Computer Science MSc
16 Months Full-Time | September or January Start

In this module you will learn about methods of analysing and designing information systems using object-oriented methods. You will gain an understanding of the general IT system development lifecycle and the activities and personnel roles applicable at each lifecycle stage, and of the concepts of professional standards and codes for systems analysis and design projects. This will include learning how to specify system requirements and use systems analysis and design techniques to develop workable solutions to business information system problems. You will be learn and apply an object-oriented approach to develop information systems projects using the techniques of the Unified Modelling Language (UML) - the leading notation used for specifying systems. This will include advanced modelling concepts and techniques that are used to build complex object models. In particular, the syllabus of the module will cover topics such as:
• Information systems: information systems to support organisational types and objectives; strategic, tactical, operational and control systems
• Systems development activities and lifecycles: the systems development lifecycle, rationale for 'staged' system development and the key stages, roles and deliverables; the role of prototyping and iterative development; Unified System Development Process (USDP) or another lifecycle for object-oriented development
• Systems investigation techniques: the key areas of system investigation and applicable fact-finding techniques - interviewing, document examination, observation etc.
• Systems specification techniques using an object-oriented approach: defining the problem statement and structuring it through Use Case Modelling; going from Use Cases to a first-cut behavioural model (communication diagrams) with associated class diagrams; basic modelling syntax.
• Object oriented design: object model-objects, classes, inheritance, generalisation, links and associations; purpose of design; interaction modelling (sequence diagrams) and state machines in design; specifying operations with activity diagrams; design patterns.
• Class and method design: classes, objects, and messages
• Data Management Layer Design: relationship database, object-oriented database design, data access design and manipulation classes
• Human-Computer Interaction Layer Design: including principles for user interface design, content awareness, user experience, etc
• Physical layer design: including elements of the physical architecture layer, architectural components, infrastructure design, etc
• Construction: including programming management, documentation, and testing



• Professional codes of practice: the need for professional standards within analysis and design; British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT codes.

On this module you will learn the requirements for developing secure web applications to industry standards, including the technical and architectural components of the web, considering accessibility issues. You will learn how to apply the tools and techniques required for secure web development and develop practical skills to build a web application that interacts with a database. Issues associated with the deployment of a web application will be discussed, including how to audit and correct security deficiencies by following leading industrial practice.

The syllabus of the module will include:
• The technical and architectural components of the web
• HTML and CSS and their application to building a web site
• Client and Server programming to deploy a secure web application that interacts with a database
• Security issues in the deployment of a web application that is both usable and accessible

This module provides you with a critical appreciation of networks and operating systems. You will learn about the organisation and operation of computing systems, relevant concepts and technologies at a technical level, and the demands placed upon computer systems and the computer networks and operating systems technologies required for them to successfully support current and emerging applications. In particular, the syllabus of the module will cover topics such as:
• Systems Software Hierarch
• Operating Systems Architecture
• Operating System Issues, e.g., scheduling
• Data Communications and Networking
• Network Architectures, e.g., OSI model
• Major Internet Protocols and Technologies, e.g., TCP Internet Protocol
• System Security and Protection, e.g., Encryption
• Professional Practice and Related Legal, Ethical and Social issues.

In this module you will learn about research and the processes involved in carrying out research in the area of computer and information sciences. The module will encompass the full research cycle from development of the initial concept through to final evaluation and reflection on your research. You will learn how to search, find and evaluate the literature and how to use this to construct a critical literature review. You will also be able to gain an understanding of different research methods and techniques and how to apply them in practice. You will be given the opportunity to gain expertise in data and information analysis, from data collection through to the analysis, presentation and interpretation of results. You will be able to critically evaluate and reflect on the research process. You will also learn about ethics and professional conduct whilst undertaking research and consider and manage risk (including health and safety) and legal, societal and sustainability issues with respect to a research project.

Alongside this you will be provided with the skills and techniques to effectively manage a project from start to finish, including the planning and monitoring aspects.

In this module you will learn the tools and techniques required to build software systems using a programming language such as Python. You will be introduced to core programming concepts, master their use and get practical experience of how to apply them in appropriate contexts. Specifically, this will comprise developing a working knowledge of variables and types, operators and conditional statements, looping structures and functions, as well as more sophisticated data structures (e.g. lists and classes) and working with files. Using a modern Integrated Development Environment (IDE) you will be exploring fundamental programming principles applicable to modern programming languages including, debugging, testing and error-handling, modularity and code reuse, and discover programming paradigms, for example Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). Overall, you will develop and apply your skills using contemporary development libraries and hone your professional practice through learning industry standard software design principles.

Computing technologies have a range of effects on society, which will be explored in this module. Drawing on relevant theory and research, key issues will be introduced and critically evaluated. Seminars provide the opportunity to critically reflect, and develop skills in verbal communication, around the role of computing professionals in the development and application of technology within society. This module considers topics such as the commercial contexts and drivers which shape computing products, the types of harms and exclusion which arise in an increasingly digital society, the use of technology by governments to provide civic services, and debates around the effects of technology on children and young people. The presentation, potential moral panic and hyperbole around emergent technologies such as AI, and the social media landscape will also be contextualised theoretically. This module presents a holistic view of ethical and responsible computing which not only identifies harms, but also a diverse range of opportunities to create new economic markets, empower individuals, and provide a forum for the sharing of information to challenge existing power structures, e.g. the Panama papers, whistleblowing and ethical hacking. You learn how to identify and use evidence to construct argument, and identify the possible risks, exclusions and harms your work as a computing professional may potentially give rise too, and how to mitigate these.

You will develop your understanding of academic conventions in UK higher education aligned to your level of study, including expectations around critical analysis, structure, argumentation, evidencing, and referencing. The module focuses on developing communication strategies that will help you express your ideas clearly and coherently in written assignments and spoken activities. You will also reflect on your current academic and language skills and develop strategies for development ahead of your assessments.