Curious about studying Computing and Information Technology - BSc (Hons)at Birmingham City University? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
City Centre Campus (The Curzon Building)
Full Time
Sep 2027
3 Year
The multidisciplinary BSc(hons) Computing and Information Technology degree will equip you with the technical and managerial skills you will need to embark on a successful IT career. You will use industry-standard equipment and labs and have the chance to put your academic learning into practice during an optional placement year, all of which will prepare you for a computing career with a range of companies. We are also an academy with leading industry names such as Microsoft, Cisco and the Linux Professional Institute providing access to additional industry certifications during your course. Your curriculum is supported by a range of leading industry partners to ensure it continues to be relevant and employment focused. Throughout your computing degree, you will be supported by expert teaching staff, many of whom have worked in the field of computing, are active in transformational research and are continually innovating with industry partners to achieve success. This course is for you if you want to combine a highly rigorous academic qualification with real-life practical work experiences, enabling you to put your learning into innovative practice. You'll be based at our City Centre Campus, where you'll use dedicated, industry-standard facilities to research and work on enterprise software and virtual environments to develop business solutions and real-time systems. You will develop the strategic mindset to address global challenges; the kind that that businesses and communities face on a day-to-day basis to maintain their digital infrastructure. You'll have access to virtual learning environments, as well as networking, electronic, enterprise systems and business intelligence laboratories.
Professional Placement YearThis course offers an optional professional placement year. This allows you to spend a whole year with an employer, following successful completion of your second year, and is a great way to find out more about your chosen career. Some students even return to the same employers after completing their studies. If you choose to pursue a placement year, you will need to find a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will be able to draw on the University’s extensive network of local, regional, and national employers, and the support of our Careers teams. If you are able to secure a placement, you can request to be transferred to the placement version of the course. Please note that fees are payable during your placement year, equivalent to 20% of the total full-time course fee for that year.
In this module, you learn how modern operating systems are the glue that bind computer hardware and networks together and how they manage the user experience for individual computers and wider networks. We will focus on the function and purpose of operating systems, with a focus on hands-on practical skills. We will build on learning from your networking, programming and computer systems modules, enhancing and extending skills in all these areas. You will make heavy use of Open Source Software, demonstrating what can be achieved with this huge publicly shareable resource on a very limited budget.
Within the Computer Systems Module, you will gain knowledge and experience of computers and computer hardware. This module presents a holistic view of how computer systems work and it also provides the underpinning knowledge required: for the design of computer architecture to show how software interacts with hardware to apply electronics principles to use number systems for computer technology
The module provides the opportunity to learn and critically reflect the skills required in building and designing basic networks and their requirements within a network infrastructure. This module builds on the underpinning knowledge and theory of networking systems. The module consists of: Subject specific lectures/laboratory sessions to introduce knowledge and skills relevant to network and information systems, along with communication architecture Lectures/laboratory sessions to introduce principles and techniques for information communication within a network and ensuring effective communication Global view on information system communication.
This first-year project allows you to develop and cultivate a creative mind-set through collaborative innovative practice, allowing you to bring together knowledge and imagination to construct a viable product. It is an opportunity to express your ideas, skills and talent to the wider community of innovative practice. The project provides you with an opportunity to be part of a thriving community of innovators that practices connected learning. This is facilitated by putting you into inter-disciplinary project teams supported by innovation mentors, advisors and academics; culminating in you exhibiting your work to an international panel of experts.
In this module you will be given an extended induction into the academic life at university as well as start to develop key academic, professional, mathematical and cognitive skills needed to be successful at university and in a computing career. Skills such as critical thinking, mathematics, time management, and a computational approach to problem-solving will be developed through a variety of hands-on activities. This module will be supported in normal class time and during group tutorial sessions.
Within the module of Computer Programming you will learn the key skills of Programming and how this relates to technology and communications. Programming is an engineering tool that plays a vital role to drive most of the modern technologies surrounding us, including the technological devices for communication, transportation and entertainment. In other words, it can be said that our modern lifestyles are heavily dependent on programming. Moreover, businesses increasingly rely on computers and the software run on them. Programming skills and a broader and deeper understanding of programming are therefore becoming increasingly important to the jobs market.
In this module you will have the opportunity to learn and critically reflect on the skills required for Network Technologies. This module builds your knowledge and underpinning theory for the networking modules and you will review the requirements from a small to medium scale network deployment engineering context.
This module introduces you to the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within modern enterprise environments, with a particular focus on its use across information technology infrastructure and systems, and organisational operations. It is designed to prepare you for roles in which you will work with, manage, evaluate, or secure AI-enabled systems. You will explore how organisations use AI technologies to support decision-making, automate processes, enhance operational efficiency, and improve security and resilience. The module examines the end-to-end lifecycle of enterprise AI solutions, including data sourcing, tool selection, deployment considerations, governance, and ongoing management. Emphasis is placed on helping you understand how AI integrates with existing enterprise IT systems, also how it influences organisational workflows and professional practice.
Computer Scientists need to address the realities of the application of their field within an environment where cyber security threats present unique challenges to application and system developers, in relation to the requirement for secure design and operation. This module provides a foundation for security consideration as required in the design of software expected to perform within a networked and data sharing environment. This module has been designed to provide the necessary theoretical framework, foundations and practical support for effectively pursuing security solutions with reference to the requirement for secure application development.
Cloud is a transformative technology that has revolutionised the way organisations operate. It allows organisations and individuals to rent computing, storage, network, and software resources on demand over the Internet. This module introduces the fundamental concepts of cloud systems and enabling technologies such as virtualization and data centres. Through this module, you will learn to design, configure, and troubleshoot cloud systems to deliver the data and network services essential for modern networks.
This module aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to a vitally important core IT topic (database technology) found in almost every IT installation in the world. The module will provide theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in developing a database system, including reflecting database systems development from understanding the needs through designing and developing database systems. This module allows students to investigate ways to create a robust, secure database that meets the organisation's needs, which complement other skills and knowledge gained from other modules on the course. In addition, the module introduces the student to transferable skills in database design, implementation, optimisation, security and database administration. Once mastered, these database skills will provide a firm understanding of designing and managing databases in organisations.
In this module you will gain the underpinning knowledge for developing software applications. The focus is on software development, including requirements gathering, software design, programming and testing. All of the topics covered in the module will form the basis of the design, implementation and evaluation of a functional software application.
This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate 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.
This module enables you to gain an understanding of the processes, scope and role when providing guidance or advice in a professional consulting capacity. It will also assist you if you join a larger organisation with the aspiration to become a leader and manager. The module provides awareness on the wider consulting profession and practice, the consulting role in computing and the management of client relationships. The focus will be to analyse and evaluate the frameworks, processes and techniques applied by computing consultants, managers and leaders.
This module aims to provide you with a conceptual understanding of Business Systems and the practical experience for the technologies used in developing an integrated business solution. It focuses on information systems that underpin the business context of organisations and the demand for business intelligence. The module draws on transactional value of real-time data through mobile/IOT devices. Intelligence has become a key aspect of most organisations competitiveness, be it customer or resource informed.
The rapidly changing nature of business operations and working conditions means that the ability to respond digitally to business needs is vitally important. Every company must deal with necessary, but repetitive business processes that consume time and energy. Automation is a critical factor for successful businesses, but both the time and monetary cost to develop automated solutions can often be too great. Low code/no-code development platforms help developers and businesses move faster when creating custom business applications. As such, it is estimated that, of the number of new enterprise applications developed by 2025, 70% will be developed via ‘low code’ or ‘no code’ technologies (Garner, 2021).
DevOps and infrastructure as code (IaC) are massive shifts to the way systems have previously been managed and developed. According to a Businesswire study of 2021, there will be annual job growth of 19% in the area between 2020 and 2026.
The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and research-informed 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 you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development. At this level, you will be expected to work independently but you will receive additional one-to-one support from your supervisor, who will be familiar with your chosen topic area. As you progress on the module, extra support will be available and this may take the form of group seminars, workshops and online materials that will help to develop your project.
BBC Grades/points required
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