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Courses :   Prospective students » Bachelor degrees   Postgraduate programmes   IUQB Booklet on PhD Programmes   Research postgrads Printable version... Page last modified: 8/12/11 2:13am

Bachelor Degrees The Department of Computer Science offers a four-year undergraduate programme leading to a BSc degree. Students can opt for any of three different programme streams, with a final degree in either: BSc Computer Science or BSc Computer Science (Web Systems Engineering) or BSc Computer Science (Software Entrepreneurship) or BSc Computer Science with Chinese No computing experience or familiarity with computers is required or expected prior to enrolment. All students entering Computer Science take a common first year programme and then choose which of the three streams to follow during Years Two, Three and Four. Students are helped to make an informed choice between the streams by having the chance to sample the various streams in First Year. One of the modules in First Year involves visits to computing companies so that students can learn something about the range of careers available in the computing industry. All three programmes incorporate a six-month or twelve-month period of work-experience within the IT industry during the third year. The programmes are rounded off with a substantial project completed during the final year. BSc Computer Science The goal of the BSc Computer Science degree programme is to impart to its graduates both the fundamental scientific principles that underpin the key computing technologies in use today and the engineering skills that enable those principles to be applied in practice. Upon graduation students should be equipped to pursue a career as computer professionals or, if they so wish, to pursue further studies. The curriculum covers both the hardware technologies that underlie modern computer systems and the software systems and technologies that form the basis for modern computer applications. A major emphasis of the programme is software engineering: the process by which a piece of software is developed to meet a specific technological need according to rigorous engineering principles. This skill is developed in a series of modules incorporating significant hands-on work in supervised laboratory sessions. In later years of the programme specialised modules are offered on topics such as networks, computer architecture, distributed systems, multimedia, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, computer security and graphics among others. BSc Computer Science (Web Systems Engineering) The BSc Computer Science (Web Systems Engineering) is intended for those interested in careers involving the Web. Students will learn how to develop sophisticated websites and will also be well-placed for careers right across the general software industry. As high-speed broadband becomes more widely available, users of the web are demanding more exciting features, and companies which use the web to sell their products and services know that they must produce more enticing websites. Students will learn how to do this by using such technologies as digital video, digital audio and computer animation. Skills are developed in a series of modules incorporating significant hands-on work in supervised laboratory sessions. The programme includes: How to develop web systems which protect visitors' private data, Administering web servers, Developing application-specific web languages and related technologies, Supporting websites where much of the content is contributed by visitors, How to programme in a variety of modern high-level languages. BSc Computer Science (Software Entrepreneurship) BSc Computer Science with Chinese Apart from the "pure computing" degrees described above (single honours degrees), it is also possible to combine computer science with another subject leading to a joint honours degree. This option involves roughly half the amount of computer science material as the single honours degree with the difference being made up by modules of the other subject. Currently, this option is available for Chinese. The choice of whether to pursue a joint honours or a single honours degree is made at the end of first year. The BSc Computer Science with Chinese degree programme is designed to fill a perceived and growing need among Computer Science graduates to be able to interact effectively with their fellow Chinese professionals. China will be a dominant force in the IT industry in the near future and being able to speak Chinese and understand Chinese business will give UCC graduates a competitive edge. It is predicted that the Chinese economy will be the largest in the world by 2012. Clearly, it will be important for Irish professionals to understand Chinese business and to be able to communicate in Chinese, rather than just in English. As well as gaining proficiency in the Chinese language, graduates will be well placed for careers right across the general software industry. The new programme will also include important topics such as: A range of Software Engineering methodologies, Mathematical principles underlying electronic computation, A range of computing technologies and programming languages, Chinese culture, history, sport, economics, business and law. Details on all Computer Science programmes are available on the college calendar at http://www.ucc.ie/calendar/science/index.html. Authoritative source of individual modules is the UCC Book of Modules - see http://www.ucc.ie/academic/modules/descriptions/page014.html.