MSc Computer Science
Course overview
Start date
January 2021
September 2021
Subject area
Computing
Attendance
Full-time
Part-time
Learning
On campus, dual delivery
Course summary
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 in Computer Science 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 Computer Science. 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 Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Vision, Computer Security and Cloud Computing.
This course is also available as a two year masters with an industrial placement year. The embedded industrial placement offers a unique opportunity to apply the skills learnt on real-life projects.
Return to campus: dual delivery
In a Covid-secure environment, enjoy learning on our state-of-the-art campuses and flex between online delivery
Find out moreFlexible
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 experience
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.
What we're researching
We have three research groups, which are closely aligned to the modules that are delivered for this course. These research groups are: Intelligent Systems, Software Systems Engineering and Enterprise Computing.
In Software Systems Engineering, we’re part of the European Union’s anti-piracy ASPIRE Project (Dr Paolo Falcarin). We’re also researching: security requirements and risk management (Dr Shareeful Islam), search-based software engineering and program analysis (Dr Syed Islam); and software product lines (Dr Rabih Bashroush), while digital forensics studies are led by Dr Ameer Al-Nemrat.
In Enterprise Computing, we are currently conducting cloud computing energy efficiency research, which comes under the EUREKA project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, under Dr Rabih Bashroush.
In Intelligent Systems, we specialise in a wide range of artificial intelligence based research such as machine vision (Dr Shafiq ur Rehman, Dr Saeed Sharif), machine lip reading (Dr Helen Bear), virtual reality (Julie Wall), neural networks (Dr Sin Wee Lee), activity recognition and machine learning (Dr Shafiq ur Rehman, Dr Usman Naeem, Dr Amin Karami). This group also conducts research on Big data (Dr Amin Karami), Internet of Things (Dr Syed Islam) Mobile Sensing and ambient assisted living (Dr Usman Naeem, Dr Saeed Sharif, Dr Shafiq ur Rehman).
How you'll learn
Our specialist laboratories have everything you will need to develop a thorough, critical understanding and gain hands-on experience in a wide range of emerging technologies. These range from cyber forensic lab, our OpenStack cloud platform to virtual reality and robotics lab.
Our dedicated and specialist staff will be around to support you, and you will have a personal tutor, a course tutor and module tutors to oversee your progress.
There are formal lectures, tutorials, workshops, practical classes and lab sessions as you develop your knowledge. Leading industry experts often present guest lectures and there is a virtual learning environment to enhance connections between teacher and student.
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 forming solutions around those.
About the industrial placement year
This course is also available as a two year master's with an industrial placement year. The industrial placement is designed to address the demands of the profession and give students a competitive edge when it comes to their career. The industrial placement component is for a duration of an academic year, i.e., normally 30 weeks including minimum 24 weeks of delivery time. It starts after students have successfully completed the 1st year of study, i.e., all the taught modules and the dissertation component of the MSc course which together form 180 credits. Please refer to the course specification for the summary of the course structure and further information.
Students on the MSc with Placement courses must pass all taught modules of their respective course plus dissertation to gain 180 credits, before they become eligible to progress to the next stage and undertake industrial placement. Students on the MSc course with placement will also normally be required to fulfil the 80% attendance requirement (on all modules) to be eligible to progress to the industrial placement. Students unable to meet the above requirements to progress successfully will normally be moved to the one-year full-time version of the course and their student visa, if any, will be curtailed accordingly.
It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to secure their placement and the university cannot guarantee placements. The University will offer guidance and support and recommend students to many of our industrial partners that have expressed strong support and interest in the programme.
During the industrial placement period, you will undertake an internship within a partner organisation (or by means of alternative arrangements such as projects led by industry and carried out on campus) and complete a zero-credit Industrial Placement Module.
There are additional fees for the placement module (in the second year of the course), in addition to the fees for the taught modules and dissertation paid in the first year.
Fees and funding
£10,280 to fund your Masters Programme under the Postgraduate Loans (PGL) scheme
Postgraduate Loans (PGL)
The Postgraduate Loan (PGL) provide non means-tested loans of up to £10,906 to taught and research masters students. It will be paid to students as a contribution towards tuition fees, living costs and other course costs.
Applications are made directly through Student Finance England
Eligibility
Whether you qualify depends on:
• if you’ve studied on a postgraduate course before
• your course
• your age
• your nationality or residency status
Full eligibility can be found here
Please take a look at the Postgraduate Loans for an overview of the new funding.
The scholarship is open to full-time and part-time UK and EU students of taught postgraduate courses. *Exclusions apply.
Find out more about full eligibility criteria and how to apply.
Terms and conditions apply.How we can help you
Did you know that with a postgraduate qualification you can expect to earn more than someone who only holds an undergraduate degree?If you want to build new skills, change career paths, or further your career prospects, a postgraduate degree can help you. Our range of scholarships and bursaries will make financing your education that much easier. Below is some of the funding available to support you in your studies:
- Alumni Discount – up to 15% fee waiver *exclusions apply. Please see 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
Terms and conditions apply.
• By telephone
• In person at our Docklands or Stratford campus
• Bank transfer
- Apply for a Postgraduate Loan
- Take advantage of UEL scholarships and bursaries
- Ask your employer to sponsor your study
- Study part-time so you can work at the same time (applicable to courses that have a part-time mode)
- Look at UK Research and Innovation funding options
The Student Money Advice and Rights Team (SMART) are here to help you navigate
your finances while you're a student at the University of East London.
We can give you advice, information and guidance on government and
university funds so that you receive your full funding entitlement.
Email: study@uel.ac.uk
Phone: 020 8223 4444
1 Year Masters:
£9,420
2 Year Masters with Industrial Placement:
£9,420
(Year 1)
£3,500 (Year 2) Industrial Placement
Tuition fees are subject to annual change. Fees for future years will be published in due course.
Visit our Postgraduate Loans page for more information. Please note, tuition fees need to be paid in accordance with UEL's Fees Policy.
£10,280 to fund your Masters Programme under the Postgraduate Loans (PGL) scheme
Postgraduate Loans (PGL)
The Postgraduate Loan (PGL) provide non means-tested loans of up to £10,906 to taught and research masters students. It will be paid to students as a contribution towards tuition fees, living costs and other course costs.
Applications are made directly through Student Finance England
Eligibility
Whether you qualify depends on:
• if you’ve studied on a postgraduate course before
• your course
• your age
• your nationality or residency status
Full eligibility can be found here
Please take a look at the Postgraduate Loans for an overview of the new funding.
The scholarship is open to full-time and part-time UK and EU students of taught postgraduate courses. *Exclusions apply.
Find out more about full eligibility criteria and how to apply.
Terms and conditions apply.How we can help you
Did you know that with a postgraduate qualification you can expect to earn more than someone who only holds an undergraduate degree?If you want to build new skills, change career paths, or further your career prospects, a postgraduate degree can help you. Our range of scholarships and bursaries will make financing your education that much easier. Below is some of the funding available to support you in your studies:
- Alumni Discount – up to 15% fee waiver *exclusions apply. Please see 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
Terms and conditions apply.
• By telephone
• In person at our Docklands or Stratford campus
• Bank transfer
- Apply for a Postgraduate Loan
- Take advantage of UEL scholarships and bursaries
- Ask your employer to sponsor your study
- Study part-time so you can work at the same time (applicable to courses that have a part-time mode)
- Look at UK Research and Innovation funding options
The Student Money Advice and Rights Team (SMART) are here to help you navigate
your finances while you're a student at the University of East London.
We can give you advice, information and guidance on government and
university funds so that you receive your full funding entitlement.
Email: study@uel.ac.uk
Phone: 020 8223 4444
Per 30 credit module
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. It includes expenses for accommodation, food and drink, travel within London, text books, entertainment, clothing, toiletries and laundry. Most Tier 4 students are required to show they have sufficient funds to cover the first nine months of the course before they start- a total of £11,385- in addition to the tuition fees. You can find more information about the specific requirements of the Tier 4 student visa here. The amount that you will spend can vary depending on your lifestyle. The UKCISA International Student Calculator can help you plan and manage your money.
* Please note the Immigration Rules are subject to change and this figure is likely to be increased by UKVI year on year. Please therefore check our ISA page for more information at the time of preparing your visa application.International students are required to pay a deposit prior to being issued a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
Your remaining balance will be paid in five monthly instalments over your first term. The first of these instalments must be paid when completing your enrolment on arrival at UEL. Please follow the payment instructions here.
After the required payment has been made, you will be asked to complete the online International Student Reply Form to confirm your acceptance of our offer and of our terms of admittance and fees policy.
Our International team at UEL are available for advice and guidance on studying in London, fees, scholarships and visa requirements.
Email: international@uel.ac.uk
1 Year Masters:
£13,920
2 Year Masters with Industrial Placement:
£13,920 (Year 1)
£3,500 (Year 2) Industrial Placement
Tuition fees are subject to annual change. Fees for future years will be published in due course.
Entry requirements
We would normally expect you to have Grade C in GCSE English and Maths.
If you do not meet the academic English language requirements for your course, you may be eligible to enrol onto a pre-sessional English programme. The length of the course will depend on your current level of English and the requirements for your degree programme. We offer a 5-week and an 11-week pre-sessional course. Find out more here.
Please note that some courses require applicants to meet the entry requirements outlined on the course page. Our pre-entry Information Advice and Guidance Team are able to provide further advice on entry requirements and suitability for study.
What you'll study and when
We consistently review and develop our courses and modules to ensure they are up-to-date with sector and industry graduate skills demands. Course structure, modules and options are subject to change.
- Advanced Software Engineering
- Big Data Analytics
- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Vision
- Computer Security
- Cloud Computing
- Mental Wealth; Professional Life (Dissertation)
- Industrial Placement
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.
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, Cyber Security 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 directed technology industry, related banking and financial sector or diverse ones such agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing and automotive.
As a graduate of this programme, you'll have a solid understanding of the main disciplines that fall under these emerging and current areas. The kind of role you could go into includes
• Big Data Analyst / Business Intelligence / Business Analyst
• 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
• Cyber Security Specialist / IT Security Consultant
• IT Infrastructure Manager
• Cloud Architect
This qualification is also heavily influenced by current research and developments that are at the forefront of the respective fields. It lends itself to a career in research and academia. Many of our graduates are expected to progress on to a MPhil/PhD and take on career in research and academia.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.
