Study location	United Kingdom, Colchester Campus
Type	Bachelor courses, full-time
Nominal duration	3 years
Study language	English
Awards	BEng
Course code	H650

Tuition fee	To be confirmed

Entry qualification	High school / secondary education (or higher) The entry qualification documents are accepted in any language

Language requirements	English Accepted proof of proficiency: Cambridge English, IELTS, TOEFL or other equivalent IELTS: 6.0 TOEFL (IBT): 76 CAE: B2 with 52+ CAE (from Jan 15): 169+

Other requirements	At least 1 reference(s) must be provided.

More information	Expenses, accommodation, working etc. essex.ac.uk/..tercourse=UG00076&subgroup=1

Overview

Computer systems can be found everywhere: inside a mobile phone, at a hospital bedside, and inside your TV, washing machine and games consoles. Computer systems engineers explore how this works – what is needed to convert machines and machinery into useful computing. We’re for people who want to figure out what goes on inside the box.

Our course gives you a thorough introduction to computer science before focussing on systems engineering. You study areas including:

- Writing programs, programming embedded microprocessors and designing embedded microprocessor systems in C
- The design and function of modern operating systems
- The functionality hardware needs to provide for an operating system
- We emphasise the importance of practical learning, and you also have the opportunity to undertake a major project or product development specified either by a member of academic staff or a partner company.

In addition to these topics, you also have the flexibility to explore other areas our department specialises in, such as computer security, Big Data, and robotics.

We were ranked 8th in the UK in the 2015 Academic Ranking of World Universities, with more than two-thirds of our research rated “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” (REF 2014). And our students enjoy learning from our expert researchers – we achieved 93% student satisfaction (NSS).

Programme structure

Year 1

Fundamentals of Digital Systems
Mathematics for Computing
Introduction to Programming
Digital Electronic Systems
Introduction to Databases
Network Fundamentals
Object-Oriented Programming
Professional Development

Year 2

C Programming and Embedded Systems
Operating Systems
Group Project & Industrial Practice
Software Engineering (optional)
Robotics (optional)
Data Structures and Algorithms (optional)
Human Computer Interfaces and Visualisation (optional)
Web Application Programming (optional)
Computer and Data Networks (optional)
C++ Programming (optional)
Digital Systems Design (optional)
ICT Systems Integration and Management (optional)

Final year

Individual Project
Languages and Compilers (optional)
Evolutionary Computation and Genetic Programming (optional)
Natural Language Engineering (optional)
Mobile Robotics (optional)
Computer Vision (optional)
Network Engineering (optional)
Advanced Embedded Systems Design (optional)
Network Security and Cryptographic Principles (optional)

Career opportunities

We have many graduates in senior positions in the computer communications industry, as well recent graduates working in IT and computer companies. Many occupy positions in the retail and services sectors, where computer expertise is in high demand, particularly in developing and managing computer servers and communications networks.

Our department has a large pool of external contacts, ranging from companies providing robots for the media industry, through vehicle diagnostics, to virtualisation of networks, and network security, who work with us and our students to help provide advice, placements and eventually graduate opportunities.

Our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies including:

IBM
BT
EDS
Royal Bank of Scotland
Accenture
Google
Force India F1