Artificial Intelligence (AI) is powering innovations everywhere, from virtual assistants to self-driving cars. You may have heard of the ‘fourth industrial revolution’, AI is a development that is currently transforming our everyday lives. This course is designed to equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to be at the forefront of this technological revolution, and will teach you how to build intelligent systems, which are in high demand across different industries.

You will study both the theoretical and practical aspects of computer science and AI, covering mathematics, hardware and network architecture and algorithms, as well as learning skills in software development, database management and building knowledge based and data driven intelligent systems.

We aim to provide you with the fundamental principles of computer science and the skills on which AI relies, as well as giving you the opportunity to specialise your knowledge around various AI themes, for example, robotics, knowledge graphs, and deep learning.

In your first year you will follow a core computing programme aimed to give you a broad understanding. Then from your second year onwards you will take a number of specialist AI modules, covering symbolic, sub-symbolic and statistical AI and their applications in natural language processing, speech and image recognition.

You will be taught by academic staff who are active in research that applies AI methods to solve key societal challenges in areas such as healthcare, transportation and smart cities. Our research expertise spans the whole spectrum of modern AI, from automated planning and knowledge representation and reasoning, to statistical and data-driven AI and machine learning.

You will be supported to take the skills and techniques you learn and to apply them to tackle challenges in the computing sector.

Placements

This course offers you the chance to undertake an optional placement in Year 3. This opportunity helps you to build on the knowledge and skills developed on the course. You will be employed by the company for 12 months, but the actual number of weeks worked will be dependent on the annual leave entitlement you are given in line with the placement company’s policy.

The placement year is a valuable tool that can enhance your employability and help you to develop as an individual. It is acknowledged that graduates with industry experience are generally much more attractive to employers.

Our Placement Unit will be on hand to support you in finding suitable placement opportunities. They will assist you with preparing your CV and with interview techniques. They'll also be in contact with you during your placement so that you'll be fully supported while you gain the experience that employers value so highly.

The Placement Unit team are regularly in contact with local and national companies. Previous students have spent their placement year at companies including Microsoft, Siemens, Hermes, Airbus and Cummins as well as smaller companies from the local economy and further afield. You can find more information on placements here.

Alternatively, if you are a student from within the UK, you could consider starting your own small business by applying for the Enterprise Placement Year in conjunction with the University’s Enterprise Team. You’ll have the opportunity to benefit from business advice, mentoring and networking sessions. Find out more information on the Enterprise Placement Year.

Your Career

Previous graduates from courses in this subject area have gone on to work in a variety of roles such as software engineer, server and storage analyst, senior developer, research software development engineer, systems security engineer and business analyst in organisations including BBC, West Yorkshire Police, Hermes, Microsoft, BT and Amazon UK.**

Additionally, you may gain skills that are transferable to other industries and may be able to pursue any career that requires a good honours degree. You could go on to further study and the University has many options available for postgraduate study (including postgraduate teacher training) and research which may interest you.

* Percentage of graduates from this subject who are in work and/or further study fifteen months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 17/18, UK domiciled graduates).