databases relevant to the role of database administrator. This includes query planning and optimization; transaction processing and concurrency control; and big data technologies. The objective is to enhance the comprehension and the advanced use of database system in order to optimize its performance.
In addition, the module contains a substantial practical element utilising advanced SQL, No-SQL and database application development tools, enabling students to gain transferable skills in designing and developing relatively complex ‘real life’ database applications.
This module will equip students with the knowledge and skills for which employers are currently looking when recruiting for such roles as Data Scientist, Data Engineer, Data Architect, Business Insight Analyst, Business Consultant, Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning Analyst. Students will learn methods for data pre-processing, analysis, management and visualisation; understand a wide range of algorithms to solve clustering, prediction and classification tasks; and practice programming them in Python. The course will also introduce the currently trending data science topics, such as deep learning, language and speech processing, and business intelligence.
The Web, as it stands today, primarily depends on human understanding and the interpretation of the vast information space it encompasses. However the Web was originally designed with a goal to support not only human interaction, but also automated machine processing of data with minimal human intervention.
At the heart of Semantic Web is semantic representation and reasoning of data using ontologies and knowledge engineering. This module is about investigating the next generation of the Web, whose key distinguishing characteristics will be the support for and use of semantics in new, more effective, more intelligent, ways of managing information and supporting applications. The module will look into different aspects of Ontology representation, creation, design, reasoning, programming and applications. The course is focused on ontological engineering, which represents an important part of Semantic Web development.
This module prepares you for the research project that you will undertake towards the end of your master’s course. It equips you with knowledge and transferable skills that will also help you in your subsequent career, for example, when you are asked to write a report or to carry out an IT project. You will become familiar with the research literature in your discipline, research methodology and research ethics, as well as project management tools, methods and techniques.
The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and research-informed Level 7 project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. In agreement with your supervisor, you will decide upon your topic which will take the form of a practical outcome (artefact) with accompanying contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your topic is that it must be aligned to the programme you are studying and informed by the research strategy of your school, and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development.
Professional Placement (optional)
In order to qualify for the award of MSc Advanced Computer Science with Professional Placement, a student must successfully complete all of the Level 7 modules listed above as well as the following Level 6 module.
This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 20-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree.
The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
Download course specification
Download nowKnowledge and understanding are acquired though a mixture of formal lectures, tutor-led seminars and practical activities, with other independent learning activities at all stages.
Emphasis is placed on guided, self-directed and student-centred learning with increasing independence of approach, thought and process.
The course provides access to effective commercial development environments and ensures students have practical awareness of computer systems requirements. You are required to meet strict deadlines, and to manage and plan overall workload.
Knowledge is assessed formatively and summatively, by a number of methods, including seminars, course-work, viva, presentation, and project work.
Assessment criteria are published both at a generic course level and to provide guidance for individual items of assessment.
You will undertake a major project involving research and application of that research in the solution of appropriate systems problems.
Professional Placement option*
The Professional Placement option will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School.
Placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course. All students who do not find a suitable placement or do not pass the competitive selection process will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
This course is accredited by the following organisations:
Our accreditations from these bodies show employers that you have the level of knowledge and skills they need when you graduate.
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
This degree has been accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by BCS. An accredited degree entitles you to professional membership of BCS, which is an important part of the criteria for achieving Chartered IT Professional (CITP) status through the Institute. Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.
Engineering Council Accredited Degree
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-SPEC). An accredited degree will provide you with some or all of the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills for eventual registration as an Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (CEng). Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.
Employability
Enhancing your employability skills
We know that employers are looking for graduates who have a good balance between in-depth academic knowledge and technical and practical expertise, which is why our course is geared towards employability.
What you learn on our course will help you to stand out when you look for your first professional role. Because you will know how to use sophisticated, industry-standard software, you will be able to demonstrate that you can put into practice your deep theoretical knowledge.
We will also prepare you for a career by equipping you with a range of transferable skills, such as complex problem-solving expertise, the ability to analyse in a careful and considered manner, and working as a team member. We aim to have you employer-ready by the time you graduate and, as part of your Advanced Computer Science course, we will invite guest speakers to underpin the subjects taught.
Thanks to our excellent partnerships and working relationships with some of the UK’s leading companies, you have the chance to network with leading organisations such as IBM, Dignity plc, Mortgage Brain and Griffiths Waite. In addition, our specialist industry links with the Linux Professional Institute, the Oracle Academy, Cisco, and Microsoft, plus our world-class facilities, will mark you out as a highly employable graduate.
This is why our graduates have gone on to pursue computing and software development and designer careers in a wide range of industries, from SME software companies, to industry, government, banking and healthcare. Furthermore, many graduates continue their studies to Doctorate level.
International
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Details of the entry requirements for our courses
- Some of the good reasons why you should study here
- How to improve your language skills before starting your studies
- Information relevant to applicants from your country
- Where to find financial support for your studies.
Facilities & Staff
Our Facilities
We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £260 million on new learning facilities. This course will be taught at Millennium Point at the City Centre Campus.
The course is supported with a wide range of cutting-edge facilities in the City Centre Campus. We have a state-of-the-art computer games technology lab which contains high-performance PCs, Sony PlayStation development kits and a range of industry standard software including Unity, Unreal and a suite of professional Microsoft development tools.
We also have many open access areas where students can study together and even hire out laptops for use in these spaces and others within the university.
Within the University there are many internationally recognised research teams giving you the opportunity to collaborate with them on exciting interdisciplinary projects.
Computer networking
The laboratories are well-equipped for all our computer networking courses, as well as specialist areas for practical work such as voice-over internet protocol (VoIP), forensic and ethical hacking technologies, wireless and mobile technologies and radio frequency identification technologies to name but a few.
Software development and computer programming
There are a number of open access, software development and computer programming laboratories that can be used to develop systems and programmes, including database management systems such as MySQL, to name but a few.
Systems laboratories
Our embedded systems laboratories are used to develop real-time systems, such as specialist hardware training and development resources, and industrial-standard software development and simulation tools. These include microcontroller software and robotics design and development, to name but a few.
Electronic systems
To underpin the basic principles of electronic systems, we have a well-equipped laboratory of general and specialist test and measurement kits, including powered prototyping development boards, dual power supplies, frequency generators and counters and digital multi-meters to name but a few.
Forensic computing
Our successful development of forensic computing has led to a specialist forensics laboratory that is fully equipped with essential hardware and software for this sensitive area of study. The laboratory includes high-spec PCs with built-in multi interface Tableau write blockers, EnCase and FTK computer forensic software and steganography detection and analysis software, to name but a few.
More on our facilities
Our staff
Dr. Shadi Basurra
Professor of Intelligent Systems
Prof. Dr. Shadi Basurra, Professor of Intelligent Systems, graduated from the University of Exeter - BSc, UK (2007) and the University of Kent – MSc, UK (2008). He earned his PhD from the University of Bath (in collaboration with Bristol University) in 2012 through a scholarship from Toshiba, Great Western Research, and the Yemeni government. He...
More about ShadiDr Khaled Mahbub
Associate Professor in Software Engineering
Khaled started his academic career, in September 1999, as a Lecturer (US hierarchy) in Computer Science & Engineering at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he worked until March 2001.
More about KhaledDr Sara Hassan
Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering
Sara is a full-time Senior Lecturer in software engineering. She received her PhD in Computer Science in 2019 from University of Birmingham, UK. She worked as a teaching assistant for Software Engineering 2015-2019 at the University of Birmingham, UK. Prior to that she got her MEng in Computer Science with Software Engineering from...
More about SaraParnia Samimi
Assistant Lecturer
Dr Parnia Samimi is a full-time Assistant Lecturer in Computer Science at Birmingham City University. She is currently the Module Lead of the Advanced Database module. She studied at National University of Malaysia (UKM), graduating with a Master of Information Technology in 2012. She went on to do her PhD research in Computer Science at the...
More about ParniaDr Edlira Vakaj
Associate Professor in Neuro-Symbolic AI
Dr Edlira Vakaj is an Associate Professor of Neuro-Symbolic AI, Academic Lead for Research, Innovation and Enterprise at the College of Computing and leading the Natural Language
More about EdliraDr Abdul Rahman Alsewari
Senior Lecturer
Abdul Rahman Alsewari is a Senior Lecturer in the Computing & Data Science Department at the School of Computing and Digital Technology, Birmingham City University. Previously he worked as an Associate Professor at University Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia from 2013 until 2022.
More about Abdul RahmanHarjinder Singh
Senior Lecturer
Harjinder joined Birmingham City University (BCU) in 2000 and has 10 years experience in teaching and consultancy, prior to joining BCU Harjinder worked in Industry as a software developer mainly in C++.
More about HarjinderDr Mariam Adedoyin-Olowe
Programme Leader – MSc Artificial Intelligence
Mariam is Programme Leader of MSc Artificial Intelligence at Birmingham City University. She is also a researcher in the field of Data Mining/Data Analytics/Data Science. She obtained her PhD degree in Computing Science from the School of Computing Science and Digital Media (IDEAS Research Institute) of Robert Gordon University (RGU), United...
More about MariamNouh Elmitwally
Lecturer in Data Science
Lecturer in Data Science, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning with 4+ years of experience in the United Kingdom and other countries. He received a PhD degree in Computer Science from the University of Surrey, the UK, and a BSc MSc from Cairo University, Egypt. Before joining BCU in September 2022, he had a long international career in computer...
More about Nouh