Master of Science in Software Engineering (Conversion)

at University of Westminster - Cavendish Campus United Kingdom

Smart computer system engineering is a growing market in today’s computer industry. Embedded systems have become widespread and can be found in almost all modern consumer devices, from washing machines to cars and robots. Computer system technologies are becoming smart and expanding even further to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet-of-Things (IoT) connectivity. You’ll study all of these topics throughout our course.

Our Smart Computer Systems BEng is designed around three themes: software/hardware programming, wireless networking and smart technologies. You’ll be exposed to many programming opportunities for a multitude of platforms and operating systems, and acquire an excellent knowledge of networking and client/server programming leading to the latest developments of the Internet of Things ecosystems, security and smart technologies such as smart sensors, robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Our course aims to provide an exciting, enjoyable and rewarding learning experience, which will serve as a solid foundation for a successful professional engineering career and meet the current demand from employers.

Top reasons to study with us

• Expert-led workshops will help you develop in-demand skills
• An exciting, enjoyable and rewarding learning experience in the heart of London
• Our course will prepare you to be resilient and adaptable to changes that engineering and technology bring
• You'll qualify for free British Computer Society (BCS) academic membership for the duration of your studies. The BCS supports those working in the IT industry and has a commitment to making IT good for society. The organisation has over 60,000 members in 150 countries, and a wider community of business leaders, educators, practitioners and policy-makers. Membership of the BCS will allow you to continue your professional development and enjoy a range of valuable networking opportunities.

Recent technological advances decreasing hardware costs and the ‘Internet of things’ has led to a rapid explosion in the amount of data generated in a variety of domains, including data-driven science, telecommunications, social media, large-scale e-commerce, medical records and e-health. Big data refers to the ability of exploiting these massive amounts of extremely heterogeneous in structure and content data that are routinely generated at an unprecedented scale from an ever-expanding variety of data sources. Business and industry used their big data to extract a better understanding of customers’ needs and behaviour, to develop targeted new products and to cut operational costs. The competitive advantages and productivity gains that big data brought led to a great number of a big data projects and a shortage of people with the required skills.

This course is aimed at people who want to move into this rapidly expanding and exciting area; it has a strong vocational flavour as it has been designed to build your knowledge and understanding of big data systems architectures and to equip you with the range of highly marketable, hands-on skills employed by the core technologies utilised in big data projects.

Our course examines the best ways to design, build, maintain and evaluate software systems. It uses many of the technical aspects of computer science, especially programming, and aims to develop the professional attitudes, interpersonal and technical skills you’ll need in the software engineering industry.

The course provides a solid foundation in software engineering theory and practice to develop professional software systems. It will equip you to take up a wide range of career opportunities, including software engineer, web application programmer, software designer/analyst or website designer/programmer.

In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake a year in industry (work placement) after completing the second year of your study. This will help you gain work experience and enhance your employability. You’ll be offered help and support to find and secure placement opportunities through various workshops and events organised by the Careers and Employability Service and the course team. Typically, you will be assigned into roles involving tasks related to software engineering.

Top reasons to study with us

• Our course will help you develop your problem-solving skills. We practise problem-based teaching, allowing you to develop your skills in analysing problems within contexts, so you can find the best technological solutions
• You'll be involved in real-life projects and gain hands-on experience of working either individually or in a software development team
• Our course reflects the dynamics of the software industry – you'll learn state-of-the-art techniques and subjects such as machine learning, AI algorithms, robotics and smart systems, the Internet of Things, Big Data technologies, complex heterogeneous systems, and cloud-based, distributed and parallel software solutions
• You'll qualify for free British Computer Society (BCS) academic membership for the duration of your studies. The BCS supports those working in the IT industry and has a commitment to making IT good for society. The organisation has over 60,000 members in 150 countries, and a wider community of business leaders, educators, practitioners and policy-makers. Membership of the BCS will allow you to continue your professional development and enjoy a range of valuable networking opportunities.     

Our Computer Games Development course combines technology and creativity in a multidisciplinary way.

The games industry is an expanding and challenging sector with continually evolving ideas and cutting-edge technologies. It requires practitioners to exercise more flexibility in software specifications and functionality, through adapting their approaches to design and management while keeping abreast of broad changes to technology.

This course covers all major technical aspects of the games development process, from design to production. It aims to prepare you for a career in software development with a particular emphasis on computer games. The course provides you with a solid understanding of game technologies, including programming, applied maths, computer graphics and game engines. You'll develop a broad range of knowledge and skills including mobile and web application development, 3D modelling and animation, and human-computer interaction. To enhance student employability, the course offers a number of talks from the creative industry and will support your participation in prestige game competitions and digital fairs, as well as industrial placements and internships.

The primary language you'll learn is C++, but you'll also have the opportunity to engage with other languages and software, such as C#, Python (Machine Learning, Algorithms), JavaScript and Swift for Android and iOS development. For character development we use Adobe Maya, Photoshop, 3DS Max and 3D Coat. The course focuses on using Unreal Engine 4 and Blueprints technology, but students will have the opportunity to engage with any of the commercial engines across the course.

Top reasons to study with us

• Valuable industry insights – our strong links to the sector ensure the course is taught with the games development industry in mind. Our teaching staff includes academics with experience in the games industry, alongside industry advisors who support the course on all work-based learning projects and competitions
• Work experience before graduation – as part of the course, you'll have the option to work for a year in the industry, gaining valuable work experience and boosting your employability
• Successful alumni – our alumni have found positions in companies including Microsoft, Sega, and Marmalade

Our course examines the best ways to design, build, maintain and evaluate software systems. It uses many of the technical aspects of computer science, especially programming, and aims to develop the professional attitudes, interpersonal and technical skills you’ll need in the software engineering industry.

The course provides a solid foundation in software engineering theory and practice to develop professional software systems. It will equip you to take up a wide range of career opportunities, including software engineer, web application programmer, software designer/analyst or website designer/programmer.

You’ll study software development, programming languages, technologies and applications including Python, Java, HTML, PHP, UML, database technologies, machine learning, algorithms and data structures, web and mobile computing, Agile software development, Big Data technologies, cloud computing, concurrency and formal methods. Sharing a common first year with the Computer Science BSc Honours course to which you can transfer in Year 1, you specialise is Software Engineering from Year 2.

In Year 4 (Master's level), our integrated Master's course enables you to extend your knowledge and experience of software engineering gained at the BEng level by studying and developing systems of increased complexity, gaining a developer knowledge of new paradigms and studying advanced issues around cybersecurity – threats facing businesses and organisations that depend on IT systems.

In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake a year in industry (work placement) after completing the second year of your study. This will help you gain work experience and enhance your employability after you graduate. You’ll be offered help and support to find and secure placement opportunities through various workshops and events organised by the Careers and Employability Service and the course team. Typically, you will be assigned into roles involving tasks related to software engineering.

Top reasons to study with us

• Our integrated Master's course will give you advanced software engineering knowledge
• Our course will help you develop your problem-solving skills. We practise problem-based teaching, allowing you to develop your skills in analysing problems within contexts so you can find the best technological solutions
• You'll be involved in real-life projects and gain hands-on experience of working either individually or in a software development team
• Our course reflects the dynamics of the software industry – you'll learn state-of-the-art techniques and subjects such as machine learning, AI algorithms, robotics and smart systems, the Internet of Things, Big Data technologies, complex heterogeneous systems, and cloud-based, distributed and parallel software solutions
• You'll qualify for free British Computer Society (BCS) academic membership for the duration of your studies. The BCS supports those working in the IT industry and has a commitment to making IT good for society. The organisation has over 60,000 members in 150 countries, and a wider community of business leaders, educators, practitioners and policy-makers. Membership of the BCS will allow you to continue your professional development and enjoy a range of valuable networking opportunities.

Our Data Science and Analytics BSc will give you the combination of analytical, technical and presentation skills to convert data into valuable insights.

In a constantly changing global environment, the massive use of social networks and the Internet of Things are generating a huge and fast-growing amount of data. Data processing is carried out through increasingly complex and sophisticated computer capabilities and algorithmic models, and involves advanced storage technologies such as cloud computing. 

As a result, there is currently a great need for professionals who can process, understand and present this data in an appropriate and effective way. These skills are much needed by businesses, which collect data from customers, partners and from the market in which they operate to support evidence-based decision making. Governments rely on data to improve their policies and deliver better services as well.

Studying our course, you'll develop knowledge of the fundamental principles and technologies that underpin the disciplines of maths, statistics and computing with an emphasis on the skills and theories required in data science and analytics. You'll learn how to apply cutting-edge maths, statistics and computer science techniques and tools to collect, store, prepare, analyse and visualise data, while analysing and understanding organisations’ operations, environment and related issues. 

Top reasons to study with us

• Master key data science skills – You’ll learn how to make sense of data using various machine learning algorithms and statistical techniques, and how to use top programming languages such as R and Python for a career in Data Science and Analytics
• Boost your employability – You’ll have the opportunity to experience work-based learning including working for a year in industry, gaining skills that’ll give you an edge in the graduate market
• Use state-of-the-art computing facilities – You’ll have access to 34 specialist labs, various Operating Systems (Windows 10, Unix, Linux and Mac OSX), Microsoft development software for free, and VR hardware available in our labs to develop with
• Develop in-demand skills – Data analysis is a growing industry, with governments and businesses in need of professionals who can analyse data to support key decision-making
• Learn the fundamentals – You'll graduate with knowledge of the fundamental principles and technologies that underpin maths, statistics and computing

Nutrition has long been recognised as a vitally important determinant of health status within both industrialised and industrialising countries. Significant changes are occurring in the profile of nutritional problems. Many countries continue to face problems of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, but countries in economic transition also face the public health challenge of rising rates of diet-related chronic disease, such as obesity and coronary heart disease. Also, many industrialised countries now face problems of food insecurity among low-income groups. These challenges have led to growing political resources to address nutrition.

This course will give you the specialist scientific knowledge and practical skills to take an active role in global public health nutrition in a range of different settings.

You will be introduced to policy making, leadership and governance frameworks. You will be encouraged to explore and debate the political and social influences underpinning policy implementation and impact.

Our Biological Sciences BSc will give you a solid academic foundation in biological knowledge and the key skills to prepare you for careers ranging from research, medicine, science and education, to law and management.

Our flexible course enables you to focus on molecular science, human biology or applied biosciences, or take a route designed specifically toward your own interests.

Alongside developing an excellent foundation in biological knowledge, through the study of our core modules, you'll be able to explore global challenges facing humanity and the planet – and the biological solutions to help overcome those challenges – through an extensive range of optional subjects.

You'll have the chance to explore cutting-edge topics in molecular biology and genetics, microbiology, the urban environment, global challenges, pharmacology, and biological applications. Our modules are research driven, with a passion for scientific enquiry.

You'll also have the opportunity to undertake a lab-based final-year project, giving you experience in the latest methods and developments in medical and scientific research.

The University Careers and Employability Service and course-related events provide opportunities to discover a range of bioscience-related careers to support you in preparing for your future.

Our Biological Sciences BSc has been designed to provide a thorough knowledge of biosciences and to equip you with vital transferable skills that will help you to succeed in both science and non-science careers.

Health Psychology plays a key role in improving the health and wellbeing of the population. This course, based in the heart of London, was one of the first Masters in Health Psychology and has been accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) since 1999. It includes an innovative portfolio of assessments geared to developing transferable skills, and relating directly to the world of work. The course also provides the opportunity to gain work experience and apply your knowledge in a health psychology setting, whilst considering future career plans.

In addition to the core taught programme, we work with a range of practitioners to provide additional professional training in areas such as resilience, coaching and clinical practice.

The course will give you an in-depth understanding of the theoretical and applied bases of health, illness and disease. The main aim is to help you to develop the theoretical and methodological skills essential for conducting independent research and applying health psychology in practice.

The amazing feats of world-class athletes across the huge range of sports has projected the issues of performance into the public eye, and sports nutrition is now recognised as a key part of supporting training and competition at all levels of participation.

The Master's degree in Sport and Exercise Nutrition at the University of Westminster offers the chance to study the science behind sports nutrition and its applications for both the 'weekend warrior' and the elite athlete. It also puts the controversies surrounding the use of supplements under scientific scrutiny, looking at the key evidence for and against performance benefits.

The aim of the course is to produce sports nutritionists who are strongly focused on the science behind the subject, but who also have some experience of the practicalities of delivering sound guidance to individuals and teams who are looking to use nutrition as part of their training programmes. To this end, a number of guest lecturers contribute their expertise in key related areas.