Computer Science/Software Engineering MEng (Hons)

University of Birmingham

Key Course Facts

Student Satisfaction	72%
Salary after 15 months	£36500
Unemployment Rate	4% unemployed Proportion of students of this particular course unemployed and not studying 15 months after their course ended. Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
Student Dropout Rate	22% Proportion of students of Computer Science/Software Engineering MEng (Hons) who are not continuing into their following year of study or have not been awarded a qualification in either of the two comparison years. Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
Tuition Fees	£9250 Tuition (UK) Tuition fees per year for Computer Science/Software Engineering MEng (Hons) at University of Birmingham UCAS course summary. Source: UCAS Dec 4, 2023
Duration	4 years - Full-time
Campus	On campus - Main Site
Degree	Master of Engineering (Honours), MEng (Hons)
Subject	Computer Science, Software Engineering

Admission advice for international students

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 205 graduates of Computer Science/Software Engineering MEng (Hons) and other courses in Computer Science at University of Birmingham for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Computer Science.

Overall student satisfaction

72 /100

205 total respondents

Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.

	Computer Science/Software Engineering MEng (Hons) and other Computer Science courses of University of Birmingham	Average review score among all Computer Science courses in the UK
Explanations	85	84
Interesting courses	75	68
Intellectually stimulating	89	81
Challenged to do my best	84	80
Depth of concepts	82	76
Builds on previous learnings	78	79
Joined ideas from different topics	77	76
Balance directed/independent study	78	75
Applicability of course content	82	77
Clear criteria in markings	73	72
Fair assessment	81	79
Tests reflected your learning	80	80
Timely feedback	62	65
Helpful feedback	65	60
Approachability of teachers	86	82
Support from teachers	81	79
Organisation of courses	76	69
Communication of changes	83	73
IT facilities	88	85
Library	90	86
Course specific resources	90	88
Student feedback opportunities	87	81
Student feedback valued	81	70
Student's feedback acted upon	66	57
Work of student union	72	70
Mental wellbeing services	92	79
Overall satisfaction	72	69

Source: National Student Survey NSS 2023. The Overall student satisfaction data point is from 2022 (latest available year). The Office for Students made the unfortunate decision to discontinue collecting overall student satisfaction data points per course.
All Computer Science courses of University of Birmingham

The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Computer Science

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Computer Science at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

	15 months after graduation	3 years after graduation	5 years after graduation
Median salary	£36500	£34000	£43000
25-75 percentile range	£30000 - £47000	£27000 - £41500	£32000 - £58000

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Computer Science courses of University of Birmingham

Salary of all UK Graduates of Computer Science

	15 months after graduation	3 years after graduation	5 years after graduation
Median salary	£29508	£25180	£29878
25-75 percentile range	£24622 - £35312	£18838 - £32904	£21658 - £40986

Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
All Computer Science courses in the UK

Course Description

Our stimulating Computer Science/Software Engineering MEng degree programme will prepare you to become a future leader in the IT industry by not only developing your technical understanding of building large software systems, but also your management and teamwork skills.

Software Engineering is at the core of the computer science industry and the demand for experts in software engineering is set to grow. At the University of Birmingham we understand the increasing demand for software engineers with a range of expertise. Our Computer Science/Software Engineering MEng programme ensures you leave us with not only a thorough understanding of the principles of the subject but also the key transferable skills to be able to adapt and work in a demanding and ever-changing industry which are developed through team projects and group work.

In the first year of this stimulating Computer Science/Software Engineering MEng you will gain a firm foundation in programming, plus the principles of data structures and algorithms; artificial intelligence; and relevant logic and mathematics. Our main teaching language is Java but you will also learn functional programming, both of which are widely used in enterprise systems and will prove crucial after you graduate.

The second year moves you on to study enabling technologies and their application. Your programming repertoire will be broadened by exposure to the C programming language and you will be taught professional software engineering techniques and apply them to develop a large team project in Java such as a multiplayer networked game.

In your third year you will be able to choose from a range of optional modules allowing you to specialise in areas of computer science that interest you and that will help prepare you for your future career.

Your final year modules from our range of Masters programmes will be open to you. You will also undertake a much more in-depth project which involves a major software or research element, and brings together all of the computer science skills you have acquired. Your choice of modules alongside your choice of project will allow you to specialise in a field such as computer security, human-computer interaction, theoretical computer science, robotics or natural computation.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

What graduates are doing after 15 months

	All University of Birmingham graduates of undergraduate studies in Computer Science	All UK graduates of undergraduate studies in Computer Science
Total respondents	70	4700
Unemployed	4%	6%
Studying	9%	6%
Working	85%	75%
Both studying and working	2%	8%
No information	0%	4%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Computer Science courses of University of Birmingham

Current jobs

Job in line with future plans

Utilise skills from studies

Work is meaningful

	Agree or strongly agree	Disagree
Job in line with future plans	93%	7%
Utilise skills from studies	80%	20%
Work is meaningful	82%	18%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All courses of University of Birmingham

Required skill level of job after 15 months

% Skilled jobs

	% Skilled jobs
Highly-skilled jobs	95%
Non highly-skilled jobs	4%
Skill level unknown or unclassified	0%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Computer Science courses of University of Birmingham

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Computer Science/Software Engineering MEng (Hons) at University of Birmingham

86%	Sales occupations
3%	Managers, directors and senior officials
2%	Process, plant and machine operatives
2%	Elementary occupations
2%	Business and public service associate professionals
2%	Administrative occupations
1%	Sales occupations
1%	Other Educational Professionals
0%	Secretarial and related occupations
0%	Skilled trades occupations

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023

Grading & Study Time

Assessment Methods

Study Time Distribution

Assessment Methods
	Coursework	Percentage of assessment by practical exams	Written exams

Study Time Distribution
	Scheduled learning and teaching	Guided independent study	Placements
year 1	32%	68%	0%
year 2	31%	69%	0%
year 3	19%	81%	0%
year 4	15%	85%	0%

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for Computer Science

Average UCAS Tariff Score 163

Tariff score	% of students accepted for courses in Computer Science
<48	1
48-63	0
64-79	2
80-95	0
96-111	0
112-127	1
128-143	14
144-159	26
160-175	21
176-191	12
192-207	9
208-223	7
224-239	4
>240	1

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
All Computer Science courses of University of Birmingham

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

- 6.5
- Graduate Degrees
- (no subscore less than 6.0)
- 6.5
- Undergraduate Degrees

Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Computer Science/Software Engineering, MEng (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Computer Science/Software Engineering MEng (Hons)

Ireland	£9250	year 1
England UK	£9250	year 1
Northern Ireland	£9250	year 1
Scotland	£9250	year 1
Wales	£9250	year 1
Channel Islands	£9250	year 1

Additional fee information

For details of the annual tuition fee for International Students please see the course web page listed in the 'course details' section above.

If you are made an offer to study by the University, the yearly tuition fee will be stated in your offer letter.

Source: UCAS Dec 4, 2023

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent	£518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home)	£50
Supermarket shopping	£81
Clothing	£35
Eating out	£33
Alcohol	£27
Takeaways / food deliveries	£30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food)	£24
Holidays and weekend trips	£78
Transport within city	£17
Self-care / sports	£20
Stationary / books	£13
Mobile phone / internet	£13
Cable TV / streaming	£7
Insurance	£51
Other	£95

Average student cost of living	£1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

Source: Own research based on surveys and university data

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of University of Birmingham in top UK and global rankings.

Rankings of University of Birmingham in related subject specific rankings.