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Advanced Computer Science Masters/MSc

Start date
September
Duration
1 year full-time
Course Type
Postgraduate, Taught
Fees

We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2024/25:
£11,340 - UK students
£31,410 - International students
Further fee information is available.

Broaden your knowledge of cutting-edge areas in computing. This  Advanced Computer Science Masters/MSc programme is designed for graduates with a degree in Computer Science or a related discipline, and a solid foundation in programming.

Scholarships for 2024 entry

The University of Birmingham is proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate programmes. With a scholarship pot worth over £2 million, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps.

Each scholarship has its own specific deadlines and eligibility criteria. Please familiarise yourself with the information on individual scholarship webpages prior to submitting an application.

Explore our scholarships

Drawing on the School’s international research reputation, you will have the opportunity to select from a broad range of advanced modules to reflect your own interests. You will also undertake your own software-development or summer project (which may be research-focused) to deepen your knowledge even further. It is essential preparation for a career in academic or industrial research.

In the first eight months of the course you study your choice of taught modules to a total of 120 credits, which may include a mini-project. In the final four months, you will work on your summer project and dissertation, individually supervised by a member of the research-active staff in the school.

Why study Advanced Computer Science Masters/MSc at Birmingham

  • Birmingham is one of the leading universities in the country for postgraduate study in computer science, and we are proud to deliver outstanding programmes that offer a range of exciting career opportunities for students from around the world.
  • State-of-the-art, multi-million-pound facilities include dedicated laboratories for Computer Science students, and research laboratories for Security, Medical Imaging, Intelligent Robotics, and Computer Vision.
  • We are a partner in The Alan Turing Institute, the UK's national institute for data science and artificial intelligence.
  • Our Security and Privacy Group is recognised as an EPSRC/GCHQ Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research and we have a strong collaboration with the Centre for Computational Biology (CCB).

Award-winning development

At the School of Computer Science we are not just renowned for teaching and research excellence. We also produce novel solutions for real-world applications, including:

  • Working with Jaguar Land Rover to make their vehicles more secure.
  • Contributing to the development of the Trusted Platform Module which makes many of our computers capable of secure cryptographic operations.
  • Deploying autonomous, intelligent robots in security and health support facilities.
  • Developing a revolutionary, award-winning method for diagnosing skin cancer.

Ruanbang talks about the MSc in Advanced Computer Science

I wanted to explore areas of research I hadn't looked into before and there are so many brilliant people (supervisors and students) at the University of Birmingham who will guide you as you progress.

Alexander Darer, MSc Advanced Computer Science

Modules

In the first eight months of the course you study your choice of taught modules to a total of 120 credits, which may include a mini-project. In the final four months, you will work on your summer project and dissertation, individually supervised by a member of the research-active staff in the School.

Core module

Optional modules

120 credits must be chosen, examples of optional modules are listed below:

Please note: The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Fees

Annual Tuition fees for 2024/25

  • UK students £11,340
  • International students: £31,410

Application Fee

For international applicants this programme is subject to a £50 non-refundable application fee. At the end of the application form, before you can submit it to us, you will be required to pay, or indicate how you will pay the required fee in order for us to process your application. Please complete and submit your application before paying your application fee.

 

Are you an international applicant?

All international applicants to this course will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of £2,000 on receipt of an offer, to secure their place.

Find out more about the deposit >>.

Postgraduate Loans (PGL) for Masters students

UK and EU students (with settled or pre-settled status) looking to pursue a Masters programme in the UK can apply for a non-means-tested loan from the British government via the Student Loans Company (SLC).

The loan will be paid directly to you, into a UK bank account. It is intended to provide a contribution towards the costs of Masters study and whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs is at your own discretion.

Learn more about applying for PGL 

 

Scholarships

We offer a range of postgraduate scholarships for taught programmes and research opportunities to ensure the very best talent is nurtured and supported at postgraduate level.

University scholarships

Birmingham Masters Scholarship

Our Birmingham Masters Scholarship offers £2,000 via a tuition fee discount, to support the brightest and best applicants from UK or Ireland undertaking Masters study at Birmingham during 2024-2025.

How To Apply

Application Fee

For international applicants this programme is subject to a £50 non-refundable application fee. At the end of the application form, before you can submit it to us, you will be required to pay, or indicate how you will pay the required fee in order for us to process your application. Please complete and submit your application before paying your application fee.

 

UK and non-Tier 4 applicants

Applications will close 31 August 2024. We will close applications as soon as the programme is full, early applications are encouraged.

International applicants requiring visas

Applications to this programme from students who are international for fees will close 7 May 2024. We will close applications as soon as the programme is full, early applications are encouraged.

Before you make your application

You will need to provide a transcript of your studies to date. This should include details of modules and subjects studied, and grades already obtained. We are unable to proceed with your application without this information, and if it is not provided, your application could be made unsuccessful.

If you are made an offer

If you are made an offer, you will have 28 days to accept the offer via the online portal, or it will automatically be declined by default.

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate taught programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the taught programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

A 2:1 Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject (eg, Computing or a closely related discipline); plus a solid foundation in programming. Students who have not studied in English must pass a recognised English test. Learn more about entry requirements. For more information on the gathered field process, please see our how to apply section.

International Requirements



International Students

English language

For students whose first language is not English, one of the following English language qualifications are required:

  • IELTS: 6.5 minimum overall, with at least 6.0 in each component;
  • TOEFL: TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing;
  • PTE Academic: Pearson Test of English (PTE) including online: PTE Academic 67 with no less than 64 in all four skills.

Each project is assessed by the supervisor and a moderator. Taught modules are assessed in a variety of ways: summer written examination, practical assessment during the semester, or a mixture of both.

In previous years, students have surprised themselves by their achievement, regularly producing project work at the level expected of a very good first year research student. Your project supervisors are able to draw on their research experience to help you develop your ability to work confidently on difficult tasks.

In addition to the opportunity to learn from staff who are experts in their fields and working at the cutting-edge of computer science research, we also support you by providing training in transferable skills relevant to your project work and in your future career.

Our extensive computing facilities are available 24 hours a day (including a wireless network) to allow you to link in to our services from your own machine. We also offer many information resources (specialist library, information retrieval databases, electronic journals, etc) to support your project and course work.

A dynamic, fast-moving sector that offers exciting careers and excellent rewards.

The term computing covers every kind of digital technology that we use to create, store, communicate, exchange and use information. This makes it the foundation for small and large businesses to build their strategies and grow. It is also the key to making our personal lives easier and more fun: mobile phones, online shopping, social media – we owe them all and a lot more to computer science.

What can I do with my degree?

Our graduates find themselves in a variety of environments within academia, research, industry, government and private organisations. The following is a short list of research and vocational areas:

  • Software Engineering: developing methods for producing software systems on time, within budget and with few or no defects
  • Software Applications: applying computing and technology to solving problems outside the computer field, eg, in education or medicine
  • Computer/Cyber Security: covers all the processes and mechanisms by which computer-based equipment, information and services are protected from unintended and unauthorised access, change or destruction
  • Artificial Intelligence: developing computers that simulate human learning and reasoning ability
  • Information Technology: developing and managing information systems that support a business or organisation
  • Theoretical Computer Science: investigating the fundamental theories of how computers solve problems and applying the results to other areas of computer science
  • Operating Systems and Networks: developing the basic software computers use to organise themselves or to communicate with other computers

Where can I work?

You could join a technology consultancy firm like Accenture, PwC, CHP Consulting, LogicaCMG, BAE Systems, PA Consulting or Capgemini, or one of the global IT giants, such as Microsoft, Google, Oracle, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Cisco Systems and Apple, amongst many others.

There are a huge number of IT-focused UK companies, not to mention opportunities in investment, retail banking and financial computing and analytics (such as Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Bank of England, Bank of America, HSBC, Barclays, RBS); telecommunications companies (such as BT, Vodafone, Orange, AT&T); IT for retail businesses (such as eBay, Amazon, Tesco, Argos, Expedia) and public sector organisations (such as NHS, GCHQ, Home Office).

Some students choose careers in teaching, research or technology development at universities both in the UK and overseas. There is a great deal of potential for postgraduates looking to put their computing skills to good use.

What does the future hold?

Your career prospects are great and computing graduates with a good degree are in demand. Plus, with the number of computer science graduates from the UK diminishing at the same time as jobs are increasing, students with a postgraduate degree have an excellent chance of securing employment. 

 

University Careers Network

Preparation for your career should be one of the first things you think about as you start university. Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal.

Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CVs and job applications will help give you the edge.

If you make the most of the wide range of services you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive.