Course summary

Our BSc (Hons) Computing with foundation year and industrial placement is a flexible and far-reaching undergraduate programme designed to support you with focused attention, industry insights and excellent IT resources. Forge your own path into specialisms and potential career options with dedicated help from our expert teaching staff. Of all the great computing degree options available at the University of Bolton, this is the most flexible. It draws on key elements from other study pathways to give you a wide-ranging and industry-informed programme. As you progress, you’ll have the opportunity to focus on aspects of the subject you have personal interest and strengths in or that support your career or further study goals. For instance, you might opt to study machine learning, artificial intelligence or cyber security. The foundation year is the first year of this degree, offering an excellent grounding in the fundamentals of computing, programming and mathematics. It’s designed to prepare you for degree-level study. With intentionally small class sizes, we can offer you more meaningful and personalised interaction with our dedicated and enthusiastic lecturers, many of whom are active researchers and come with extensive industry insights and experience. Meanwhile, guest speakers and lecturers give you access to highly relevant and up-to-date input from industry settings. The department’s strong links with business mean you’ll have the chance to work on ‘live briefs’ in your coursework assignments, so you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy real-world context and application for the skills and knowledge we’ll help you develop. All of this is backed by our well-equipped IT suites, where you’ll get to apply and develop your learning individually and in groups, with expert guidance and support. The University will offer lots of support to help you find a placement with a relevant company in preparation for your year in industry (the industrial placement takes place between the third and final years of this five-year course). Through our relationships with employers, we’ll share placement adverts as they become available, and you can also seek your own placement. Our placement team will help with applications and interview skills. Your placement does not have to be in the Bolton area – it could be elsewhere in the UK. Completing a year in industry will give you invaluable skills and experience that will help you in your final year of study with us and boost your CV to help you find an enhanced career afterwards. If you’re unsuccessful in securing a placement, you’ll be able to transfer directly to the final year of study and complete your degree in four years.