Newcastle University

Computer Science (Bio-Computing) MComp Honours
UCAS Code: I522 (4 Years)

• Course Overview
• Modules
• Entry Requirements
• Careers
• Finance

Bioinformatics is a new and exciting area of science, which represents a blend of technologies from computing, mathematics and statistics that are used to manage and manipulate large sets of biological data

Drug development, medicine, cancer research, agriculture and plant science are just some of the many areas in which bioinformatics is poised to make a massive impact.

This degree responds to the rising demand for skilled bioinformaticians by producing graduates with an understanding of how to design and develop databases and algorithms to collect, store, integrate and interpret biological information.

Quality and ranking

Computer Science at Newcastle is highly regarded, achieving a 91% overall student satisfaction score in the 2012 National Student Survey.

Professional accreditation

We have a policy of seeking BCS accreditation for all of our degrees. BCS is the Chartered Institute for IT. Studying a BCS accredited degree provides the foundation for professional membership of the BCS on graduation and is the first step on the pathway to becoming a Chartered IT Professional.

All of our existing degrees are BCS-accredited; this is a new degree which will be submitted for accreditation in 2013.

Teaching and assessment

The activities of the School's research groups play an important part in our degrees, giving you chance to gain knowledge that is at the cutting edge of computing. We also have four research centres that further stimulate our research.

Teaching is through a combination of lectures (including guest lectures by visiting IT professionals), tutorials, and supervised practical work. Practical work accounts for a significant amount of your time. Further information can be found on our undergraduate web pages about the approach to teaching and learning at Newcastle University.

Your practical skills will be assessed through course work, which includes team and individual project reports. Modules involving key transferable skills will be assessed through written and oral presentations. You will also sit examinations for some modules. Teaching and assessment methods may vary from module to module, more information can be found in our individual module listings.

Flexible degree structure

We understand that you might not be sure which area of computing science you want to specialise in. That’s why we've designed all of our Computing Science degrees so that all students – regardless of which degree they are registered on – study the same modules for the first two years. You can use this time to explore the subject and decide whether you want to specialise in a particular area or continue with a broad-based degree.

You can transfer between all of our degrees up to the end of second year. Transfer from a BSc to an MComp is dependent on your academic performance.

Project work

We put a lot of emphasis on project work to help you develop the sort of real-world business skills that will be invaluable throughout your university career and beyond such as teamworking and project management.

All students take part in a team project in second year to develop a substantial software product. You also undertake a major individual project in Stage 3 combined with a dissertation. See an example of one of our undergraduate student projects on the School of Computing Science's website.

Industry links

We have strong links with a number of organisations within the industry:

• Various parts of our degrees attract prizes awarded by major companies
• Companies such as Waterstons, Accenture, IBM, Procter and Gamble, Deloitte and GSK regularly recruit our placement students
• Local businesses approach the School to advertise small, part-time or voluntary work opportunities, giving you chance to gain valuable work experience

Study abroad

UK and EU students have the opportunity to broaden their academic experience by taking part in an Erasmus study exchange abroad.

Facilities

All of our students enjoy access to specialist IT facilities to support their studies including:

• over 300 dedicated PCs running Linux and Windows
• an immersive virtual reality suite
• motion capture facilities
• 3D printing facilities

Take a virtual tour of our facilities on the School of Computing Science's website.

School of Computing Science

Study at Newcastle and you will be part of the School of Computing Science. We are a friendly community of staff and students based in Claremont Tower in the heart of campus.

Our student-led Computing Society offers a range of activities throughout the year to help you meet people on your course, ranging from coding and gaming nights to events with key speakers from industry.