Undergraduate 2012

A place to inspire you / An approach to challenge you


Information Technology

Key facts
Start year: 2012
Location: Medway
Award/s: BSc (Hons)
Type: Full-time
Options: Year in industry

The Information Technology (IT) degrees give you the skills you need for the practical application of computing to areas typically found in industry. These include e-commerce, information systems, and computer consultancy. The Business Information Technology degree incorporates much of the IT course, but also includes financial accounting, marketing and managing enterprises.

Our IT course can be studied as the Information Technology general degree, where a subject focus is decided during the course of the study, or as the themed degree, Information Technology (Consultancy), where a specific focus is decided at the time of enrolment and named in the degree title.

Over half our students choose to do a Year in Industry. This gives you work experience, a salary and the possibility of a job with the same company after graduation. You can also work during your studies as a consultant at the Kent IT Clinic, earning cash or credit towards your degree while providing computing support to local businesses.

The School of Computing is an internationally recognised Centre of Excellence for programming education, with 95% of our research judged to be of international quality. The School is also home to two National Teaching Fellows, authors of widely used textbooks and award-winning Java teaching systems such as BlueJ and Greenfoot.

Modules

Stage 1

Core modules

You take the following shared core modules, and other core module(s), depending on your chosen subject.

  • Computing Concepts and Practice
  • Introduction to Information Systems
  • Mathematics for Computing
  • People and Computing
  • Visual Programming
Business Information Technology
  • Microeconomics for Business
  • Introduction to Marketing
Information Technology
  • Applications Project
  • Computer Systems

Stage 2

Core modules
  • Database Systems
  • Networking
Business Information Technology
  • Automation Tools or IT Consultancy Methods or Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming
  • Financial Accounting 1 & 2
  • Information Systems Analysis
  • Introduction to Management
  • Marketing Strategy
Information Technology, Information Technology (Consultancy)
  • Dynamic Web
  • IT Consultancy Methods
  • Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming
  • Software Engineering Project Workshop

Plus other compulsory and optional modules depending on your chosen programme.

Options
  • Further Object-Oriented Programming
  • Information Systems Analysis
  • Introduction to Marketing

Stage 3

Core module Business Information Technology
  • Corporate and Business Strategy
  • Operations Management

And either

  • Group Project (30 credits)

Or

  • IT Consultancy Project
Information Technology, Information Technology (Consultancy)
  • Group Project and/or IT Consultancy Project
Options

Including, but not limited to, and depending on your programme:

  • Business Law
  • Computing Law and Professional Responsibility
  • Computer Security and Cryptography
  • Data Mining
  • Electronic Commerce
  • Enterprise
  • Financial Accounting 3
  • IT Consultancy Methods
  • IT Consultancy Practice
  • New Enterprise Start Up
  • Spreadsheet Modelling
  • Strategy Analysis and Tools.

Year in industry

There are Year in Industry options on all our programmes. With this option, you spend a year working in industry between Stages 2 and 3. Our dedicated Placement Team can help you find a placement and support you during the year. Our students go to a wide range of companies, including IBM, Intel and Thomson Reuters, or overseas to employers in locations including Amsterdam, Hong Kong and India.

Teaching and assessment

Most modules run for a single 12-week term, and usually include a combination of lectures, seminars, private study and practical sessions.

Teaching is based on lectures, with practical classes and seminars, but we are also introducing more innovative ways of teaching, such as virtual learning environments, video conferencing and work-based tuition. Work includes group projects, case studies and computer simulations, with a large-scale project of your own choice in the final year. Assessment is by a combination of coursework and end-of-year examination, apart from the project, which is assessed wholly by coursework.

Entry requirements

Passing the computer science pathway of the Kent IFP guarantees you entry onto the first year of these degree programmes.

Offer levels

A/AS level 300 points (3.5 A level equivalents) inc either 3 A level passes or GCE double A level, IB Diploma 33 points inc 4 in HL Mathematics or 5 in SL Mathematics or IB Diploma with 15 points at Higher inc 4 in HL Mathematics or 5 in SL Mathematics. BTEC National Diploma Distinction, Merit, Merit.

Required subjects

  • GCSE Mathematics grade C.

Careers

Graduates who have both IT knowledge and business skills can expect excellent career prospects. Our recent graduates now work at Accenture, Barclays Capital, BT, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Intel, KCC, Kent Police, Lilly, Microsoft, Oracle, Thomson Reuters, T-Mobile and Thales.

For more information on the services Kent provides to improve your employment prospects, go to www.kent.ac.uk/employability

Professional recognition

NG14:K, NG1F:K: These programmes have partial British Computer Society Chartered IT Professional (BCS CITP) accreditation.

G503:K, G505:K: These programmes have Initial Full BCS CITP accreditation.

Further information

Subject leaflet (pdf)

Schools:

Enquiries:

T: 01227 827272
E: information@kent.ac.uk

Publishing Office - © University of Kent

The University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NZ, T: +44 (0)1227 764000

Last Updated: 21/07/2011