Postgraduate Prospectus

“I’ve worked at the University on and off for 15 years and have taught a wide range of subjects at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, including programming and software engineering. My specialisms are educational computer games and adaptive e-learning.

We try, wherever possible, to provide students with realistic problem-solving assignments. For example, over the years, a Microsoft Games company has provided significant support for our research which in turn has fed directly into the teaching of a number of software engineering modules.

We aim to give students all of the support they need. There are plenty of opportunities for staff and postgraduates to work collaboratively and to meet informally which really helps to give the School a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

We offer a wide range of postgraduate opportunities, including some innovative programmes like the MSc in Computer Science and Entrepreneurship, taught jointly by staff from the School of Computer Science and the Nottingham University Business School, which gives students the chance to work with leading experts in both fields. Dissertation work for this course also gives students the scope to take on real and significant challenges with partner companies.

Computer Science students go on to pursue careers in a wide range of areas, spanning software project management, finance, and further research both here and at other universities worldwide.

Jubilee is a beautiful and relaxed campus to work at. Student accommodation is situated conveniently on campus as well as in the surrounding area, and there are plenty of cycle and bus routes giving us great access to the city.”

“I did a BSc in Computer Science in China in 1996 and completed a PhD in Computer Science in 2003, after which I started to work at The University of Nottingham as a research associate.  I was appointed as a lecturer in 2005. 

My current role as the Joint Course Director for the MSc in Computer Science and Entrepreneurship involves a combination of teaching, research and administration, so on any given day you may find me lecturing, in tutorials, acting as a project supervisor at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as doing marketing activities, organising a conference or reviewing an academic article.

The School has several really good strengths – for example, it offers a range of themes of modules under different courses; the modules I teach are in artificial intelligence.  This is one of the topics in which the School has a strong research profile, which means that – in the relevant context – the appropriate research outcomes are fed into the teaching.

Our research deals with real world applications, so some research outcomes have been transferred into real world intelligent decision support systems in educational institutions, hospitals and airports, for example.  We also provide algorithm solutions to software consultancy companies who develop commercial software.

I think it’s important to make potential students aware that the School provides some studentships to strong PhD applicants wishing to study a range of topics.

Career prospects for our postgraduates are fantastic and students tend to be recruited into a wide range of jobs after graduation – recent destinations have included analyst, software developer, consultant, project managers in industry and financial sectors, academics and senior researchers.”

I have a strong technical background in information technologies; I was looking for a masters degree that could drive my career towards business rather than just pure IT.

During my work experience, I realised the importance of the business aspects in every company. In my opinion, understanding the organisation of a company is a key factor for any career growth.

What I found to be the most beneficial aspect of this course is the way technical elements are joined with business disciplines to give a better understanding of the whole picture to students of both technical and business backgrounds. Also, studying together with students of different educational backgrounds coming from many parts of the world helps to create a very broad point of view on how different cultures work.

A key factor for choosing The University of Nottingham is that it was voted University of the Year in 2006, with the Business School being one of the leading in the country.

Throughout the year I have thoroughly enjoyed my studies on this course and staff have always been very helpful no matter what challenges I faced. I would highly recommend coming here to study.