Undergraduate - Computer Science with Industrial Experience (School of Computer Science

Programmes

Participation in higher education has risen dramatically over the last ten years and students are increasingly looking for ways to differentiate themselves in the graduate jobs market. An excellent way of doing this is by opting for an industrial placement as part of your degree course. This involves undertaking a one-year work placement in industry between the second and third years of your study at Manchester.

Besides the money that you earn during this year, you also gain practical experience that can be invaluable both in your final-year project and when competing for graduate jobs. Students with industrial experience tend to not only improve their final degree performance, but also develop clearer ideas about their future career path. We appreciate that a year in industry can be a step into the unknown for many students and we therefore provide help in both finding and vetting placements. Even when out on industrial placements, you remain very much part of the School and there is regular contact between you and members of our academic and support staff.

Industrial Placement Profiles

Delong Yang
Student on placement
BSc Computer Science with Industrial Experience

"After graduating from college, I had a clear idea on what I wanted to achieve in my future career, and that choice was studying computer science at The University of Manchester. It was a straightforward decision: not only was it my first-choice university, but I also knew that I would be pushed hard to gain an excellent degree. Also, I grew up near Manchester and I was therefore already familiar with the great city life. The diversity of the course attracted me as much as the in-depth, technical areas of certain course units. The coursework set out by the lecturers is almost always challenging and requires deep thinking. During laboratory sessions, there is always help around, be it from your coursemates, or demonstrators that mark your work; and, more often than not, one of the lecturers from the course will be there to answer any pressing questions you may have. I have met some great friends during my first two years here and I can't wait to make new ones when I return from my industrial placement.

"The four-year Computer Science with Industrial Experience course is a fabulous option for students that prefer some time away from university between their second and third year, and want to gain an insight into real companies where the application of skills and knowledge that you have learnt is vital.

"During my placement with Brawn GP F1 Racing Team (formerly Honda F1), I was a Software Systems Tester. This involves creating an automated testing environment to distribute workloads to a private network of virtual machines. With a master machine and many slave machines, I was able to use a simple algorithm to delegate work from the master to the slaves and consolidate the test results on the master.

I also had the chance to develop and maintain a piece of software that is used by the simulation analysts that compare the logged sensor data from the car; this exposed me to the C# language and conventional programming practices. The Software Department at Brawn GP is possibly one of the most talented and hard-working groups in the company; some of the team work close to 24 hours to get a release out for trackside. When I graduate, I am very optimistic that I will find opportunities in the software engineering sector. I think it was extremely worthwhile completing a placement year, as it creates more interest in your CV, and the skills and techniques you learn certainly help with your final-year project."

Programmes with Industrial Experience

The strength of the School's links with industry means that may of our students undertake placements in some of the most prestigious companies in the world. Companies who recruit our placement students include Credit Suisse, IBM, Google, Microsoft, GlaxoSmithKline, British Telecom, Accenture, Barclays Capital, Electronic Arts and Mercedes GP.

Computer Science (Single Honours) with Industrial Experience:

Interdiciplinary Degrees (Single and Joint honours) with Industrial Experience:

Matthew Jeffery Head of Recruitment Electronic Arts

"Heading up recruitment for Electronic Arts, my job is to help grow and expand the games industry and attract the brightest and most creative graduates into EA.

Manchester is one of the leading universities, if not the leading university, for computer science in Europe today.

We have been consistently impressed with the graduates that we have taken on into full-time employment, not only for their academic ability, but also for their ability to think creatively and express themselves both in a team and as future leaders of this company.

Computer games and interactive entertainment is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world today." "If you want to get into a creative environment and work in one of today's most exciting industries, I cannot recommend highly enough studying at Manchester."

Sudent Sarah Wood at EA games

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