Software Engineering, BSc (Hons), with study abroad

Building software to specification is a crucial skill in contemporary computer science, and this degree equips students with the knowledge, experience, and expertise needed for a career in software engineering. The program begins with foundational computer science concepts in Year 1, advances to team collaboration and real-world practices like joint projects in Year 2, and includes opportunities for a year abroad to foster cultural and language skills. In Year 3, students focus on software testing, design patterns, generic programming, and a practical software development project.The course is delivered in the state-of-the-art £32.5m Computational Foundry, featuring advanced labs such as Vision and Biometric, Cyber Security, and User Experience facilities. It holds accreditation from the British Computer Society, enabling immediate professional membership for graduates. Options for a year in industry enhance employability, and Swansea University guarantees conditional offers, subject to entry requirements.

Year 1 is the same as the BSc Computer Science degree. This is mainly because students studying these need to know the same fundamental things. Year 2 also shares some modules with Computer Science, eg in studying databases, graphics, algorithms, concurrent systems and alternative approaches to programming. Software Engineering concentrates more on team working than Computer Science. It also brings in real-world concepts like completing work started by other teams, and working collaboratively with other teams – all of which are things that are common practice in industry. Students also study structuring, storing, manipulating and communicating data. However, Software Engineering students study fewer of the theoretical concepts behind programming languages. In Year 3 of Software Engineering includes a project, two compulsory modules on Software Testing and Design Patterns and Generic Programming, plus options. The project must be practical, and you must build a software system.