Below are responses to some frequently asked questions about the course.

• What are the minimum entrance requirements?

  Normally a 2.2 Honours degree or above, or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University in any discipline excluding Computer Science or other similar Computing degree.

  The course is open to applicants resident in Northern Ireland. It is not open to applicants from outside Northern Ireland.

  Applicants who do not meet the above entry requirements may be considered for admission under Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL). When completing your online application you will be asked for a degree transcript, in place of that please submit the two RPEL forms below along with a copy of your current CV.  For further information about this process please contact the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences askeps@qub.ac.uk.

  RPL Form

  Competency Evaluation Form

• What is required if I don’t have a degree?

  Applicants who do not meet the above entry requirements may be considered for admission under Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL). During the application process you will be asked for a degree transcript, in place of that please complete and submit the two RPEL forms below along with a copy of your current CV.  For further information about this process please contact the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences askeps@qub.ac.uk.

  RPL Form

  Competency Evaluation Form

• What type of evidence do I need to prove I am eligible for a funded place on the course?

  The course is specifically targeted towards people who have been directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The following list indicate the criteria which you will meet to be eligible for a funded place on the course along with the necessary evidence you will need to provide regarding this:

  • Unemployed since 1 March 2020 – evidence: redundancy notice or recent welfare benefit  
  • Furloughed – evidence: provide confirmation from employer
  • Economically Inactive and partner furloughed, unemployed or on reduced earnings as a result of impact of COVID-19 – evidence: confirmation from employer; benefit/grant application/HMRC scheme application
  • Self-employed and income affected by COVID-19 – evidence: benefit or Self Employed Income Support application
• If I am not eligible for a funded place, can I pay for a place on the course?

  No, this course is being specifically offered to those eligible for the funded places.

• Can I apply if I haven’t got all the required documents and evidence yet?

  Yes, you can apply now and still have some time before the course begins to provide the necessary documentation to prove your eligibility. If you have any queries about this, please contact the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences askeps@qub.ac.uk.

• I have no prior experience of coding. Will the course be too difficult for me?

  No, we will assume everyone has no previous experience and we will build from there. No prior experience of coding will be needed. 

• What will be taught in the course?

  The course consists of two modules, Programming and Computing Foundations. The Programming module is taught using the Java programming language, which is one of the most common languages used in the software industry.  In it you will learn the principles of programming and Object Orientated programming. Computing Foundations is designed to give you a knowledge of a broad set of computing topics including data storage, data structures, computer architecture and an introduction to Software Engineering and Software Testing.

• How will I be taught?

  Teaching and assessment will be fully online through a mixture of online activities, self-directed study, practice materials and weekly quizzes. You will be able to ask questions both during and after online learning sessions and have access to virtual face-to-face help during the course.

• How many hours a week will it take?

  You will need to commit about 16 hours of effort per week. This will include online engagement with the course tutors, online support sessions, working through programming problems on your own and self-directed study. At this level of commitment, the course is scheduled to allow most students to progress through all of the learning and assessments by September 2020 in order to allow successful students to progress directly onto Year 2 of the Part-time MSc Software Development.
  
  However, where necessary, (perhaps if a student has returned to full-time employment and needs to reduce their study time slightly) students may continue to study at a reduced number of hours until December 2020 (but in that case they wouldn’t be able to proceed directly onto the MSc until September 2021).

• What is the assessment for the course?

  The assessment is fully online; for Programming you will submit a programming project and for Computing Foundations the assessment will be an online test.