Computer Hardware and Software Engineering BEng (Hons)

In your second year, more advanced electronics and embedded system design topics will be covered in the electronic modules. Operating system and advanced programming will be taught along with a communication technologies module.

Modules

• Operating Systems and Security – 20 credits

  This module introduces students to modern Operating Systems (OS) with a focus on security. The main topics covered will include basic OS concepts such as processes, memory management, drivers and file systems.

  Compulsory

• Analogue and Digital Electronics 2 – 20 credits

  Compulsory

• Object Oriented Programming – 20 credits

  Compulsory

• Embedded System Design and Development – 20 credits

  This module allows the students via group activities to apply appropriate theoretical and practical project management methods to aid the design, develop, manufacture, construct, commission, operate, maintain, decommission and re-cycle embedded products.

  Compulsory

• Communication and Networking Systems – 20 credits

  This module aims to provide a fundamental knowledge of computer communications (mainly in the context of local and wide area networks) and network architecture from the user’s point of view. It aims to give an overall understanding of the issues and constraints involved in wired and wireless communication systems.

  Compulsory

• Manufacture of Electronic Systems for Regulatory Complicate – 10 credits

  This module aims to develop an understanding failure analysis of electronic systems linked to manufacture and environment and regulatory aspects involved in the design development and manufacture of electronic systems, to be able to assimilate testing for compliance and other matters associated.

  Compulsory

• Add+vantage Module – 10 credits

  Compulsory

Following your second year, you will have an option to apply for a one-year professional work placement or study abroad in a partner institution. Past students have undertaken placements working as a trainee system test engineer at Halliburton, trainee operational analyst at IBM and trainee network operations engineer at BlackBerry in the UK.

If you wish to undertake the optional study abroad/placement year, you will take either the Placement Year module or the Study Abroad Year module which both typically run for a full academic year between years 2 and 3 of your course. You are normally able to progress onto the relevant module if you have successfully completed the first two years of the course (i.e. having accumulated 240 credits) and have a confirmed opportunity two weeks prior to the start of the academic year. However, we encourage international students to confirm their placements earlier to ensure they are able to meet any applicable visa requirements.

Students opting for either the work placement or study abroad module will be registered on a non-credit bearing module and therefore no additional tuition fees apply. Whilst the modules do not bear credits, they do require completion of marked activities reflecting on your placement/study abroad or work placement experience. Following successful completion of the activities, the module selected will appear on your final academic transcript. Students will thus graduate with 360 credits in total, assuming successful completion of their final year.

In the final year, you will continue your studies in advanced hardware and software design, but with a focus on individual projects in which you will perform a detailed research or design study into a technical aspect from the course with the help of an experienced supervisor.

You can choose a topic to suit your interests or to assist your career aspirations, with past students having worked on train diagnostics interface system for Spherea GmbH, designing and building a brand new MCC (Motor Control Centre) for Coalport STW and flat panel implementation of a Lava Lamp for Morph Designs.

Modules

• Final year Projects – 30 credits

  Compulsory

• Mobile Application Development – 20 credits

  This module will enable students to use development kits to build applications for mobile platforms. The practical issues of programming for such devices will be taught alongside software design for portable devices, investigation of the interface components and user interaction possibilities of smartphones.

  Compulsory

• Hardware Realisation of a Computer System – 20 credits

  The aim is to enable the student to design a computer system using a hardware description language. Specific focus would be on field programmable gate array implementation, which includes synthesis, testing and verification. An additional aim for the student is to learn complex system design techniques including architecting for speed and area.

  Compulsory

• System on Chip Design – 20 credits

  Compulsory

• Optional Modules (one of two)

  Machine Learning and Related Application – 20 credits

  This module represents an introduction to the wide field of machine learning. It will present fundamental concepts related to supervised and unsupervised learning methods, for example linear regression, support vector machines, radial basis function, decision trees and random forests, clustering techniques and naïve Bayes classification models.

  Security – 20 credits

  This module introduces students to the concepts and practical considerations of creating and evaluating secure computer systems. Systems will be analysed at both the application level and at the level of interconnected devices in architectures suck as client-server and cloud-based, with attention given to security-by-design, security legislation and regulation and the associated products and services.

  Optional