Business Technology with Integrated Foundation Year BSc (Hons)

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Course starts: 16 September 2019Apply now

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This is a four-year version of our popular BSc (Hons) Business Technology course, with an integrated foundation year. Study all the fundamentals of computing and systems administration, then progress to information systems, advanced databases and how to manage IT projects. Gain hands-on experience with professional-level developer software and advanced hardware through Sunderland’s accreditations with Cisco and other major companies.

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Overview

This course is designed to follow on from ICT courses in schools and Sixth Form colleges. Topics include UX design, advanced databases, web and mobile programming and software development. We encourage you to apply for a year-long placement between the second and final years, although it is not compulsory. It’s a great opportunity to get paid to put your learning into practice and to extend your experience.

Why us?

  • Fantastic industry links and our focus on employability ensures you graduate with the desired skills to find your dream job in IT
  • We have an integrative and holistic approach to our integrated computing courses. You’ll be taught the fundamentals of computing alongside students from other courses in the School of Computer Science. This course structure allows you to easily change courses at the end of the second year, should a different computer science route appeal to you. For example, you may begin studying BSc (Hons) Computer Science with Integrated Foundation Year, but then show a greater aptitude for cybersecurity and decide to change to BSc (Hons) Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics with Integrated Foundation Year
  • Accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT for the purposes of fully meeting the further learning academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional
  • Accredited by BCS on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for Incorporated Engineer and partially meeting the academic requirement for a Chartered Engineer
  • We are a University that is nationally recognised for supporting learners particularly from non-traditional backgrounds and many students come to us with no formal qualifications but with valuable work experience

Course structure

Teaching methods include lectures, tutorials, seminars and laboratory sessions. We also use the University’s virtual learning environment for group activities, discussions, assignments and links to resources. We encourage you to develop independent study skills as well as to work with other students on the course.

As well as assessments that count towards your degree, there are also on-going assessments for feedback and consolidating your learning. Assessment methods include coursework and exams.

Foundation Year

The Computing Integrated Foundation Year includes five modules:

  • Essential Study Skills (20 credits)
  • Maths (20 credits)
  • Foundation module (40 credits)
  • Project (20 credits)
  • Subject Specialism (20 credits)

 

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Read more

Year 1 (national level 4):

  • Fundamentals of Computing (100 credits)

Software Development and Theory: Software Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, Formal Methods

Programming: Microsoft C# .NET and programming for Robots

Web and Multimedia Applications: Markup Languages (HTML 5, CSS 3), Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop, Javascript, Web APIs (such as Google Maps and Yahoo APIs)

Database Systems: Database Design, Relational Databases and SQL, Database Integrity and Security, PHP and MySQL

Computer Systems and Networking: Operating Systems, Networks and Computer Architectures

Specialist Mini Project: Showcase your talents through a project in your chosen area of computing. Past projects have included a Facebook app, a hack challenge and the creation of a retro arcade game.

  • Digital Solutions for Business (20 credits)

Gain an insight into the various factors, strategies and approaches modern businesses use with digital technologies to support their business.  

 

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Read more

Year 2 (national level 5):

  • Personalised Skills Development (20 credits)

Learn key skills such as self-determination, planning and actioning of goals, time management, independent learning and team working.

  • Software Enterprise Project (20 credits)

Work in a team to undertake a large scale development for a real client or realise an enterprising idea that the group has personally conceived and developed. Learn the principles of software engineering and development in the context of real world and real client needs and demands. Focus on ethics, professionalism and security related issues within the software development and technology management industries.

  • Intermediate Software Development (20 credits)

This module will move beyond the basic object oriented concepts associated with simple classes and objects to cover a series of more sophisticated object-oriented ideas, including ‘inheritance’ and ‘polymorphism’.

  • Database Systems Development (20 credits)

Design, develop and manage database systems within organisations. Focus on understanding common relational database theory, analysis, design, development and management processes. Learn to develop databases using SQL within the Oracle environment, before going on to develop extended database functionality including stored procedures, stored functions, cursors and triggers. Gain knowledge of ways in which SQL can be embedded within typical programming languages and systems for developing large scale database applications.

  • Internet of Things (20 credits)

Gain the specialised skills necessary to develop applications for IoT devices within real-world contexts, including the use of robotics and sensors. Focus on programming, network connectivity, configuration and deployment of IoT devices in simulated and practical environments. Use industry-standard tools to acquire, interpret and visualize data retrieved from them. Consider science, HCI and security techniques.

  • Business Analytics (20 credits)

Investigate techniques that organisations use for performing simple data analytics for a range of business applications. Gain an understanding of how analytics can enhance business processes and improve decision making, in areas such as marketing, customer relationships, sales and forecasting.

Read more

Final year (national level 6):

Core modules

  • Computing Project (40 credits)

Undertake advanced study, including a literature review, in order to research and develop to completion a substantial piece of work that demonstrates the range of skills you have acquired. You will also submit a dissertation that describes and evaluates the problem and solution. Past examples include an Android audio application, a Trojan detector and a network monitoring tool.

  • Advanced Data Technologies (20 credits)

Learn how traditional and newer data models and database technologies support real-world demands of data. Investigate various data architectures and how they can represent structured and unstructured data in traditional and Big Data systems; methods for designing, developing and maintaining these data systems; and tools for data access and analysis including Data Analytics tools and how they are used in areas such as Data Science.

  • Business Intelligence and Strategy (20 credits)

Understand the principles of Data Science to determine the benefits of utilising Big Data sets in organisational settings. Develop techniques and use tools for Business Intelligence in a variety of contexts, developing management strategies for their use within an organisation. All topics in this module are considered taking into account professional, ethical, social and legal constructs.   

Optional modules (choose two):

  • User Experience Design (20 credits)

Study principles and practices that ensure users gain the most appropriate experience when interacting with computer-based software and hardware systems.

  • Software Enterprise (20 credits)

Gain the knowledge and skills that will enable you to explore and exploit business opportunities for software enterprises.

  • Students into Schools (20 credits)

Undertake a work-based placement to support computing in a school or equivalent learning environment.

 

Read more

  • We’ve got thousands of books and e-books on computing topics, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. We also subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date academic and industry articles.

    Some of the most important sources for computing students include:

    • British Standards Online which offers more than 35,000 documents covering specifications for products, dimensions, performance and codes of practice
    • Association of Computing Machinery digital library, which includes full-text articles from journals as well as conference proceedings
    • Science Direct, which offers more than 18,000 full-text journals published by Elsevier
    • Archives of publications from Emerald, including over 35,000 full-text articles dating back to 1994 on a range of subjects including technology
    • Business Source Elite from EBSCO Publishing that covers hundreds of journals that include coverage of e-commerce and information management
    Library Services - IT

  • With over 200 computer workstations in one space, the David Goldman Informatics Centre is one of the University’s most striking buildings inside and out. It is home to specialist dedicated computer forensics labs, a game software development lab and a final year project lab.

    Outstanding IT facilities
  • Map and directions

Facilities

This course is based at the David Goldman Informatics Centre, a high-tech computing environment with strong links to software companies and a constant exchange of ideas and people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entry requirements

The Integrated Foundation Year is specially designed to support you where you have just missed the grades required for direct entry onto a three-year degree, or if you have relevant work experience and are now looking to broaden your subject knowledge but want more time to develop study skills before starting your degree.

Entry requirements are provided for guidance only and we may offer you an entrance interview which will help us determine your eligibility for your chosen degree. This enables us to consider making you an offer if you are perhaps a mature student who has been out of education for a period of time, or you have gained significant knowledge and skills through employment rather than traditional education.

Eligible entry qualifications:

1. Normally a minimum of three Level 2 qualifications (NVQ, GCSE or equivalent ), including Maths and English at grade C or above** and a minimum of 40 UCAS tariff points from Level 3 qualifications (e.g. A or AS Levels, BTEC certificates/diplomas, access courses or equivalent)
OR
2. Demonstrable evidence of appropriate knowledge and skills acquired from at least three years of post-school work experience.

If you are unsure of whether you think you might be suitable for the course, please contact us!

** If you have studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a grade 4 or above. Equivalent alternative qualifications are also accepted, such as Level 2 Key Skills in Communication and Application of Number. If you have not achieved a grade C in Maths and English we may be able to work with you to ensure that you are able to gain these in the first year of the course, depending on your experience.

If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.

For more information about Integrated Foundation Year programmes, including more detailed module information, please see our Help and Advice articles.

This course is under review. The course title and modules are subject to change.

Fees and finance

If you join us in September 2019, the foundation year will be £4,500.

For the following three years, the annual fee will be £9,250 but you will receive £1,250 cash-back in the first and final year of the full-undergraduate course.

In addition, you may receive free travel across the Tyne and Wear region and a University of Sunderland StudyPLUS Card loaded with additional offers up to the value of £200, plus a bundle of study skills books worth £80.

If you are a full-time UK student you may be eligible to receive financial support to cover your fee and maintenance loan for the full four years.

Please note, this course is not available to international students.

If you are not sure whether you qualify as a UK, EU or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Student in the Sunderland Futures department

Employment

This course has a strong emphasis on real-world learning that boosts employability and equips you to make a bigger contribution in the workplace.

Graduate success

Sunderland has a good reputation with employers, 93.4% of our graduates are in employment, further study or training within six months of graduating, according to DLHE 2016/17 (based on full-time, first degree, home leavers).

In your final year of the course, you will undertake a major individual project with research-active staff. This adds to your hands-on experience and, in some cases, leads to a job offer that can be taken up as soon as the course ends.

Career options

Our graduates have gone on to become web programmers, IT managers, information analysts and software developers. Employers that have taken on our graduates include Sage, British Airways and the NHS. Other graduates have started their own businesses or become software contractors earning over £50,000 a year.

Meet the team

Anne Lambton

Principal Lecturer: Programme Leader for Integrated Foundation Degrees

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

IFY Computing programme specification (.pdf)

Page last updated: 21 March 2019

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