Software Engineering

A Software Engineering degree at Brighton prepares you to design, build, test, deploy and sustainably maintain software systems that solve real-world problems. You’ll develop technical and creative problem-solving skills, learning to analyse and design software architectures while building a professional project portfolio. Project work and the option of a paid placement year help you put learning into practice and showcase your capabilities to employers.

At Brighton you’ll be part of a supportive community that helps you grow, whatever your background. The course is full of opportunities to build real‑world experience through team projects, hackathons, employer‑set briefs and an optional year‑long placement. Our inclusive approach to learning means we help you play to your strengths and learn in ways that suit you best.

Graduates go on to roles such as software engineer, system architect, DevOps engineer, mobile or web developer and technical consultant or progress to postgraduate study.

Top reasons to choose this course

• Gain a degree with professional accreditation from BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT, aligning your learning with industry benchmarks and supporting professional recognition.

• Build a strong portfolio – complete year-long and final-year projects that showcase your experience and technical depth to future employers.

• Industry engagement and support – work on live client briefs, attend events like Game Jams and Codefest and benefit from networking via Brighton’s digital sector.

• Learn specialist technical skills – master programming, object-oriented design, software architecture, testing and secure development practices, alongside modern frameworks and tools used in industry.

• Boost your CV with work experience opportunities, including an optional paid placement year, funded internships and employer-led projects.

• Professional-standard facilities – train in specialist spaces, including robotics, VR and usability labs, CISCO-certified networking/security labs and a simulation suite with flight and car simulators.

• Learn with innovative researchers and contribute to impact-driven projects and engage with staff who bring current research into teaching, giving you opportunities to align your projects with real industry and societal challenges.

Why Brighton is a great place to study Software Engineering
Brighton & Hove has a vibrant tech scene, from creative digital and UX studios to data, cloud and cybersecurity firms, offering meet-ups, internships and graduate roles. Studying here connects your projects to an active community and a city known for its innovation and start‑up culture.

Course Modules

Year 1
You’ll build the core technical and professional skills needed for a career in computing, including writing programs in a high-level language, designing and maintaining web pages, and implementing relational databases using SQL. You’ll develop problem-solving and analytical skills through programming and maths, gain an understanding of computer architecture and cyber security fundamentals and explore artificial intelligence concepts. Alongside technical skills, you’ll strengthen your communication, teamwork and employability through industry-focused activities.

Core modules
Introduction to Programming
Computing Technologies
Introduction to Cyber Security
Introduction to Web Development
Working in the Computing Industry
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Year 2
In your second year, you’ll advance your software engineering expertise by mastering object-oriented development and testing, data structures and operating systems, while learning functional programming and distributed computing for large-scale data processing. You’ll gain practical experience in web application development and strengthen teamwork and project management skills through an integrated group project.

Through option modules you can build specialist skills in databases, embedded systems, mobile app development or AI techniques.

Core modules
Large-scale Data Processing
Object Oriented Development and Testing
Web Application Development
Integrated Group Project
Data Structures and Operating Systems

Options*
Database Management Systems
Embedded Systems
Mobile Application Development
Intelligent Systems 1

Optional Placement Year
You can choose a salaried professional placement after year two, gaining hands-on experience with tech companies, software development teams or IT consultancies. This year allows you to apply your academic knowledge to real-world projects such as software engineering, cybersecurity, data analytics or web and mobile development.

You’ll develop practical skills in programming, system design and project management while building valuable industry contacts. Placement enhances your employability and confidence, giving you a competitive edge for careers in computing and technology.

Final year
You’ll consolidate your learning through a major individual computing project, applying advanced technical and research skills to a topic of your choice. Core modules develop expertise in project management, programming paradigms and client-server computing, preparing you to lead and deliver complex software projects.

Option modules enable you to specialise in areas such as advanced web and mobile app development, software architecture, usability evaluation and cybersecurity law, giving you the high-level technical and professional skills required for careers in software engineering or progression to postgraduate study.

Core modules
Project Management
Programming Languages, Concurrency and Client Server Computing
The Computing Project

Options*
Usability Evaluation
Advanced Web Application Development
Object Oriented Design and Architecture
Cyber Security and Intellectual Property Law
New Horizons in Computing
Advanced Mobile Application Development

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.