10 | Computer Science
Degree Programmes
We deliver five undergraduate degree programmes, including
both Single Honours and Combined Honours courses.
The Combined and Single Honours Computer Science courses have a common first semester (in terms of compulsory modules)
and common entry requirements. This retains the flexibility of choice during the first semester of your first year. There are no
specific subject requirements for entry to these courses, and no previous experience of computing or computer programming
is assumed. The courses do not involve an advanced level of mathematics, and any mathematical knowledge needed beyond
that taught at GCSE is taught as part of the modules included in the courses.
Single Honours Computer Science
UCAS Code: G400
Duration: 3 Years
Degree awarded: BSc Computer Science
The Single Honours programme allows
you to focus more or less exclusively
on Computer Science. In keeping
with Keele’s commitment to breadth
in the curriculum, the programme also
gives you the opportunity to take some
modules outside Computer Science, in
other disciplines and in modern foreign
languages as part of a 360-credit
Honours degree. Thus it enables you
to gain, and be able to demonstrate, a
distinctive range of graduate attributes.
The Single Honours programme enables
you to devote your studies full-time to
the tools, techniques and underpinning
theories that make the science and
technology so innovative and exciting.
It provides the greatest breadth of
learning in the subject, and has been
developed to meet the accreditation
requirements of the British Computer
Society (BCS).
We are proud that
our Single Honours
programme is a BCS
accredited degree.
Single Honours Computer Science is a
programme for students with an interest
in the application of computing to a wide
range of problems.
keele.ac.uk/scm
The programme explores the theoretical
underpinnings of the discipline and places
an emphasis on practical computer
programming and software development.
In the first year of study, the focus
is placed upon learning to design
and write programs to solve problems.
You therefore study both the algorithmic
aspects of programming and the use
of data structures as a means
of incorporating data and knowledge
within programs. In addition, you learn
about some of the fundamental concepts
in computing and the way in which
humans interact with technology, and
explore some of the professional and
ethical issues in computing. As a Single
Honours student you can also study
nature-inspired computation, the use
of information systems in business
and our everyday lives, and apply
your coding skills within the context of
animation and multimedia development.
Some of the modules currently available
to Single Honours students in the first
year of study include the following:
• Fundamentals of Computing
introduces the core concepts of the
discipline and acts as a foundation
for other modules.
• Computer Animation and Multimedia
provides students with an introduction
to computer graphics, animation
and multimedia, together with
appropriate programming and
media development skills.
• Cybercrime provides an understanding
of the risks that you will encounter
in today’s electronic society and
the measures that may be taken
to counteract them.
The second year builds upon this
foundation and introduces modules that
focus on solving complex problems with
computers. This includes advanced
programming techniques, computational
intelligence topics including evolutionary
algorithms and neural networks, database
systems, and mobile and web application
development. Students also have the
opportunity to study an individual topic
of their choosing in the second year.
Modules currently studied by second year
students include the following:
• Advanced Programming Practices
provides an understanding of object-
oriented programming and its concepts.
• Mobile Application Development
gives students a background and
practical experience in mobile
development including HCI design
principles for mobile devices.
• Computational and Artificial
Intelligence I provides an introduction
to the core computational intelligence
topics of evolutionary algorithms and
neural networks, and their use in vision
systems and robotics.