Program Overview

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About our foundation years

Our Foundation Year courses are perfect for you if you...

• are returning to education after a long time, or you don't have the qualifications for direct entry into our degree programmes
• are thinking of re-training and would like an introduction to the area
• are an international student wanting an additional year to adapt to the UK academic system
• are still evaluating which degree pathway at UEL is the right one for you

Please note: Foundation years can only be studied full-time. However, you can transfer to part-time delivery once you have completed your foundation year. Please apply to the full-time option if you wish to study in this way.

Computing MSc

Overview

Do you want to be at the forefront of solving tomorrow's real-world technology problems and aiding the need for better products and solutions? An MSc Computing degree will equip you with the key skills and knowledge in order for you to impact the future of technological advances in computer-based systems.

This course helps you to further develop your knowledge and skills within the cutting-edge areas of computing and information communication technology. The course has been designed to provide you with a blend of advanced theoretical knowledge and practical skills related to emerging technologies deployed in industry and research.

The course is taught and delivered by leading researchers who are actively engaged in this rapidly changing field to ensure that you're up to date with the latest developments.

The flexible nature of the course will enable you to choose from a range of advanced modules that match your career ambitions. These include emerging areas such as cloud computing, database systems, software engineering, computer architecture, and networks.

Course options

MSc

• Start date: September 2025
• Entry Requirements: Minimum 2.2 Honours in a non-Computing subject.

MSc with Placement Year

• Start date: September 2025
• Entry Requirements: Minimum 2.2 Honours in a non-Computing subject.

Fees, funding and additional costs

Fees

• EU, EEA and Swiss Nationals starting a course from September 2021, will no longer be eligible for Home fees. However, such nationals benefitting from Settled Status or Citizens' Rights may become eligible for Home fees as and when the UK Government confirms any new fee regulations. Further information can be found at UKCISA.
• Tuition fees are subject to annual change. Fees for future years will be published in due course.

Funding

Home students

• Postgraduate Loans Scheme: £10,280 to fund your Masters Programme under the Postgraduate Loans (PGL) scheme
• Postgraduate Scholarship: Apply for a 50 per cent discount on your tuition fees!
• Alumni Discount: up to 15% fee waiver *exclusions apply. Please see the Alumni Discount page for information.
• Early Payment Discount: 5% fee waiver
• Asylum Seekers scholarship: 100% fee waiver
• Civic Engagement: £1,000
• Hardship Bursary: up to £2,000
• Sport Scholarships: Up to £6,000

International students

• Living costs for international students: As part of the Tier 4 student visa requirements, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) estimate that you will need £1,265* per month to cover your living costs.
• How to pay your fees - international students: Deposits and paying by instalments

Additional costs

• Textbooks: Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. You may prefer to, or be required to, buy your own copy of key textbooks.
• Computer equipment: There are open-access networked computers available across the University, plus laptops available to loan. You may find it useful to have your own PC, laptop or tablet which you can use around campus and in halls of residences.
• Printing: In the majority of cases, coursework can be submitted online. There may be instances when you will be required to submit work in a printed format. Printing and photocopying costs are not included in your tuition fees.
• Travel: Travel costs are not included but we do have a free intersite bus service which links the campuses and halls of residence.

Learn about applying

Important information about your application

• UK Full-time starting Sept: Apply directly to UEL by clicking on the apply button. For further information read our Guide to Applying.
• UK Part-time starting Sept: Apply directly to UEL by clicking on the apply button. For further information read our Guide to Applying.
• International Full-time starting Sept: Please read and consider the entry and visa requirements for this course before you submit your application. For more information please visit our international student advice pages.

Placement year

• This course offers you the option of a work placement. It's not compulsory but will give you extra credits. You will get professional experience in the workplace, build connections, and perhaps improve your academic performance. It will look good on your CV and help your job prospects.

What makes this course different

• Flexible: Our flexible course offers a unique selection of modules in cutting-edge and emerging areas, allowing you to specialise in area of your choice.
• Industry recognised: Many of the advanced modules incorporated within the programme are offered as stand-alone professional development short courses, giving industrial repute to these modules and programme as a whole.
• Industry experienced: Practical work, projects and dissertation will be based on real-world industrial applications and current research supervised by subject experts at the forefront of emerging and established areas of the field.

Course modules

• Software Engineering Core Module
• Cloud Computing Core Module
• Database Systems Core Module
• Computer Architecture and Networks Core Module
• Research Dissertation Core Module
• Industrial Placement Core Module

What we're researching

• The University of East London is conducting top-notch research in the broader area of Artificial Intelligence (AI), ranging from Fintech to stock market prediction, to computer vision to inventing scalable intelligent algorithms to solve the large-scale big data problem.
• According to Google Scholar's index, the University's AI research is attracting more than one scholarly citation per day globally.
• The University has strong research collaborations with other academic and industrial institutions; such as the University of Oxford, Queen Mary, University of Southampton, Accenture, Microsoft, and Amazon.

Your future career

• Almost all industries and business sectors and being heavily automated and there is a move towards the use of emerging technologies such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and Cloud Computing to develop modern products and solutions. In addition to this, cybersecurity is of major importance to the government and businesses in all sectors.
• There is a shortage of personnel with advanced skills in these emerging and growing fields, and graduates of this programme can progress to work in a multitude of roles and industries. This can be direct technology industry, related banking and financial sectors or diverse ones such as agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing and automotive.

Job roles

• Business Analyst / Business Intelligence
• Senior Software Architect / System Architect
• IT Project Manager / IT Consultant / IT Programme Manager
• Software Engineering / System Developer
• AI Specialist / Robotics
• IoT Specialist / Smart Device Programmer
• IT Infrastructure Manager
• Cloud Architect

How we support your career ambitions

• We offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.

Career Zone

• Our dedicated and award-winning team provide you with careers and employability resources, including:
  • Online jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work.
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services
  • Careers workshops and employer events
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

• Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme which issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you’ve mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

We are careers first

• Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top
• Enterprise and entrepreneurship support
• Ranked 2nd for graduate start-ups (2023/24)
• Networking and visits to leading organisations
• Support in starting a new business, freelancing and self-employment
• London on our doorstep

How you'll learn

• As a key element of this course, you will be asked to complete a dissertation on an aspect of one of the cutting-edge computer science areas of your choice. Whatever topic you choose, your dissertation needs to make a contribution to the field, and you will be supervised by a leading academic spearheading research in that particular domain. Throughout, you will be encouraged to focus on the real practical needs of the industry and form solutions around those.

How you'll be assessed

• You will be assessed using a mixture of practical coursework and a theory exam. Coursework can take a variety of forms, including laboratory work, data analysis and oral presentations.
• The Research Dissertation is assessed on a final written report, a poster presentation and a practical component. You will receive detailed feedback on all assessment outlining strengths and areas of improvement.

Campus and facilities

• Our waterfront campus in the historic Royal Docks provides a modern, well-equipped learning environment.
• Join us and you'll be able to make the most of our facilities including contemporary lecture theatres and seminar rooms, art studios and exhibition spaces, audio and visual labs and a multimedia production centre.
• Features include our 24/7 Docklands library, our £21m SportsDock centre, a campus shop and bookstore, the Children's Garden Nursery, cafés, eateries, a late bar, plus Student Union facilities, including a student lounge.
• The University of East London is one of the few London universities to provide on-campus accommodation. Our Docklands Campus Student Village houses close to 1,200 students from around the world. We are well connected to central London and Canary Wharf, with London City Airport just across the water. We also run a free bus service that connects Docklands with Stratford campuses.

Who teaches this course

• This course is delivered by School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering
• The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

Related courses

• MSc Cloud Computing
• Architecture, Computing and Engineering MPhil PhD
• MSc Big Data Technologies