Advanced Computer Science with an Industrial Placement - MSc

Postgraduate Open Day

Join us at the Medway campus on Saturday 24 June or the Canterbury campus on Saturday 1 July. Meet our staff and students, find out more about our Master's and PhDs, and experience our stunning locations for yourself.

This flexible course offers a largely free choice of modules from our range of Advanced Master's programmes.

Overview

Are you a computing graduate whose interests span more than one specialism? Do you want the freedom to explore a variety of advanced topics? This course serves as a springboard for employment or research.

You gain work experience through an industrial placement. This placement is available between eight and 50 weeks, depending on the options taken. Our dedicated placement team help you gain a suitable paid position and provide support throughout.

About the School of Computing

Our world-leading researchers, in key areas such as cyber securityprogramming languagescomputational intelligence and data science, earned us an outstanding result in the recent Research Excellence Framework (REF); an impressive 100% of our research was classified as either 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent' for impact.

Strong links with industry underpin all our work, notably with Cisco Systems Inc, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Nvidia, Erlang Solutions, GCHQ and Google.

Our programmes are taught by leading researchers who are experts in their fields. The School of Computing at Kent is home to several authors of leading computer science textbooks.

We have a large range of equipment providing both Linux and PC-based systems. Our resources include a multicore enterprise server and a virtual machine server that supports computer security experiments. 

The School also has a makerspace, The Shed, which offers exciting teaching and collaboration opportunities. Among other equipment it contains a milling machine, 3D printers, laser cutter and extensive space for building and making digital artefacts.

Entry requirements

A first or second class honours degree or equivalent in computing or a related subject.

All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications. 

International students

Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.

English language entry requirements

The University requires all non-native speakers of English to reach a minimum standard of proficiency in written and spoken English before beginning a postgraduate degree. Certain subjects require a higher level.

For detailed information see our English language requirements web pages. 

Need help with English?

Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.

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Course structure

Duration: 2 years full-time

Each of our taught MSc courses is available in several formats to accommodate students from different backgrounds and to provide maximum flexibility. See more about Taught Master's course formats.

Your placement

You undertake a work placement of between eight and 50 weeks. For Tier 4 students, the placement is available for a year only. You work in real-life technical and business roles, utilising your skills and gaining new ones. The experience you gain on your placement gives you an extra edge when applying for jobs in the future.

You are responsible for finding your own placement but are supported by the School’s Placement Team. Dedicated to helping you get the right job, the Placement Team offer lots of practical support.

It is possible to take your placement locally in Kent, elsewhere in the UK or perhaps overseas.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.  Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules.

Compulsory modules currently include

COMP8800 - Project and Dissertation (60 credits)

The project consists primarily of an extended period during which students undertake a substantial piece of work and a report on this in the form of a dissertation. It is usually preceded by an exploratory stage in which students review and summarise relevant literature or other technical background, and gain specific skills relevant to their project via a series of taught workshops. It may be permitted to undertake the work in groups, particularly for projects with a development focus. However, the dissertations are produced individually. The project examines the student's ability to research technical background, to understand and expand on a specific problem commensurate with their programme of study and relate it to other work, to carry out investigations and development (as appropriate), to describe results and draw conclusions from them, and to write a coherent and well organised dissertation demonstrating the student's individual reflection and achieved learning.

COMP1234 - Test (Testing module code credits)

140

Optional modules may include

COMP5450 - Functional Programming (15 credits)

This module introduces students to the functional programming paradigm, using at least one modern functional programming language to put the core concepts into practice. The module will develop both the foundation and theory of this paradigm, as well as the practice and application of the paradigm to solve problems and build systems. The module will core topics, including:

  • Functions as first-class language constructs and as a central organising principle;
  • Higher-order functions and compositional programming;
  • Basic semantics of functional languages;
  • The role of types in programming;
  • Algebraic data types and pattern matching;
  • Recursion and recursive data types;
  • Differences with imperative and object-oriented programming paradigms;
  • Properties of programs, (e.g., purity, side-effect freedom, totality, and partiality).
  • The lambda-calculus as a programming model and foundation.
  • BNF grammars for representing context-free syntax, and its relation to ADTs and language manipulation.
  • Testing and issues of building correct software.

The module will develop practical skills in programming and problem solving using functional programming. There will also be a chance to apply functional programming to help understand better concepts in logic and mathematics.

Later parts of the module will then consider concurrent programming in the context of functional programming, including concurrent programming models and primitives (e.g., message-passing concurrency), parallelism, synchronisation and communication, and properties of deadlock, communication-safety, and starvation.

COMP6590 - Computational Creativity (15 credits)

The module aim is to give students an overview and understanding of key theoretical, practical and philosophical research and issues around computational creativity, and to give them practical experience in writing and evaluating creative software.

The following is an indicative list of topics that may be covered:

  • Introduction to computational creativity
  • Examples of computational creativity software e.g. musical systems, artistic systems, linguistic systems, proof generator systems, systems for 2D and 3D design.
  • Evaluation of computational creativity systems (both of the quality and the creativity of systems)
  • Philosophical issues concerning creativity in computers
  • Comparison of computer creativity to human creativity
  • Collaborative creativity between humans and computers
  • Overview of recent research directions/results in computational creativity
  • Practical experience in writing creative software.

COMP8160 - eHealth (15 credits)

An overview of basic concepts related to eHealth and a perspective on current HIT (Health Information Technology) and innovation. Review of current healthcare related IT systems. The use of information technology for handling clinical data, health systems. Data representation and knowledge management. Security and privacy. Ethics and legal requirements of eHealth systems. Clinical decision support systems. TeleHealth tools for remote diagnosis, monitoring, and disease management. Delivery and monitoring platforms for both hospitals and home environment. Innovation in eHealth systems leading to start-up companies.

COMP8220 - Introduction to Quantum Computing & Quantum Cryptography (15 credits)

This module will give students an overarching introduction to quantum information processing (QIP). At the end of the course the students will have a basic understanding of quantum computation, quantum communication, and quantum cryptography; as well as the implications to other fields such as computation, physics, and cybersecurity.

We will take a multi-disciplinary approach that will encourage and require students to engage in topics outside of their core discipline. The module will cover the most essential mathematical background required to understand QIP. This includes: linear algebra, basic elements of quantum theory (quantum states, evolution of closed quantum systems, Born's rule), and basic theory of computing. The module will introduce students to the following theoretical topics: quantum algorithms, quantum cryptography, quantum communication & information. The module will also address experimental quantum computation & cryptography.

COMP8240 - Privacy (15 credits)

This module aims to familiarise students with general concepts about privacy, privacy issues in selected application contexts of privacy enhancing technologies (e.g. Internet and web, mobile computing, online social networks, IoT), selected privacy enhancing technologies including data anonymisation (e.g. k-anonymity and differential privacy), anonymous communication (e.g., Tor), web and mobile privacy tools, and socio-technical related topics aspects of privacy (e.g. privacy behaviours, privacy policies, usability, and relevant legal issues).

COMP8250 - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (15 credits)

This module covers the basic principles of machine learning and the kinds of problems that can be solved by such techniques. Students will learn about the philosophy of AI, how knowledge is represented and algorithms to search state spaces. The module also provides an introduction to both machine learning and biologically inspired computation.

COMP8260 - AI Systems Implementation (15 credits)

Students are presented during lectures with advanced Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning techniques (such as genetic algorithms, support vector machines (SVMs), deep learning, neural networks, stochastic gradient decent, Q-Learning/Deep Q-learning, ensembles, neuroevolution), including aspects of implementation, hyper parameter tuning, scalability and parallelism.

COMP8270 - Programming for Artificial Intelligence (15 credits)

This module covers the design and implementation of high-quality software, and provides an introduction to software development for Artificial Intelligence (AI). In this module, students will gain an understanding of data analysis and statistics techniques, including effective graphical representations.

Throughout the module, students will learn to embed data analysis and statistics concepts into a programming language which offers good support for AI (e.g., Python). Students will learn to use important AI-purposed libraries and tools, and apply these techniques to data loading, processing, manipulation and visualisation.

COMP8320 - Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery (15 credits)

This module explores a range of different data mining and knowledge discovery techniques and algorithms. You learn about the strengths and weaknesses of different techniques and how to choose the most appropriate for any particular task. You use a data mining tool, and learn to evaluate the quality of discovered knowledge.

COMP8340 - Information Security Management (15 credits)

This module investigates the whole process of information security management and associated activities including the concepts used and practices prescribed by relevant standards, such as those defined by ISO/IEC. A holistic view of information security management is taken, including risk management, the formulation of security policies, business continuity and resilience. Selected socio-technical topics that are important for information security management will also be covered. These shall include AAA (authentication, authorisation and accountability), important legal aspects especially data protection and privacy laws, data protection impact assessment, usability analysis and management, wider human factors in cyber security such as social engineering attacks and the importance of a positive cyber security culture for encouraging secure behaviours of employees and users.

COMP8360 - Cognitive Neural Networks (15 credits)

In this module you learn what is meant by neural networks and how to explain the mathematical equations that underlie them. You also familiarise yourself with cognitive neural networks using state of the art simulation technology and apply these networks to the solution of problems. In addition, the module discusses examples of computation applied to neurobiology and cognitive psychology. The module also introduces artificial neural networks from the machine learning perspective. You will study the existing machine learning implementations of neural networks, and you will also engage in implementation of algorithms and procedures relevant to neural networks.

COMP8370 - Natural Computation (15 credits)

There is an increasing use of nature-inspired computational techniques in computer science. These include the use of biology as a source of inspiration for solving computational problems, such as developments in evolutionary algorithms and swarm intelligence. Similarly, there is now also an increasing interest in understanding how biological, chemical and other natural systems compute, and how this could be exploited for practical applications. It is therefore proposed to allow students the opportunity to become exposed to these types of methods for use in their later careers.

COMP8380 - Internet of Things and Mobile Devices (15 credits)

The module will cover a mixture of theoretical and practical topics in the area of mobile devices and the Internet of Things (IoT), that is, the use of Internet technologies to access and interact with objects in the physical world. This will include coverage of the range of sensor and actuator devices available, ways in which they communicate and compute, methods for getting information to and from IoT-enabled devices, ways of visualising and processing data gained from the IoT, and associated privacy and security issues. Application development for mobile devices such as smartphones will also be introduced using a popular mobile platform.

COMP8410 - Cyber Law (15 credits)

The module will explore existing and emerging legal issues in cyber security, cybercrime, privacy and data protection, including the domestic and cross-boundary legal regulatory frames and their associated ethical dimensions. Topics covered include cybercrime, privacy and data protection, Internet and cyber surveillance, cross-border information flows, and legal structures. Students will be challenged to critically examine the ethics and management of cyber data. It will require students to assess emerging legal, regulatory, privacy and data protection issues raised by access to personal information.

COMP8481 - Solving Problems with Data and Text (15 credits)

Data types: nominal, numerical, ordinal, text, audio, visual, temporal and non-temporal. Basic descriptive statistics: measures of average and spread, different ways of graphing data. Choosing appropriate and valid methods for the analysis and presentation of data, and understanding the limitations of methods. Data at different scales, including big data, and the computational challenges of processing data at scale. The process of discovering useful knowledge from data: including understanding the need for preprocessing and cleaning data, the challenges of gathering relevant data, and the need to present results in a comprehensible and actionable way. Data mining: classification/regression and clustering, and the idea of predictive analytics. Elements of information retrieval from text. Vector representations of text documents. Fairness and ethical issues concerning data.

COMP8685 - Deep Learning (15 credits)

This module looks into the training of modern deep neural networks: backpropagation, regularisation, automatic differentiation, computational graphs. Introduces different types of deep neural networks, such as, LSTM, convolutional networks, and autoencoders. Presents the theoretical underpinnings of deep learning and its mechanisms. Delves into selected recent advanced topics in deep learning. Examines applications of deep learning.

COMP8710 - Advanced Java for Programmers (15 credits)

This module provides for well-qualified computer science students entering the MSc programme from a range of backgrounds. These students will have good programming skills but will not necessarily have used Java or another object-oriented language extensively. This module seeks to ensure that students have the Java and object-oriented design skills necessary for the rest of their programme.

COMP8740 - Networks and Network Security (15 credits)

Introduction, including a review of network techniques, switching and multiple access. High speed local area networks. Network protocols, including data link, network, transport and application layers and their security issues. Problems of network security and mechanisms used to provide security such as firewalls and network security protocols. Real time data transmission and quality of service. Naming and addressing and related security concerns. Security of IEEE 802.11 networks.

COMP8760 - Computer Security (15 credits)

This module starts with the fundamental mathematical concepts to build cryptographic primitives. A key objective is to learn to implement the primitives without using programming libraries, learn the formal security notions and models for the primitives, and the use of the primitives in practical applications like blockchains.

The second part of the module covers the key application areas of authentication, authorisation and accountability (AAA). Included here are foundational topics of user and non-user authentication (including issues with password and biometric authentications), as well as access control and authorisation, along with matters related to accountability.

COMP8810 - Object-Oriented Programming (15 credits)

This module provides an introduction to object-oriented programming using the popular Java language. It is designed for beginners who have not studied computer programming before. By the end students will be able to develop simple programmes using Java.

COMP8820 - Advanced Object-Oriented Programming (15 credits)

Building upon Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming, this module covers the design and implementation of high-quality software using OO techniques. Systems are modelled as configurations of objects communicating with one another. Techniques (e.g. inheritance) are introduced which allow objects to play different roles within a system. These two concepts are key to the support for adaptation and reuse that OOP provides. Much emphasis will be placed on gaining a deep understanding of these concepts and applying them in practice by developing programs in Java. The remainder of the module will explore software component frameworks, specifically those that come packaged with Java, placing most emphasis on the frameworks to support the structuring and manipulation of data (data structures and algorithms).

COMP8920 - Advanced Network Security (15 credits)

A synopsis of the curriculum:

  • Network security and cybercrime.
  • Analysis of real world network security incident (IoT botnet).
  • Email security issues (spam and phishing attacks; spam filtering systems).
  • Spyware (system vulnerabilities; stealth techniques; detection and removal).
  • Network-related data security (data breaches; data loss prevention; remote sniffer detection).
  • Security of WiFi networks.
  • IoT network security
  • Network forensics and incident response.
  • Emerging network protocols
  • IPv6 security.
  • Honeypots and honeynets.
  • Software-defined networking.

COMP8990 - Advanced Topics in Cyber Security (15 credits)

The module looks at a number of advanced topics in cyber security that are important for understanding, finding, researching and assessing security solutions. Example topics include:

  • Digital steganography and watermarking, and its increasing role in modern malware;
  • CAPTCHAs and other mechanisms to distinguish bots from humans remotely;
  • AI in security, for example, the role of deep learning and adversarial examples in cyber security;
  • Security in AI, for example, the protection of machine learning techniques against cyber threats;
  • Random number generators and their relevance in password and nonce generation;
  • Advanced malware threats such as ransomware, covering their evolution and providing some insights into likely future trends, including economic aspects.
  • Advanced topics in research related to human factors and usable security, e.g., user behaviour and their relationship to cybercrime, positive security, user profiling and
  • modelling;
  • Quantum cyber security and the development of quantum-resistant cyber security systems based on quantum mechanics;
  • Advanced topics in IoT security, covering new developments and trends, threats and mitigations.

ENLA6001 - Advanced English for Academic Study in the Applied Sciences (15 credits)

The focus of the module is on the development of the advanced English language competence necessary for post graduate study in scientific disciplines. This includes the ability to interpret and evaluate authentic scientific texts; analyse, discuss and summarise written and visual information both in writing and orally; organise written texts effectively and submit them in grammatically accurate English, and present the results of research orally in a coherent and stimulating way.

Compulsory modules currently include
Optional modules may include

Teaching

Teaching and assessment

Assessment is through a mixture of written examinations and coursework, the relative weights of which vary according to the nature of the module. The final project is assessed by a dissertation.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

  • enhance the career prospects of graduates seeking employment in the computing/IT sector
  • prepare you for research and/or professional practice at the forefront of the discipline
  • develop an integrated and critically aware understanding of one or more areas of computing/IT and their applications (according to your degree title)
  • develop a variety of advanced intellectual and transferable skills
  • equip you with the lifelong learning skills necessary to keep abreast of future developments in the field.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

  • how to engineer software systems that satisfy the needs of customers using a state-of-the art methodology and an industrially-relevant programming language
  • a broad variety of advanced topics relating to computing/IT (the specific topics will depend on the optional modules you chose and may vary from year to year in response to developments in the field, staff changes etc).

Intellectual skills

You develop intellectual skills in:

  • the ability to identify, analyse and formulate criteria and specifications appropriate to a given problem
  • the ability to model problems and their solutions with an awareness of any tradeoffs involved
  • the ability to evaluate systems, processes or methodologies in terms of general quality attributes and possible tradeoffs
  • the ability to deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively
  • the ability to work with self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems
  • the ability to make sound judgements in the absence of complete data
  • the ability to review a research paper or technical report critically and to present your findings to a group of peers
  • the ability to plan and execute a substantial research or development-based project and to report the work in the form of a dissertation.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in:

  • the ability to specify, design, implement and test computer-based systems
  • the ability to deploy effectively the tools used for the construction and documentation of software
  • the ability to undertake practical work that explores techniques covered in the programme and to analyse and comment on the findings.

Transferable skills

You gain the following transferable skills:

  • the ability to plan, work and study independently and to use relevant resources in a manner that reflects good practice
  • the ability to make effective use of general IT facilities, including information retrieval skills
  • time management and organisational skills, including the ability to manage your own learning and development
  • an appreciation of the importance of continued professional development as part of lifelong learning
  • the ability to work effectively as a member of a team
  • the ability to communicate technical issues clearly to specialist and nonspecialist
  • the ability to present ideas, arguments and results in the form of a well-structured written report
  • the ability to act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at professional or equivalent level.

Fees

The 2023/24 annual tuition fees for this course are:

  • Home full-time £9500
  • EU full-time £16400
  • International full-time £21900

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.

Your fee status

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Additional costs

General additional costs

Find out more about general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent. 

Funding

Taught Postgraduate Excellence Scholarship

The School of Computing is pleased to recognise the achievements of its overseas Master’s students who achieve the highest grades in their undergraduate degrees by awarding a £3,000 fee discount. Find full details, deadlines and criteria.

We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.

Search scholarships

Independent rankings

In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, 100% of our Computer Science and Informatics research was classified as either 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent' for impact.

Research

Research areas

Programming Languages and Systems Group

Our research involves all aspects of programming languages and systems, from fundamental theory to practical implementation. The Group has interests across a wide range of programming paradigms: object-oriented, concurrent, functional and logic. We research the links between logic and programming languages, the verification of the correctness of programs, and develop tools for refactoring, tracing and testing. We are interested in incorporating safe concurrent programming practices into language design.

The Group is also interested in practical implementation of programming languages, from massively concurrent parallel processing to battery-operated mobile systems. Particular research topics include lightweight multi-threading kernels, highly concurrent operating systems, memory managers and garbage collectors.

Research areas include:

  • theoretical and architectural questions concerning designs for both hardware and software
  • abstractions and implementations of concurrency in programming languages
  • formal specification of systems and their architecture
  • design patterns and tools for enabling the safe and scalable exploitation of concurrency
  • compilers, memory managers and garbage collectors
  • lightweight multi-threading kernels and highly concurrent operating systems
  • refactoring of functional and concurrent languages
  • applications of formal methods to provably correct, secure systems
  • model checking and abstract interpretation, including applications to discovering security vulnerabilities
  • program verification and theorem proving

Computational Intelligence Group

This Group brings together interdisciplinary researchers investigating the interface between computer science and the domains of bioscience and cognition. In terms of applying computation to other domains, we have experts in investigating the modelling of gene expression and modelling of human attention, emotions and reasoning. From the perspective of applying biological metaphors to computation, we research new computational methods such as genetic algorithms and swarm intelligence.

The Group also develops novel techniques for data mining, visualisation and simulation. These use the results of interdisciplinary research for finding solutions to computationally expensive problems.

The Group has strong links with other schools at the University of Kent, as well as with universities, hospitals and scientific research institutes throughout the country and internationally.

Areas of research activity within the group include:

  • bio-inspired computing including neural networks, evolutionary
  • computing and swarm intelligence
  • application of computational simulations in biology and medicine
  • systems biology including gene expression modelling
  • theory and application of diagrammatic visualisation methods
  • data mining and knowledge discovery
  • construction of computational models of the human cognitive and neural system.

Cyber Security Research Group

Security - of information, systems, and communications - has become a central issue in our society. Interaction between people's personal devices (far beyond just phones and computers) and the rest of the connected world is nearly continuous; and with the advent of the Internet Of Things its scope will only grow.

In that context, so much can go wrong - every communication can potentially be intercepted, modified, or spoofed, and surreptitiously obtained data can be commercially exploited or used for privacy invasions. In fact, data flows in society are such that many people already feel they have lost control over where (their) data goes.

The cyber security research group operates within that context. All members bring a particular technological emphasis - the analysis of particular classes of security problems or their solutions - but are fully aware that it all fits within a wider context of people using systems and communicating data in secure and insecure ways, and how external pressures beyond the mere technology impact on that. The topic of computer security then naturally widens to include topics like privacy, cyber crime, and ethics and law relating to computing, as well as bringing in aspects of psychology, sociology and economics.

From that perspective, the Cyber Security research group played a key role in setting up, and continues to be a core contributor to, the University's Interdisciplinary Cyber Security Research Centre, see www.cybersecurity.kent.ac.uk

The group has a strong involvement with postgraduate teaching in this area. It teaches most of the core modules in MSc programmes in Computer Security, and Networks and Security. A new (from September 2017) MSc Course in Cyber Security has been provisionally certified by GCHQ. The group is also involved in undergraduate modules in this area, postgraduate programmes in other schools and UK activities to define curricula in Cyber Security.

Areas of Research Activity

Members are engaged in the following areas of research (research areas in more detail) .

  • Data Ethics and Privacy
  • Authorisation Infrastructures
  • Cybercrime
  • Internet Of Things Security and Privacy
  • Authentication
  • Quantum Computation and Information, with Security Applications 
  • Formal Methods for Cryptography
  • Steganography and Steganalysis
  • Trust Management and Metrics and Reputation Systems
  • Tools for Vulnerability Analysis
  • Self-Adaptation applied to Security and Privacy
  • Cloud Security
  • Human Aspects of Security
  • Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology
  • Identity Management

Data Science Research Group

Data Science is about developing new techniques to better understand data and draws on many areas within and outside of computer science. Our research group develops and applies methods to interpret rich information sources.Our research comes under three themes:

eHealth

  • Dr Caroline Li gathers and analyses EEG data for the study of seasonal affective disorder.
  • Dr Srivas Chennu works on neurodynamics of consciousness, developing new tools to study brain networks, including improved diagnostics and prognostics during emergence from coma. He also uses neural network modelling for predictive coding in cognition.
  • Dr Palani Ramaswamy has worked on biological signal analysis, brain-computer interfaces and biometrics. He has applied machine learning techniques to these and other fields.

Systems

Careers

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have gone on to work in:

  • software engineering
  • mobile applications development
  • systems analysis
  • consultancy
  • networking
  • web design and e-commerce
  • finance and insurance
  • commerce
  • engineering
  • education
  • government
  • healthcare. 

Recent graduates have gone on to develop successful careers at leading companies such as:

  • BAE Systems
  • Cisco 
  • IBM
  • The Walt Disney Company
  • Citigroup 
  • BT.

Help finding a job

The University has a friendly Careers and Employability Service, which can give you advice on how to:

  • apply for jobs
  • write a good CV
  • perform well in interviews.

Industrial placement

You gain practical work experience as part of your degree through our industrial placements scheme  - we have a dedicated Placement Team who give advice and guidance. All our placements are in paid roles.

In previous years, students have worked at a wide range of large and small organisations, including well-known names such as:

  • Accenture
  • BT
  • GSK
  • IBM
  • Kent Police
  • Microsoft
  • Morgan Stanley
  • The Walt Disney Company.

You can take your work placement abroad. Previous destinations include Hong Kong and the US.

An industrial placement gives you invaluable workplace experience, which greatly enhances your employment prospects and also helps put your academic learning into a real-world context.

Study support

While studying, you can gain work experience through our industrial placement. We have strong links with industry including IBM, Microsoft and Oracle.

Postgraduate resources

The School of Computing has a large range of equipment providing both UNIX (TM) and PC-based systems and a cluster facility consisting of 30 Linux-based PCs for parallel computation. New resources include a multi-core enterprise server with 128 hardware threads and a virtual machine server that supports computer security experiments.

All students benefit from a well-stocked library, giving access to e-books and online journals as well as books, and a high bandwidth internet gateway. The School and its research groups hold a series of regular seminars presented by staff as well as by visiting speakers and our students are welcome to attend.

The School of Computing has a makerspace, which offers exciting teaching and collaboration opportunities. Among other equipment, it contains milling machines, a 3D printer, laser cutter and extensive space for building and making digital artefacts.

Our taught postgraduate students enjoy a high level of access to academic staff and have their own dedicated laboratory and study room. Students whose course includes an industrial placement are supported by a dedicated team which helps them gain a suitable position and provides support throughout the placement.

Dynamic publishing culture

Staff and research students publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Journal of Artificial Evolution and Applications; International Journal of Computer and Telecommunications Networking; Journal of Visual Languages and Computing; Journal in Computer Virology.

Links with industry

Strong links with industry underpin all our work, notably with Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Agilent Technologies, Erlang Solutions, Hewlett Packard Laboratories, Ericsson and Nexor.

Global Skills Award

All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme. The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.

Apply now

Learn more about the application process or begin your application by clicking on a link below.

You will be able to choose your preferred year of entry once you have started your application. You can also save and return to your application at any time.

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