About the School of Computer Science

The School of Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire is one of the largest departments in the country - and one of the most established.

We have educated thousands of students since the 1960s, laying the foundations for them to go on learning new skills throughout their careers.

We also use our accumulated knowledge and technology resources in internationally-recognised research and to meet the varied consultancy needs of our industry partners.

The School of Computer Science:

• offers a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and online courses, which blend academic excellence with vocational relevance.
• has thousands of alumni who work in rewarding and demanding jobs in IT and related areas, often in senior positions.

Learning environment

We offer a wide variety of courses which will lead to either a broad-based or more specialist qualification.

Our core areas include:

• applications relating to business, new media and robotics
• databases and the web
• network technologies
• software development
• software engineering

Most courses are full-time and campus-based but we also offer flexible study routes.

Find out more about our variety of courses:

• Undergraduate courses - study a wide choice of degree titles and modules with the opportunity for specialism, and an optional paid placement year.
• Postgraduate courses - take advantage of a range of advanced, specialist degree titles for computer science graduates and routes into Computer Science for graduates in other disciplines.
• Online courses - study in your own time at home, at work, or, in some locations with our local partners following a blended learning approach.

Our academic staff are highly qualified (most have a PhD or other advanced degree) and bring the benefit of research or first-hand professional experience to their teaching.

One of our major goals is to prepare you for professional employment through:

• our links with business.
• the use of special teaching material.
• our placements programme with major employers such as Accenture, GlaxoSmithKline and Sun Microsystems.
• optional industrial certification with Cisco CCNA and Oracle OCA.

21st century resources

As a student you have access to a number of computing laboratories on the College Lane campus equipped with modern hardware and software including specialist facilities for networking, multimedia and robotics.

Find out more about our range of facilities.

Enterprise partnerships

The School of Computer Science is involved in various commercial activities, including several active Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs).

We can offer consultancy in several specialist areas and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) based on our online material which is suitable for work-based learning.

Explore our range of business services.

Research focus

We have an excellent track record in research, with over half of our outputs rated at world-leading or internationally excellent in RAE 2008 - the most recent national assessment.

The Science and Technology Research Institute is the hub for most of this activity and hosts several project groups.

Particular areas of expertise are:

• robotics and artificial life.
• speech recognition.
• software engineering.
• the application of technology to learning and teaching.

Read more about our research activities.

International outlook

The School is a diverse community with international connections.

We have welcomed students from many different countries, cultures and backgrounds, including mature students and those with disabilities.

The Independent Science and Technology Studies (IST) College in Athens, Greece, also delivers courses leading to University of Hertfordshire awards.

Other partner colleges and universities offer local study support for our online degrees.

Professional Accreditation

Visit the British Computer Society (BCS) website for details on our accredited courses offered between 1980-2015.