Our year in industry course with a specialism in Artificial Intelligence (AI) will give you a strong foundation of knowledge, skills and practical experience to kickstart your computing career. Your work placement will give you skills and awareness that can only be acquired in a real work environment, and will help to set you apart from other candidates when you apply for a job. AI is one of the most exciting and rapidly evolving aspects of 21st century technology. It already pervades our everyday lives, in image and voice recognition software, data security, intelligent web searching, drones, driverless vehicles, computer games, space exploration and cutting-edge medical advances, and its potential is vast. This four-year course will prepare you for a successful career at the cutting edge of AI.

In years 1, 2 and 4 we cover the essentials of application development, from programming to software engineering, databases to web development, computer graphics to robotics, and the latest in information security, whilst focusing on web and AI related topics such as machine learning, intelligent agents, bioinformatics, information security and computational finance. The modular structure of the course gives you the flexibility to choose between optional modules in years 2 and 4. You will also benefit from access to our internationally renowned Computer Learning Research Centre. From the outset you be experimenting with programming games, robots, Gadgeteer kits, Subversion, JUnit testing, Scrum-based Agile software and more, in our well-equipped laboratories. Your year in industry will start at the end of year 2. We are ideally located in the famous M4 corridor, known as 'England's Silicon Valley', and we enjoy close links with many of its leading technology companies. If you are unable to go ahead with your placement for any reason, you will have the option of transferring onto our equivalent three-year BSc course.

We are a highly respected, research-focused department with a friendly approach and award-winning teaching. You will have a dedicated personal adviser to guide you through your studies. You will also be welcome to join our Computing Society, a thriving community of more than 400 computer enthusiasts from across the College. We are one of only seven departments in the UK to hold the Athena SWAN bronze award for our commitment to increasing female participation in computer science. You will graduate with a wide range of technical skills as well as valuable transferrable skills such as team working, communication, time management and self-motivation.

Our year in industry degrees are highly valued by employers because they give you the chance to gain first-hand experience of the world of work and to apply your learning to real world scenarios. Students have often been offered permanent jobs in the same company at the end of their placements, to take up after their graduation.

Artificial intelligence specialists are in demand across a wide range of sectors, from private companies to educational institutions, the arts, healthcare, government agencies and the military. Opportunities range from software analysis and computer engineering to algorithm design, engineering and manufacturing consultancy, medical health services, research, teaching, the military, aviation, graphic design, digital music and entertainment and more. The work can be highly lucrative and rewarding. This course will give you a thorough grounding in the knowledge, skills and practical experience required for a successful career in computing and artificial intelligence or related fields. You will also develop valuable transferable skills such as: team working, advanced IT skills, critical thinking, data handling, communication, time management and self-motivation.

We work closely with partners in industry who advise us on our curriculum, to make sure it responds to the latest market needs and trends. This means our graduates are up-to-speed with all the latest developments. We run jobs fairs and a short-term work placement scheme, and your personal adviser and the campus Careers team will be on hand to offer advice on career opportunities. We also maintain strong links with our alumni, who can often provide advice, contacts and networking opportunities. In recent years, our computer science graduates have launched careers in everything from network systems design and web development, to business management and finance. They work in organisations such as: Amazon, American Express, Apple, Bupa, Capita, CGI-Logica, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Symantec, among many others.