What you will study
Taking a practice-based approach based on an organisation you are familiar with, this module gives you the fundamental knowledge and understanding, coupled with analysis and synthesis skills that you need to develop a variety of software artefacts fit for a real-world organisational context. You will also have an opportunity to investigate emerging trends in software development and acquire the personal development skills you will need to keep abreast of important developments in this rapidly changing field.
The module is structured as follows:
Block 1: Software development and early life-cycle
In this block you will learn the principles and techniques of early software lifecycle, from requirements and domain analysis to software specification. You will engage with a number of practices, including capturing and validating requirements, and UML (Unified Modelling Language) modelling with activity and class diagrams.
Block 2: Design and code
This block focuses on the principles and techniques of software design, construction, testing and version control. You will engage with a number of design practices, including applying design patterns and UML modelling with interaction and state diagrams. You will also engage in software construction and testing in Java.
Block 3: Software architectures and systems integration
In this block, you will extend the skills you acquired in the previous blocks to develop software solutions based on software architectures and frameworks. You will engage in design and Java development practices which make use of standards, software components and protocols. You will also expand your UML modelling toolset with package and component diagrams.
In the module assessment you will have an opportunity to engage with an organisational problem of your choice, working towards a fit-for-purpose software solution. You will also have an opportunity to carry out some independent research into issues in software development, including analysing, evaluating and presenting results.
This module is delivered entirely online and makes extensive use of a range of media and resources to support your learning.
Vocational relevance
By studying this module you will work towards a software system for an organisation with which you are familiar. As such you will be interacting with other people in that organisation and this may help to raise your professional profile.
Entry
It is expected that you will hold a bachelors degree (or equivalent) in computing or a related discipline, or alternatively have at least three years relevant industry experience.
You should also have experience of object-oriented software development from previous study or professional work and an understanding of what UML is. A basic working knowledge of Java is expected and some Java coding tasks will be part of the assessment.
If this is your first postgraduate module, it is important for you to appreciate the substantial differences between undergraduate and postgraduate study. These differences are motivated by the need for masters-level education to prepare you to specialise, perhaps as a professional. At postgraduate level, you are expected to synthesise, review, reflect on and evaluate material. Because of this, postgraduate modules work from the leading edge of a topic, taking knowledge and understanding past that gained in an undergraduate study programme or professional practice. Independent study is also an important component and you will be expected to draw on resources beyond those provided by the module. This module includes materials that should assist you if you don’t already have these skills, or if your skills need polishing. In particular, preparatory materials and reflective questions in the assessment are there to help you develop the academic critical skills that will be needed in the end-of-module assessment (and eventually your final masters dissertation, should that be your goal).
Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you will need a minimum overall score of 6 and minimum score of 5.5 in each of the four components: reading, writing, speaking and listening under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see the IELTS website for details.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
If you have a disability
The study material is online, so you’ll spend considerable time using a computer and the internet.
Some components might not be fully accessible using a screen reader.
Written transcripts of audio components and figure descriptions are available.
If you’re using printed materials as part of reasonable adjustments to support your studies, note that printed versions of online materials are unavailable for this module.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our disability support pages.