ug brochure.pdf - School of Computing - Robert Gordon University

Multimedia 

Development 

Business 

Information 

Systems 

SCHOOL OF 

COMPUTING 

Computer 

Science 

UNDERGRADUATE COURSE GUIDE 2011 

THE PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 

Computing for 

Graphics and 

Animation 

Information 

Systems 

Technology 

Computing for 

Internet and 

Multimedia

Contents 

01 Computing – make the right choice 

02 Why choose the School of Computing? 

04 Which course is for you? 

06 What you will study 

14 Where can it take me? 

18 Well-connected 

20 Your learning experience 

22 Entry requirements 

24 The next step is to talk to us 

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An alternative, electronic format of this course guide is available. If you have any questions or additional 

requirements please contact our Admissions Team on +44 (0)1224 262728 or email admissions@rgu.ac.uk

COMPUTING – 

MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE 

The Professional University 01 

Computer technologies impact on and enhance our lives in so many ways. 

Could you imagine life without mobile phones, the internet or iPods? 

Computer technology is integral to the success of organisations, pushes the 

boundaries of advances in healthcare and drives demand for products and 

services. In fact, opportunities for computing professionals exist in almost 

every industry. 

Studying computing is about much more than ‘just’ programming; it is a 

creative, practical, problem-solving subject. You will gain an understanding 

of how computing technologies work and how you can develop creative and 

commercial solutions to make things better for people who use them. 

Choosing a Computing degree means working towards a career-enhancing 

qualification and gaining valuable and relevant professional skills.

WHY CHOOSE THE 

SCHOOL OF COMPUTING? 

Excellent Career 

Prospects: We involve 

the IT and other major 

industries in the design 

of our courses, ensuring 

that you will be well 

equipped for work and 

that your degree meets 

the needs of your future 

employers. 

Top University: We are part of the 

UK’s top modern university. Importantly, 

we are also the top modern university 

for graduate employment (The Times 

Good University Guide 2011). 

Key Skills: Our courses and teaching methods are 

designed to allow you to gain valuable transferable skills 

such as team working, project management and 

communication. You will gain a balance of theory and 

practical hands-on experience throughout your studies.

Flexible Options: Our 4 year 

courses begin with a shared First 

Year, giving you a solid grounding 

in computing and, crucially, 

offering you the flexibility to 

change to another computing 

course as your studies progress. 

All courses include a range of 

optional modules that allow you to 

broaden your interests and tailor 

your expertise. 

Supportive 

Environment: 

We offer you the 

chance to study 

in a friendly and 

supportive School 

community. 

Direct / Advanced 

Entry: If you have 

an HNC or HND, you 

may be eligible for our 

Direct Entry option. If 

you have Advanced 

Highers or similar 

qualification, you 

may be eligible for 

our Advanced Entry 

Option. 

Professional 

Recognition: 

As a mark of their 

quality, the majority 

of our courses are 

accredited by the 

British Computer 

Society, giving you 

a career pathway to 

Chartered status. 

Vital Industrial Experience: During 

your studies you will participate in our 

work placement scheme, giving you a 

valuable opportunity to put your 

learning into practice and enhance 

your employability.

04 The Professional University 

WHICH COURSE IS FOR YOU? 

Do you want to use technology to make an impact on the business 

world? Consider Business Information Systems or Information 

Systems Technology. 

BSc (Hons) Business 

Information Systems 

UCAS G510 

Achieving success in the highly 

competitive world of business 

depends more and more on the 

effective use of complex information 

systems. This has resulted in an 

ongoing demand for graduates who 

can confidently combine computing 

expertise with business awareness 

to successfully develop and apply 

these vital systems. 

You will gain key technical 

skills in areas such as database 

development, internet technology, 

software development and business 

systems analysis. You will then 

combine these with business 

awareness by studying topics such 

as business intelligence, change 

management, eBusiness and 

information strategy planning. This 

course is integrated with teaching 

delivered by Aberdeen Business 

School. As a result you will be 

fully equipped to apply modern IT 

solutions to business problems. 

Optional 16 week work placement. 

Advanced Entry option. 

Direct Entry option. 

BSc (Hons) Information 

Systems Technology 

UCAS G502 

Information Systems Technology 

is all about processing and moving 

information so that the right people 

can access the right information at 

the right time. One of the biggest 

challenges facing businesses today 

is the integration and merging 

of increasingly sophisticated 

information systems, enabling the 

sharing of information and making 

it accessible. 

You will develop practical abilities 

in cutting edge desktop and 

Internet software development 

methods, and learn how to apply 

these to the solution of real-world 

commercial problems. You will 

have the opportunity to specialise 

in areas such as multimedia, web 

technologies or eBusiness. 




Are you interested in technical 

challenges, such as networking 

or the interface between 

computers and the real world? 

Consider Computer Science. 

BSc (Hons) Computer 

Science 

UCAS G400 

This course covers a range 

of hardware and software 

topics enabling you to develop 

sophisticated applications using 

scientific and engineering principles. 

Learn object-oriented software 

design and development skills that 

will prepare you for a career as a 

professional software developer. 

The course covers a variety of 

specialised topics such as artificial 

intelligence, embedded systems, 

web application development 

and computer architecture. This 

course includes some networking 

modules delivered by the School 

of Engineering. A choice of 

specialist elective subjects in 

later years will allow you to tailor 

the course to your interests and 

career aspirations. These include 

Programming for the iPhone and 

Human Computer Interaction. 



Direct Entry option.

BSc (Hons) Computing 

for Graphics and 

Animation 

UCAS G450 

Advances in sophisticated computer 

technologies that provide interactive 

graphics and animation are changing 

the computing, communications and 

entertainment industries. This course 

will provide you with expertise in 

developing graphic systems, taking 

into account the requirements 

of organisations and their users, 

incorporating multimedia and welldesigned 

interfaces. 

You will initially study software 

development and databases, 

and then progress to 2D and 3D 

Computing Graphics, Design 

Principles, Interactive 3D Animation, 

Data Visualisation, and Image 

Analysis. You will study Graphic 

Design, which will include some 

teaching by Gray’s School of Art. 

You will learn techniques to develop 

interactive interfaces, animations 

and graphics for a wide range of 

applications, games and virtual 

environments. 




There is a constant industry demand 

for graduates who have the ability 

to build robust usable software 

systems, develop new businesscompatible 

computer applications 

that use multimedia effectively, 

and who can create websites that 

are inspirational, motivational and 

contribute to a company’s success. 

This course will equip you with the 

skills needed to design and develop 

internet-based business solutions. 

You will gain expertise in developing 

interactive systems which take 

into account the requirements of 

an organisation and the end user. 

These systems will incorporate 

databases, computer graphics, 

multimedia and secure internet 

technologies that have usable frontend 

interfaces. 




BSc (Hons) Multimedia 

Development 

UCAS G541 


Do you want to combine your creative and technical skills? These courses have been created with you in 

mind: Computing for Graphics and Animation, Computing for Internet & Multimedia, Multimedia 

Development. 

BSc (Hons) Computing 

for Internet and 

Multimedia 

UCAS G401 

This two year course is designed for 

students who have completed an 

HND (or similar award) and wish to 

‘top-up’ to an Honours degree. The 

course will extend your existing skills 

and equip you with advanced skills 

in designing and creating interactive 

media systems. This course is 

integrated with teaching by Gray’s 

School of Art. 

You will gain expertise in allied 

subject areas such as graphical 

design, audio and video postproduction, 

3D graphics, animation 

and interface design. 

You will enhance your practical and 

creative multimedia development 

skills as well as acquiring a 

deeper understanding of the 

software technologies that aid the 

development process. The subject 

content strikes a balance between 

creative and aesthetic design issues 

and the technical knowledge to 

produce exciting interactive designs. 

Optional 16 week work placement 

Direct Entry only.


WHAT YOU WILL STUDY: 

SHARED FIRST YEAR 

Collaborative and 

Professional Skills 

in Computing 

Problem Solving 

and Modelling in 

Computing 

Software Design 

and Development 


Information 

Systems 

Applied 

Management 

Tools for 2D 

Graphics 

Business 

Information 

Systems 

Computer 

Science 

Comp for 

Graphics & 

Animation 


for Internet & 

Multimedia 

Information 

Systems 

Technology

WHAT Year One WILL 

YOU STUDY? 

See Shared First Year 

information on P6 

WHAT Year Two WILL 

YOU STUDY? 

Interface Design 

Object Oriented Programming 

Professional Development in 


Introduction to Database Systems 

Business Information Systems 

Web Programming and 

eCommerce 

Business Systems Modelling and 

Development 

Introduction to Management 

Accounting 

Year Three 

Systems Development 

Knowledge Management** 

Introduction to Database Systems* 

Internet Based Programming* 

Web Application Development ** 

Business Information Systems* 

Project Management in a 

Computing Environment 

Database Systems 

Component Based Software 

Development 

Management of Change** 

Elective 1 

*Advanced Entry Students only 

**Continuing Students only 


BUSINESS 

INFORMATION 

SYSTEMS 

UCAS G510 

Year Four 

Developing Enterprise Systems 

Business Intelligence 

Honours Individual Project Part 1 

Elective 2 

Information Strategy Planning 

eBusiness 

Honours Individual Project Part 2



INFORMATION 

SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY 

UCAS G502 


YOU STUDY? 




YOU STUDY? 



Organisational Behaviour 

Elective 1 

Computer Networks 

Tools for 2D Graphics 


Development 

Elective 2 

Year Three 




Internet Based Programming 

Elective 3 




Development 


Elective 4 

Year Four 

Human Computer Interaction 

Developing Enterprise Systems 

Integrative Honours Project 

Part 1 

Elective 5 


Science of Management 

Integrative Honours Project 

Part 2 

Elective 6


YOU STUDY? 




YOU STUDY? 

Object Oriented Software 

Development 




Microprocessors and 

Microcontrollers 


eCommerce 

Introduction to Data Networks 

Operating Systems 

Year Three 

Year-long work placement 

Year Four 

Concurrent Programming 

Computer Architecture 



Knowledge Engineering 

3D Graphics Using Open GL 

and C++ 

Data Networks 


Elective 1 


COMPUTER SCIENCE 

Year Five 

UCAS G400 

Intelligent Web Technologies 

Advanced Data Networks 


Elective 2 

Advanced Computer 

Architecture 

Distributed Systems 


Elective 3



COMPUTING FOR 

GRAPHICS AND 

ANIMATION 

UCAS G450 


YOU STUDY? 




YOU STUDY? 


Development 




2D Animation 


eCommerce 

Interactive 2D Graphics 

Design Principles and Context 

Year Three 

Multimedia Component Design 

Elective 1 

Project Management 


Interactive 3D Graphics 

Perception and Visualisation 

3D Graphics Development 

Interactive Multimedia 

Year Four 

Interactive 3D Animation 

Audio and Video Production 


Elective 2 

Multimedia Programming 

Advanced Image Processing and 

Analysis 


Elective 3


YOU STUDY? 




YOU STUDY? 


Development 






eCommerce 


Development 

Computer Networks 

Year Three Year Four 


Computing* 


Internet Based Programming* 

Object Oriented Programming* 

Multimedia Component 

Design** 

Web Application Development** 



(Semester 2) ** 



(Semester 1)* 

Interactive 2D Graphics** 



Elective 1 

*Advanced Entry Students only 

**Continuing Students only 


COMPUTING FOR 

INTERNET AND 

MULTIMEDIA 

UCASG401 

Intranet Systems Development 



Elective 2 

Multimedia Programming 



Elective 3



MULTIMEDIA 

DEVELOPMENT 

UCAS G541 

WHAT Year Three WILL 

YOU STUDY? 

2D Animation 

Internet Based Programming or 

User Centred Design 

Multimedia Component Design 

Elective 1 


Development or Design 

Principles and Context 




Elective 2 

Year Four 

Audio and Video Production 

Developing Enterprise Systems or 

Internet Based Programming 

Integrative Honours Project Part 1 

Elective 3 

Perception and Visualisation 

Advanced Multimedia 

Development 

Integrative Honours Project Part 2 

Elective 4

The Professional University 13


WHERE CAN IT TAKE ME? 

A degree in computing prepares you for a wide range of careers. 

It shows that you are a logical thinker, have sound technical, 

organisational and management skills and a creative imagination. 

These are highly valued attributes in any profession. The software 

industry is a popular destination for many of our graduates; 

however, you will find a wide range of opportunities in virtually 

every economic sector.

Our graduates have progressed to roles including: 

IT Audit Associate, Ernst & Young 

Knowledge Network Manager, Wood Group 

Software Integration Engineer, Saab Systems 

Software Engineer, ODS-Petrodata 

Master Support Integration Engineer, Hitachi 

IT Consultant, Logica 

Senior Systems Engineer, SAIC 

Multimedia Developer, Atlas Interactive 

Systems Integration Engineer, Talisman Energy 

Systems Engineer, Amor Real Time 

Project Manager, Conoco Phillips 

Multimedia Developer, Scottish Agricultural College 

Digital Graphic Artist, Halliburton 

Business Improvement Manager, Rio Tinto Alcan 



Careers in 

Focus: 

IT Consultants work with clients 

and advise them on how to use 

information technology to best meet 

their business needs and improve 

the efficiency of their organisation’s 

IT system. As well as technical 

duties, you may be involved in 

business development activities, 

such as marketing and project 

management. 

As a Software Engineer, you will 

research, design and develop 

software that meets your client’s 

needs. Following its development 

you will test and maintain the 

system. To be effective in this role, 

you will have knowledge of a 

number of computer programming 

languages and applications. Day to 

day, you may be involved in 

designing software programmes, 

investigating new technologies and 

working with clients and colleagues 

to ensure the effective performance 

of systems. 

As a Multimedia Programmer, you 

will write computer programs or 

create websites; drawing together 

multimedia features such as text, 

sound, graphics, 2D/3D modelling 

and animation to meet a designer’s 

specification. You will need to have 

both creative and technical skills, 

with everyday tasks including 

working with designers and other 

creative specialists to understand the 

design concept and writing the 

computer code to support the 

specification. It is also vital that you 

research and keep up to date with 

new and emerging technologies. 

What do we mean by 

Transferable Skills? 

We integrate the personal and 

professional skills you need, such as 

teamwork and presentation skills into 

our course at all stages. This ensures 

your degree reflects a balance of 

technical and professional skills that 

enable you to adapt effectively in a 

rapidly changing industry - making 

you very employable. 

In the workplace, teamwork is 

crucial; most professional computing 

projects are carried out through 

working in partnership with other 

computing professionals such as 

engineers, scientists and business 

analysts. 

You will also need strong 

communication skills to interact 

with colleagues and clients and get 

across your ideas effectively, both in 

written reports and in oral 

presentations. 

Problem-solving is an essential skill 

you will need in your career and one 

which you’ll build on throughout 

your degree.

Graduate 

Testimonials: 

Euan Garden, Principal Group 

Program Manager, Technical 

Computing, Microsoft 

This industry is about constant 

learning and adapting core skills 

to new capabilities. These include: 

Team work, talking with customers 

and being able to translate their 

problems into solutions, user 

experience design, testing, project 

management, intellectual property 

management, operations, support. 

These are all little known sub types 

of “computing” that are vital. 

Andrew Groat, Senior Analyst 

Programmer, Amor Group 

One of the most enjoyable things 

about the course was the variety that 

it offered between the computing 

and business elements. I also 

enjoyed the fact that most of the 

assessments were coursework based 

as I think this made the learning 

experience a lot more practical and 

more in touch with the real world. 

Emma Clarke, Software 

Developer. Codify 

My new job at Codify includes 

liaising with clients, developing 

SharePoint and Business Intelligence 

solutions and training clients on 

the Microsoft software solutions 

we develop. I feel my course at the 

University has really prepared me 

for the working world and has given 

me lots of opportunities to further 

my career.” 

Martin Smith, Project Manager 

E.ON UK 

Studying has helped develop my 

knowledge of IT and take this forward 

in my career. It gave me experience 

of working in a team, meeting new 

people, and introduced me to 

different cultures and personalities. 

The qualification provided a step in 

the door with E.ON; the soft skills I 

developed at university were key to 

securing the role. 



WELL-CONNECTED 

Our School’s close industry links are vital; these ensure that you will gain 

a relevant qualification that meets your future employers’ needs. 

Many of our staff work in conjunction with commercial partners to apply our 

leading edge research. Recent projects have been with organisations such 

as Petrodata, Fugaro, Tata and ConocoPhillips. This work helps to inform our 

degree course design, and enriches your learning experience by providing 

live case studies and projects for you to engage with.

Guest lecturers 

A number of guest lecturers from 

companies such as Logica, Total 

and IBM visit our School in order 

to share their expertise with 

you. Recent guests have also 

included: 

Mary Vincent, founder and 

CEO of Green Star Solution, 

presented on the importance of 

innovation and green solutions 

in the IT industry. 

Paulo Barone, from Microsoft 

visited the School as part of 

The Microsoft Inspiration Tour. 

He presented on trends in web 

technology, from user interaction 

and rich internet applications to 

building scalable applications 

taking advantage of cloud 

computing. 

Placement 

Computer Science students have 

the option of taking a one year 

placement between years 2 and 

3. For all other courses there is 

an optional 16 week placement. 

Our Faculty Placement Office 

will support you in finding a 

placement. Recent placement 

providers have included 

Talisman, Petrotechnics, and 

Britannia Operator. Some of 

our students have successfully 

secured overseas placements 

include Airbus and IRIT Research 

in France. 

Scholarship 

The Total Computing Scholarship 

is open to Year 3 Computer 

Science students. The 

Scholarship includes financial and 

mentoring support, as well as a 

work placement opportunity. For 

further information, please visit: 

www.rgu.ac.uk/scholarships 

Prize giving 

Our School’s annual prize giving 

event recognises and rewards 

student achievement across all of 

our courses. The event includes 

sponsored prizes from companies 

such as: ConocoPhillips, TOTAL, 

SAIC, Nexen, Amor, Codify, 

Divex, XMA, British Computer 

Society, Aventa Systems. 

Imagine Cup 

We encourage our students 

to take part in competitions, 

such as the Imagine Cup. The 

students’ challenge was to 

apply their technical skills and 

creativity to ‘Imagine a world 

where technology helps solve the 

world’s toughest problems’. The 

competition provided excellent 

opportunities for our students 

to meet employers in the 

technology arena, from software 

companies through to creative 

agencies and games companies. 



YOUR LEARNING EXPERIENCE 

We appreciate that you might not yet be sure which area of computing you 

wish to specialise in. We’ve designed our Shared First Year to give you both 

a solid foundation in computing and to allow you the opportunity to transfer 

between courses.

Your first year includes ‘bitesized’ 

lectures and tutorials 

combined with practical 

exercises to enable knowledge 

to be immediately absorbed. 

Throughout your degree, 

learning takes place in an 

environment where you have 

ample opportunity for interaction, 

questions, discussions, and 

sharing experiences, both 

with teaching staff and other 

students. Your assessments will 

be a mix of practical assignments 

and examinations. Our subject 

assessments often place 

significant weight on coursework, 

projects and other evidence of 

your practical ability. 

Whether you are joining us in 

First Year or as an Advanced / 

Direct entrant, you’ll be assigned 

a Personal Tutor to support you 

throughout your studies. You’ll 

be taught by our supportive and 

knowledgeable team of teaching 

staff, many of whom are active 

in research. Our internationally 

renowned research focuses 

on areas such as web search 

engines, data visualisation and 

image analysis, health diagnosis 

and treatment, and intelligent 

business decision support 

systems. 

Facilities 

Our courses strike a balance 

between theory and practice. 

Practical application of ideas and 

concepts enables you to develop 

advanced skills in using software 

tools. As you’d expect, we have a 

wide variety of modern learning 

facilities to support this. New 

investment includes a green 

screen suite and podcasting 

facility, as well as a Renderfarm 

used in CGI. 

You can view our facilities at: 

www.rgu.ac.uk/ 

computingfaciltities 

CTRL Byte 

Our new student society, 

organise computing-related 

events to develop software skills. 

They organize and take part in 

computing competitions as well 

as leisure activities. The Society 

was recently presented with Lego 

Mindstorm robots, provided by 

our University’s Alumni Fund. 

Study Abroad 

You may wish to study part of 

your degree abroad to broaden 

your horizons and experience 

another culture. You can do 

this with one of our School’s 

European partner institutions in 

France, Spain or Sweden. For 

more information, please visit: 

www.rgu.ac.uk/erasmus 


I have enjoyed creative 

and practical design tasks; 

creating websites and 

animations in Flash, and 

letting loose my imagination. 

Deborah Henderson, 

Student 

The best thing about the 

School is the professionalism 

of each member of staff and 

the modern facilities. 

Alin Rohnean, 

Student


ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Year One Entry 

SQA Higher 

BBCC/BBB (or equivalent) and 

two further passes (normally to 

include Maths and English) at 

Standard Grade. 

GCE A Level 

BB/CCC (or equivalent e.g. 

AC) and three further passes 

(normally to include Maths and 

English) at GCSE. 

Irish Leaving Certificate 

Higher 

BBC1C1/B2B2B2 (or equivalent) 

and two further passes (normally 

to include Maths and English) 

at Ordinary Level 

IB Diploma 

24, including a pass in Standard 

Level Maths. 

Alternative Qualifications 

Equivalent qualifications, 

e.g. SQA, BTEC, S/NVQs, 

overseas qualifications and 

access programmes will be 

considered on an individual basis. 

Applications from students with 

non-standard qualifications or 

work experience are welcomed. 

Degree Link Programme 

Individual courses have certain 

HNDs linked to them. For 

more details please contact 

our admissions team on 

01224 262728. 

Advanced / Direct Entry 

We welcome applications from 

students with relevant HN 

qualifications or similar diplomas 

for consideration for advanced 

entry to selected courses. 

Applicants who have successfully 

completed two Advanced 

Highers (or equivalent), including 

Computing, and another 

numerate subject, may be eligible 

for entry into year 2 of some of 

our courses. Overseas applicants 

with appropriate diplomas/ 

advanced diplomas are also 

welcome to apply for advanced 

entry to selected courses. 

Multimedia Development 

HND Multimedia Computing, 

HND Interactive Media, HND 

Visual Communication with the 

appropriate multimedia units, or 

similar multimedia diploma award. 



The next step 

is to talk to us 

We can answer any questions you may have. Simply call us on 

01224 262728 or email admissions@rgu.ac.uk. We also offer 

a range of opportunities to visit us – so you can see what we can 

offer you, first-hand. 

Open Days: For full 

information and to register, 

please go to www.rgu. 

ac.uk/open day 

Visit afternoons: If you 

are unable to attend an 

Open Day, come along to 

one of our monthly Visit 

Afternoons. To register 

go to: www.rgu.ac.uk/ 

visitafternoons 

Applicants’ Days: Apply 

for any of our courses and 

you’ll be invited to one of 

our Applicants’ Days, in 

early 2011. 

Have you seen our 

current Prospectus? 

This gives valuable 

additional information 

about student life in 

Aberdeen and the 

wider University. 

Request a Prospectus at: 

www.rgu.ac.uk 

Disclaimer 

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information given in this brochure, Robert Gordon University 

can accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions. The University reserves the right to amend or discontinue courses or amend 

entry requirements as part of continued improvement.

Join us on: 

www.facebook.com/robertgordonuniversity 

www.twitter.com/robertgordonuni 

www.youtube.com/robertgordonuni

School of Computing 

Robert Gordon University 

Schoolhill 

Aberdeen 

AB10 1FR 

Talk to us. 

We can answer any questions 

or queries you may have. 

Simply call us on 01224 262728, 

email admissions@rgu.ac.uk 

or visit us at rgu.ac.uk

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