UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON

COURSE SPECIFICATION

Course Aim and Title MSc Computing

Intermediate Awards Available PGCert Computing, PGDip Computing

Teaching Institution(s) UEL on campus
Alternative Teaching Institutions
(for local arrangements see final section
of this specification)
UEL Academic School ACE
UCAS Code
Professional Body Accreditation
Relevant QAA Benchmark Statements QAA Subject benchmark statement
Master’s degrees in Computing 2011
Additional Versions of this Course MSc Computing with Industrial Placement
Date Specification Last Updated June 2021

Course Aims and Learning Outcomes

This course is designed to give you the opportunity to:

• Develop an understanding of the fundamentals of software development;

• Develop knowledge and skills in database systems and their applications;
• Gain practical knowledge that will enable you to establish a career in IT;
• Investigate current problems from emerging areas within the area of computer science.

What you will learn:

Knowledge
• Demonstrate critical knowledge of designing and implementing a software.
• Understanding of topics such as computer programming, database systems, computer
architecture and networks.
• Critically survey and analyse relevant theories and research methods.

Thinking skills
• Critical thinking and evidential reasoning
• Systematically analyse problems and implement effective solutions.
• Show a conceptual understanding of the principles of key topics within the area of
computing science.

Subject-Based Practical skills

• Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems
• Design & develop a software on a set of specifications.
• Demonstrate cognitive, intellectual skills and theories while establishing appropriate
criteria for informed recommendations and conclusions.

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COURSE SPECIFICATION

Skills for life and work (general skills)

• Demonstrate an ability to study independently and effectively and to be able to convey
technical information clearly and concisely.
• Develop interpersonal skills and be able to contribute and work effectively in a team.
• Integrate research, and articulate research results into professional practice.

Learning and Teaching

Various teaching methods are employed on the course, including lectures, tutorials, seminars and
laboratory work. In a lecture period, a member of the academic staff or a visiting lecturer presents
ideas or information to a body of students. In a seminar, ideas are discussed by a group of students.
The discussion is led by a member of the staff or a nominated student and moderated by one or
more members of staff. In a tutorial, the students solve problems under the guidance of a member
of staff with whom they can also discuss information presented in a previous lecture.

To enable students to derive maximum benefit from their period of attendance, lectures are
designed to cover only essential subject matter, this being complemented by lecture notes.
Considerable importance is attached to home assignments and a commitment to private study.

Students are recommended to plan their work in advance. Where practicable, a course of work,
requirements of home assignments, together with reading references and tutorial sheets are
distributed at the beginning of each section of each module. Regular formative assessments of the
students' work are undertaken and feedback provided in order to monitor progress and identify
problem areas.

Assessment
Modules are allocated a mark out of 100%. The pass mark for each module is based on an
aggregate mark of 50%. The aggregate mark comprises marks from components whose
threshold is 40%. Assessment may incorporate one, two or three components.

The module specifications specify the mode of assessment for each module.

Assessment methods include formal examinations, coursework, project work and group
exercises.

Students with disabilities and/or particular learning needs should discuss assessments with the
Course Leader to ensure they are able to fully engage with all assessment within the course.
Work or Study Placements
Students on the placement version of the course will undertake a placement within a partner organisation
(or by means of alternative arrangements such as projects led by industry and carried out on campus) to
complete a 120 P-credit Industrial Placement Module. The module is graded at either Pass or Fail,
assessed by the partner industrial organisation and the University and grades reflected on the students’
academic transcripts. The industrial placement component is for a duration of an academic year, ie,
normally 30 weeks including minimum 24 weeks of delivery time. It starts after students have completed
the 1st year of study, ie, all the taught modules and the dissertation component of the MSc course which
together form 180 credits. Students on the two-year MSc with placement courses must pass all taught
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COURSE SPECIFICATION

modules of their respective course plus dissertation, ie, 180 credits, before they become eligible to
progress to the next stage and undertake industrial placement. Students on the MSc course with
placement will also normally be required to fulfil the 80% attendance requirement (on all modules) to be
eligible to progress to the industrial placement module. Students unable to meet the above requirements
and progress successfully will normally be moved to the one-year full-time version of the course and their
student visa, if any, will be curtailed accordingly.

The structure of the extended version of the MSc courses that includes the industrial placement is
summarised in the following table:

For September intake:

Term 1 (Y1: Sep – Jan) Taught modules
Term 2 (Y1: Jan – May) Taught modules
Term 3 (Y1: May – Sep) Dissertation
End of July Y1 Deadline for confirming placement Industrial placement
Term 1 and 2 (Y2: Sep – May)
For January intake:
Term 2 (Y1: Jan – May) Taught modules
Term 1 (Y1: Sep – Jan) Taught modules
Term 2 (Y1: Jan – May) Dissertation
End of March Deadline for confirming placement Industrial placement
Term 3 and 1 (Y2: May – Jan)

Students must check the Academic Calendar for start and end of term dates. It is ultimately the student’s
responsibility to secure their placement. The University through the Centre for Student Success and the
School will offer guidance and support; and recommend students to our industrial partners who are
interested in participating in the course. But the onus to find and secure the placement is on the students.
If they are unable to secure a placement at the end of taught modules, they will be transferred back to the
full time taught course without the placement component and your student visa, if applicable, will be
curtailed accordingly by UKVI. Students undertaking the Placement Module will also normally need to
meet the following requirements:
• 80% attendance at the 12 week employability module workshops and classes.
• Registration on the UEL Employment Hub with CV and Covering Letter uploaded.
• Details of placement provided to the Placement Officer by 31st July (Sept starters) and 31st March
(January starters).
• Placement Agreement form signed by the student and partner organisation at least 3 weeks before the
placement start date

Course Structure
All courses are credit-rated to help you to understand the amount and level of study that is
needed.
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COURSE SPECIFICATION

One credit is equal to 10 hours of directed study time (this includes everything you do e.g. lecture,
seminar and private study).

Credits are assigned to one of 5 levels:

3 Equivalent in standard to GCE 'A' level and is intended to prepare students for year
one of an undergraduate degree course.
4 Equivalent in standard to the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree course.
5 Equivalent in standard to the second year of a full-time undergraduate degree
course.
6 Equivalent in standard to the third year of a full-time undergraduate degree course.
7 Equivalent in standard to a Masters degree.

Courses are made up of modules that are each credit weighted.

The module structure of this course:

Available by
Credit
Module Core/Option Distance
Level Module Title Weighting
Learning?
Code
Y/N

7 CN7039 Software Engineering 30 Core N

7 CN7026 Cloud Computing 30 Core N

7 CN7028 Database Systems 30 Core N

Computer Architecture
7 CN7029 30 Core N
and Networks

7 CN7000 Research Dissertation 60 Core N

Core for MSc

7 EG7021 Industrial Placement 120P with Industrial N
Placement

Please note: Optional modules might not run every year, the course team will decide on an annual basis which
options will be running, based on student demand and academic factors, in order to create the best learning
experience.

Additional detail about the course module structure:

A core module for a course is a module which a student must have passed (i.e. been awarded
credit) in order to achieve the relevant named award. An optional module for a course is a
module selected from a range of modules available on the course.

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COURSE SPECIFICATION

The overall credit-rating of this course is 180 credits. If for some reason you are unable to achieve
this credit you may be entitled to an intermediate award, the level of the award will depend on the
amount of credit you have accumulated. You can read the University Student Policies and
Regulations on the UEL website.

Typical Duration
Course without industrial placement
The full-time duration of this is 12 months for the September intake and 17 months for the January intake.
For those not on a student visa, it is possible to move from full-time to part time study and viceversa to
accommodate any external factors such as financial constraints or domestic commitments. Many of our
students make use of this flexibility and this may impact on the overall duration of their study period.

Course with industrial placement

The course with industrial placement is offered in full-time mode only. The duration of this is two academic
years (including the industrial placement element). See “Work or Study Placements” section for more
detail. The time limit for completion of a course is four years after first enrolment on the course.

It is possible to move from full-time to part-time study and vice-versa to accommodate any
external factors such as financial constraints or domestic commitments. Many of our students
make use of this flexibility and this may impact on the overall duration of their study period.

The time limit for completion of a course is four years after first enrolment on the course.

Further Information
More information about this course is available from:
• The UEL web site (www.uel.ac.uk)
• The course handbook
• Module study guides
• UEL Manual of General Regulations (available on the UEL website)
• UEL Quality Manual (available on the UEL website)
• School web pages
All UEL courses are subject to thorough course approval procedures before we allow them to
commence. We also constantly monitor, review and enhance our courses by listening to student
and employer views and the views of external examiners and advisors.

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