Software Engineering with Foundation BEng Honours

Program Overview

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Software Engineering with Foundation BEng Honours

Course Overview

Our degree courses with foundation year offer the opportunity to prepare you for advanced study before you progress onto a full honours degree at the University of Westminster. Whether you do not feel ready for degree-level study, don’t have the right qualifications, want to change your subject specialism or return to study after an absence from education, we aim to encourage a broad range of students to undertake our foundation year in order to progress onto their full honours degree with us.

The foundation year is designed to give you the opportunity to explore new ideas, opening up new perspectives on the key debates within your chosen field. During the foundation year you will explore a range of creative disciplines and get a chance to develop in your chosen field, benefiting from workshops in our high end facilities and working with leading academics who will encourage you to become a confident and creative thinker. Core modules accelerate your academic and professional development and you will also take modules within your chosen field, giving you the chance to develop a cross-disciplinary perspective on your course.

On successful completion of the foundation year, you will be able to move on to study for the Software Engineering BEng Honours over a further three years study.

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, and Agile software development. Sharing a common first year with the Computer Science BSc Honours course to which you can transfer in Year 1, you specialise in software engineering from Year 2.

The Software Engineering BEng emphasises fundamental principles, design, acquisition of practical skills and evaluation of technologies. You may go on to complete an integrated Master's programme with the award of an MEng degree after four years.

Our course offers a short-term work-based learning experience that will give you the opportunity to work on a real-life problem, which is normally set by an external organisation as a small-scale project. This experience will allow you to put theory into practice by applying your new knowledge and skills to a real-life situation, usually within the context of a business-related problem.

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.

Course structure

Learning takes place through a combination of face-to-face teaching and independent study, including lectures, practical tutorials, laboratory sessions, personal development sessions, real-life project briefs and case studies.

The following subjects are indicative of what you will study on this course.

• Foundation
• Year 1
• Year 2
• Placement Year
• Year 3

Subjects of study include:

• Computer Systems and Networks
• Critical Thinking in a Changing World
• Foundation Mathematics
• Information Systems and Data Representation
• Introduction to Academic Practice
• Programming

Credit Level 3

Subjects of study include:

• Computer Systems Fundamentals
• Mathematics for Computing
• Software Development
• Trends in Computer Science
• Web Design and Development

Credit Level 4

Subjects of study include:

• Algorithms: Theory, Design and Implementation
• Database Systems
• Machine Learning and Data Mining
• Mobile Application Development
• Object Oriented Programming
• Operating Systems
• Robotic Principles
• Server-side Web Development
• Software Development Group Project
• Software Engineering Principles and Practice

Credit Level 5

Our course gives you 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’ll be assigned into roles involving tasks related to software engineering.

Subjects of study include:

• Advanced Server-side Web Programming
• Applied Robotics
• Computer Science Final Project
• Concurrent Programming
• Cyber-Security
• Formal Methods
• Internet of Things
• Mobile Native Application Development
• Operational Research and Optimisation

Credit Level 6

Professional accreditation

This course is CITP (Chartered IT Professional) and partial CEng (Chartered Engineer) accredited by the BCS (British Computer Society).

Entry Requirements

• UK
• INTERNATIONAL
• A levels – DDE (64 UCAS Tariff points)
• T levels – 64 UCAS Tariff points
• International Baccalaureate – 64 UCAS Tariff points from all components of the Diploma Programme. International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme will be considered on a case-by case basis
• BTEC Extended Diploma – MPP
• BTEC Diploma – MM
• Access – 64 UCAS Tariff points from the Access course

In addition to one of the above, you should have:

• GCSE English Language grade 4/C - IB grade 4 Higher level,GCSE Maths grade 4/C - IB grade 4

If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS of 6.0 overall, with at least 5.5 in each component.

We also welcome applications from students who are taking a combinations of qualifications listed above. For further information, please contact Course Enquiries.

Mature entrants without formal qualifications will be considered on an individual basis.

Fees and Funding

• UK
• INTERNATIONAL

UK tuition fee: £9,535 (Price per academic year)

Please note that if you defer your place, the first year’s tuition fees will be those of the academic year in which you enrol, which may be higher than the fee shown for this year.

Fees are subject to UK Government Parliamentary procedure.

Find out how we set our tuition fees.

International tuition fee: £17,600 (Price per academic year)

When you have enrolled with us, your annual tuition fees will remain the same throughout your studies with us. We do not increase International tuition fees.

Please note that if you defer your place, the first year’s tuition fees will be those of the academic year in which you enrol, which may be higher than the fee shown for this year.

Find out how we set our tuition fees.

Teaching and Assessment

Below you will find how learning time and assessment types are distributed on this course. The graphs below give an indication of what you can expect through approximate percentages, taken either from the experience of previous cohorts, or based on the standard module diet where historic course data is unavailable. Changes to the division of learning time and assessment may be made in response to feedback and in accordance with our terms and conditions.

How you'll be taught

Teaching methods across all our undergraduate courses focus on active student learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application. Learning typically falls into three broad categories:

• Scheduled hours: examples include lectures, seminars, practical classes, workshops, supervised time in a studio
• Placement: placement hours normally include placement opportunities, but may also include live projects or virtual activity involving employers
• Independent study: non-scheduled time in which students are expected to study independently. This may include preparation for scheduled sessions, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks, or revision

Year

Year

F

24%Scheduled hours76%Independent study0%0% Placement

Year

1

27%Scheduled hours73%Independent study0%0% Placement

Year

2

24%Scheduled hours76%Independent study0%0% Placement

Year

P

1%Scheduled hours99%Independent study0%0% Placement

Year

3

18%Scheduled hours82%Independent study0%0% Placement

Scheduled hoursIndependent studyPlacement

How you'll be assessed

Our undergraduate courses include a wide variety of assessments.

Assessments typically fall into two broad categories:

• Practical: examples include presentations, videos, podcasts, lab work, creating artefacts
• Coursework: examples include essays, reports, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertation

Year

Year

F

32%Practical68%Coursework

Year

1

0%0% Practical100%Coursework

Year

2

1%Practical99%Coursework

Year

P

50%Practical50%Coursework

Year

3

14%Practical86%Coursework

PracticalCoursework

Data from the academic year 2024/25

Supporting you

Our Student Hub is where you’ll find out about the services and support we offer, helping you get the best out of your time with us.

• Study support – workshops, 1-2-1 support and online resources to help improve your academic and research skills
• Personal tutors – support you in fulfilling your academic and personal potential
• Student advice team – provide specialist advice on a range of issues including funding, benefits and visas
• Extra-curricular activities – volunteering opportunities, sports and fitness activities, student events and more

Visit our student hub

Course Location

With state-of-the-art science and psychology labs and refurbished computer suites, our Cavendish Campus offers our science and technology students a range of learning spaces that are both dynamic and inspiring,

Located in central London, our Cavendish Campus is just a five-minute walk from Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road.

For more details, visit our Cavendish Campus page.

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