About the School
Computer Science
We are one of the largest computer science 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 celebrated the 40th anniversary of its computer science undergraduate degree in 2006.
- We offer a wide range of courses, which blend academic excellence with vocational relevance.
- Many of our thousands of alumni work in rewarding and demanding jobs in IT and related areas, often in senior positions.
Learning Environment
We offer a wide variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses that can lead either to a broad-based or more specialist qualification. Most are full-time and campus-based but there are also flexible study routes. For example, many courses or individual modules are available online.
Our core areas are software development, software engineering, network technologies, databases and the web, and applications relating to business, new media and robotics.
- Our BSc Honours Computer Science and BSc Honours Information Technology provide you with a wide choice of degree titles and modules with the opportunity for specialism, and an optional paid placement year.
- The Direct Entry to the Final Year of the BSc enables those with a Foundation Degree or other two-year advanced diploma to "top-up" to a degree.
- Our Master's programmes offer a range of advanced, specialist degree titles for computer science graduates and routes into Computer Science for graduates in other disciplines.
- Our pioneering online courses permit you to 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, and our placements programme with major employers such as Accenture, GlaxoSmithKline and Sun Microsystems. In addition, we offer optional industrial certification with Cisco CCNA already running and more planned for 2009.
21st Century Resources
As a student, you have access to 13 computing laboratories on the College Lane campus equipped with modern hardware and software including specialist facilities for networking and multimedia.
All major modern software packages are available, many for downloading onto your own PC including most MS Developer software through our membership of the Microsoft Academic Alliance.
Computer Science students also make extensive use of the University’s ground-breaking online study environment, StudyNet as well as the 24/7 Learning Resources Centres with over 2,900 study places, 1,500 workstations and wi-fi access.
Enterprise Partnerships
The School 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 thus suitable for work-based learning.
Research Focus
We have an excellent track record in research, with over half of our outputs rated at world-eading 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 and the application of technology to learning and teaching. We run an active Ph.D programme.
International Outlook
The School is a diverse community with international connections. Over the years 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) institution in Athens and Fuzhou University, China, also deliver courses leading to University of Hertfordshire awards. Other partner colleges and universities offer local study support for our online degrees.
Professional Accreditation
British Computer Society (BCS)
