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Software Development

I am currently a student in Scotland looking to go into Software Development in the future and I am intrigued as to what Universities offer the best courses across the UK.

Reply 1

University of Portsmouth Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by andrew.Mackay

I am currently a student in Scotland looking to go into Software Development in the future and I am intrigued as to what Universities offer the best courses across the UK.

Hey Andrew,

Typically, you'd be looking at either a Software Engineering (SE) or Computer Science (CS) degree. SE degrees are generally more practical, with the aims to teach you the how/what/why/for whom we build software and the wider considerations you need to make when developing software. CS is generally more broad, and for some universities, it can be more theoretical than SE. You can look at the specific modules (units, classes) that you are taught at a given university via their prospectus or their website, as well as whether you will be assessed by mostly coursework or mostly exam.

One thing I would highly recommend looking at is whether or not the university you are applying to offers a Placement (Sandwich) year. This is a year where you go out and work in industry ("the real world"), usually paid. This is an invaluable time for you to grow your skills, network with people in the industry, and potentially continue working with that company part-time during your final year or full-time after you graduate.

Another important statistic to look at is "How many students are in employment within a few years of graduating?". You can find this data on many league tables or similar.

There's many many more factors to consider, but I hope that this helps. Best of luck!

~ Mikael, UoP Student Rep :h:

Reply 2

andrew.Mackay

Hello, sorry for the late reply but I really appreciate you taking your time to write out this reply. Will be taking the advice onboard moving forward.

Thanks again

Andrew

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