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Software Engineering

BEng (Hons)

Typical offer for 2025
Duration
UCAS code

Suitable for applications.

Software plays a crucial role in driving and controlling computers and offers unimagined interaction with machines, which was thought to be impossible. The degree of BEng Software Engineering at Bradford offers exciting opportunities to envisage and create software that truly benefits society. Dr Savas Konur, Programme Leader

Entry requirements

Typical offer - 112 UCAS tariff points.

A levels

BBC - there are no subject specific requirements.

T levels

Merit - there are no specific subject requirements.

BTEC Extended Diploma

DMM - there are no subject specific requirements.

Applicants on Access Programmes

Meet UCAS tariff of 112 points. There are no specific subject requirements.

International Baccalaureate Requirements

112 points to include at least 2 HL subjects plus HL 3 or SL 4 in Maths.

Plus minimum of

GCSE English Language and Maths at grade C or 4 (equivalents accepted).

English language requirements

Minimum IELTS at 6.0 or the equivalent.

If you do not meet the IELTS requirement, and you have a UKVI approved IELTS, you can take a University of Bradford pre-sessional English course. See the Language Centre for more details. For further information on English Language requirements please see the dedicated international entry requirements page.

Transferring from another university

If you are currently studying at another university and would like to transfer to the University of Bradford, this course accepts students into the second or third year. This is called advanced entry

Applications for advanced entry will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must include an official transcript (not a screenshot of a portal), all module descriptors, and relevant qualifications. Module descriptors must include learning outcomes.

Applications must be submitted through UCAS and the required documents emailed along with your UCAS Personal ID no later than 31 August prior to the course starting in September. Relevant documents should be emailed to admissions@bradford.ac.uk

Placement Year

This 4-year BEng (Hons) Software Engineering programme offers you the opportunity to take up a placement year working in industry in your third year.

The placement year is an excellent way to develop your professional experience, build industry contacts, and gain insight into the day-to-day work of a professional software engineer. This is full-time employment in an area relevant to your studies, and may be a salaried position.

During the second year we’ll offer you all the support you need to find a placement that is aligned to your career aspirations and personal interests. These include sessions on CVs, interviews etc. from the Careers service at the University and presentations by both employers and previous year's students on their placements. Once on placement you’ll have support and guidance from a placements tutor, who will monitor your progress.

After completing your placement you’ll return to complete the final year of the programme, and apply all you’ve learnt to your final project. Many students continue their relationship with their placement employers, working for them part-time or returning to work in graduate positions after finishing their studies.

In recent years students have gone on placement with a range of employers including: large companies such as Hewlett Packard, Intel, IBM, Rolls Royce, GE, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan. There are also many openings with local firms and organisations such as Citizens Advice, local software houses and small businesses in the local region.

Although most placements take place within the UK there may be opportunities in a number of countries with some firms or specific placements abroad with some companies. Recent examples include placements in Germany, Bulgaria and Estonia.

Learning and assessment

Most modules use a mixture of formal lectures, practical lab sessions, tutorials and seminars. Some modules involve supervised group work, usually with an assigned academic staff member for each group. All modules require students to undertake independent study, supported through distance learning technologies such as our Virtual Learning Environment.

Reading lists and suggested resources for independent study provide further direction for students to undertake this work, and regular contact hours and informal feedback throughout the courses provide opportunities for further guidance for learners.

Assessments for modules mostly take the form of practical coursework, lab tests and written exams, with all forms being well represented throughout all years of the course across all modules.

In the Enterprise Pro module, the students work on a project for external clients or our collaborators in industry and academia. The projects are specifically tailored to be aligned with the studies and the topics that the students have studied.

Through these projects, the students gain crucial industry knowledge and experience to improve their employability prospects and professional skills as well as knowledge of industry developments and their needs, which helps enhance their skills. The clients end up with software products that could be potentially used by their organisations.

The students working in small groups are closely supervised and supported through laboratory practical sessions to ensure they have the right technical input to support the project and are delivering on time and keeping on track. Their interactions within the teams and with the external clients are continuously monitored by a group tutor.

Our facilities

The main programming language used in this lab is Java, which supports object orientation, graphical user interfaces, concurrency, and networking. You'll also study languages such as C#, C++, Python, and Ruby.

Computer Science at the University of Bradford

We believe that technology should benefit everyone, and that everyone should have the opportunity to work within an exciting and future-defining discipline.

Our courses have been carefully designed to promote openness and inclusivity for all – we do not require students to have previously studied IT or Computer Science A-Levels or BTECs. Our curriculum begins from first principles, both practical and theoretical, to bring everyone up to a high standard of knowledge and expertise while still challenging and motivating those with previous subject knowledge through open-ended and extensible practical tasks.

We strongly believe that employability and practical skills, built on solid theoretical foundations, are critical for student success after graduating from our University. We embed the development of employer-focussed skills and experience into our programmes in many ways. Our module contents and curricula are built around input and feedback from our Industry Advisory Board, providing a direct line for industry experts to shape our taught content. We also embed opportunities to work on live industry projects directly into our modules, with projects available to students from both internal and external group to the University that have real problems to be solved, requiring students to produce real solutions and gain real experience.

All of our computer science students are automatically enrolled as student members of the British Computer Society (BCS).

Student with back towards the camera, arms spread, overlooking a sea. The student is wearing a shirt saying 'See the world'.

Study abroad

All of our programmes offer the opportunity to study abroad at an international partner institution.

Study support

We have a commitment to strong pastoral care for all of our students, which includes a Personal Tutor for all students, regular contact hours for tutor groups and our supportive student service teams who are always ready to help with any questions and provide the advice that you need. In addition to standard study support through taught sessions, our Virtual Learning Environment allows students to access resources, participate in group work and submit work from anywhere in the world 24/7. Our Personal Tutor system provides students with a specific academic staff member to support them through regular meetings and interactive activities, acting as an independent source of advice and guidance on making the transition to Higher Education and assisting them with any questions or problems they encounter. University central services are rich with support teams to assist students with every aspect of their journey through our degree courses. From our Career and Employability Service, through our strong Students' Union, to our professional and efficient Student Finance team, there are always friendly faces ready to support you and provide you with the answers that you need.

Research

Most of our staff are research active, and contribute to the cutting edge of their disciplines. Bradford has a strong pedigree of world leading research, and our aim is to ensure that students benefit from our staff’s insight into the future of their subject. The integration of new and innovative research findings into our curriculum, known as Research Informed Teaching, is a core value and one of the key principles driving the design of our courses and our modules. Particularly in the final year, but throughout their course from the very first day, students are given insight into the future of computing and software development.

This is the current course information. Modules and course details may change, subject to the University's programme approval, monitoring and review procedures. The University reserves the right to alter or withdraw courses, services and facilities as described on our website without notice and to amend Ordinances, Regulations, fees and charges at any time. Students should enquire as to the up-to-date position when applying for their course of study.