Key Info
Bachelor of Science in Computer Systems
Entry route(s):
Are you the kind of person who:
- Can deal with abstract ideas and concrete details equally well?
- Enjoys project work, constantly wanting to improve your handiwork?
- Is interested in programming?
- Would like a career where job satisfaction is more important than image?
Why study Computer Systems at UL?
The Computer Systems programme at UL aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills to become a successful and effective computer professional.
Many advanced and highly sophisticated software-intensive systems underpin the modern world. For example, software-based systems play an important role in all kinds of systems including smart cities, smart homes, social networks, manufacturing, finance, education, medicine, transport, and entertainment.
But creating software-intensive systems is a human activity. Despite all the advances, software-intensive systems still present many demanding challenges for the professionals who design, build, test and deploy them. Being involved in the development of computer-based systems promises to be an exciting and indispensable career for the foreseeable future.
On completion of the programme, graduates go on to a variety of interesting and rewarding software careers based in large and small organisations, in industry, in research and in education and training. As ever, the primary focus of this course is on the underlying principles of software development and their application to modern software development practices. In particular, we want you to secure a firm and lasting intellectual foundation that will allow you to acquire new and specific technical knowledge over a lifelong career. The course is designed to give you ample opportunities to learn and apply knowledge in small tutorials and practical groups.
The aims and objectives of the Computer Systems programme are:
- To develop the skills you will need in order to analyse a wide range of problems
- To provide a sound understanding of the theory of computer science and the principles of software development
- To be a competent practitioner in the fields of artificial intelligence and data science
- To develop social and communication skills that will enable you to function successfully in organisations and teams
- To develop a sense of professionalism that will help you to apply your skills for the good of society.
Entry route to Computer Systems at UL is via LM121 Computer Science Common Entry.
Learn more about our courses and upcoming events
What you will study
- Principles of software design and implementation
- Programming languages and technologies
- Computer Science
- Computer Organisation
- Computer Networks
- Operating Systems
- Database technologies
- Systems Analysis
- Systems Design
- Professional issues and ethics
An integral part of the course is the Cooperative Education period, during which you will spend eight months working in a course-related job in a business or industrial environment outside the University. You will undertake a substantial individual project in your final year, which integrates and applies your previous learning and deepens your knowledge of some particular application or research area relevant to the course.
Semester 1 | Semester 2 | ||
CS4012 | Representation and Modelling | CS4043 | Games Modelling Design |
CS4141 | Introduction to Programming | CS4222 | Software Development |
CS4221 | Foundations of Computer Science 1 | CS4182 | Foundations of Computer Science 2 |
ET4011 | Fundamentals of Computer Organisation | ET4162 | Computing System Organisation |
MA4111 | Discrete Mathematics | MA4402 | Computer Maths 2 |
Semester 3 | Semester 4 | ||
CS4013 | Object Oriented Development | CS4006 | Intelligent Systems |
CS4023 | Operating Systems | CS4076 | Event Driven Programming |
CS4416 | Database Systems | CS4115 | Data Structures and Algorithms |
CS4004 | Software Testing and Inspection | CS4815 | Computer Graphics |
CS4178 | Software Requirements and Modelling | MA4413 | Statistics for Computing |
Semester 5 | Semester 6 | ||
CS4230 | Cooperative Education | CS4457 | Project Management and Practice |
CS4310 | Cooperative Education | CS4187 | Professional Issues in Computing |
CS4084 | Mobile Application Development | ||
CS4116 | Software Development Project | ||
CS4106 | Machine Learning: Methods and Applications |
Semester 7 | Semester 8 | ||
CS4617 | Computer Systems Project 1 | CS4618 | Computer Systems Project 2 (Double Weighted) |
CS4125 | Systems Analysis and Design | CS4227 | Software Design and Architecture |
CS4011 | Advanced Programming Concepts and Practices | CS4158 | Programming Language Technology |
CS4337 | Big Data Management and Security | CS4168 | Data Mining |
CS4287 | Neural Computing |
Entry requirements
Minimum grades |
Applicants are required to hold at the time of enrolment the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with a minimum of six subjects which must include: Two H5 (Higher Level) grades and Four O6 (Ordinary Level) grades or four H7 (Higher Level) grades. Subjects must include Mathematics, Irish or another language, and English. |
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Subject requirements |
In addition, applicants must hold a minimum grade O2/H6 in Mathematics. |
Additional considerations |
A Special Mathematics Examination will be offered at UL following the Leaving Certificate results for those students who did not achieve the Mathematics requirement. We welcome applications from mature students. Mature applicants must apply through the Central Applications Office (CAO) by 1 February. Application information for mature student applicants (PDF) Entry to this course is through the common entry course, LM121 - Bachelor of Science in Computing Technologies |
Non-EU Entry Requirements |
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How to apply
Where are you applying from? | How to Apply |
---|---|
Ireland | Irish students must apply to UL via the CAO. More information can be found here. |
The UK | Students who have completed their A-Levels can apply to UL via the CAO. More information can be found on the Academic Registry website. |
The EU | EU Students can apply to UL via the CAO. More information can be found on the Academic Registry website. |
Non-EU country | If you are outside of the EU, you can apply for this degree here. |
Fees and funding
Student course fees are broken into three components - Student contribution, Student Levy and Tuition Fees.
A number of illustrative examples of fees for this course based on the current fee levels have been set out in the tables below.
An explanation of the components, how to determine status and the criteria involved is provided below the examples as is a list of possible scholarships and funding available.
EU Students with Free fees status in receipt of a SUSI grant
HEA pays | Tuition Fees | €2,558 |
SUSI pays | Student contribution | €3,000 |
Student pays | Student Levy | €100 |
€5,658 |
EU Students with Free fees status not in receipt of a grant
HEA pays | Tuition Fees | €2,558 |
Student pays | Student contribution | €3,000 |
Student pays | Student Levy | €100 |
€5,658 |
Students with EU fee status not in receipt of a grant
Student pays | Tuition Fees | €2,558 |
Student pays | Student contribution | €3,000 |
Student pays | Student Levy | €100 |
€5,658 |
Non-EU Students
Student pays | Tuition Fees | €20,900 |
Student pays | Student Levy | €100 |
€21,000 |
Student course fees are comprised of the following components:
Student Contribution
Annual charge set by the government for all full-time third level students. All students are liable unless they have been approved for a grant by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Please refer to https://www.studentfinance.ie to determine your eligibility for a grant and for instructions on how to apply. The current student contribution is set at €3000.
Student Levy
All students are liable to pay the Student Levy of €100. Please note the Student Levy is not covered by the SUSI Grant.
Tuition Fees
These are based on Residency, Citizenship, Course requirements.
Review the three groups of criteria to determine your fee status as follows
-
Residency
- You must have been living in an EU/EEA member state or Switzerland for at least 3 of the 5 years before starting your course
-
Citizenship
- You must be a citizen of an EU/EEA member state or Switzerland or have official refugee status
-
Course Requirements
(all must be met)
- You must be a first time full-time undergraduate (Exceptions are provided for students who hold a Level 6 or Level 7 qualification and are progressing to a Level 8 course in the same general area of study).
- You must be undertaking a full-time undergraduate course of at least 2 year’s duration
- You cannot be undertaking a repeat year of study at the same level unless evidence of exceptional circumstances eg serious illness is provided (in which case this condition may be waived)
Depending on how you meet these criteria your status will be one of the following -
- Free Fee Status: You satisfy all three categories (1, 2 and 3) and therefore are eligible for the Higher Education Authority’s Free Fees scheme.
- EU Fee Status: You satisfy both the citizenship and residency criteria but fail to satisfy the course requirements and are liable to EU fees.
- Non EU Fee Status: You do not meet either the citizenship or residency criteria and are therefore liable to Non EU fees.
More information about fees can be found on the Finance website
These scholarships are available for this course
Title | Award | Scholarships Available |
---|---|---|
BD Science and Engineering Undergraduate Scholarship | €2,000 for one year | 6 |
Brindle Foundation and Fidelis Partnership Scholarships | €5,000 a year for 2-4 years | 8 |
Intel Shannon "Paul Whelan" Scholarship | €2,500 for the remainder of your degree | |
Johnson and Johnson WiSTEM2D Programme |
These scholarships are available for all courses
Title | Award | Scholarships Available |
---|---|---|
All Ireland Scholarships - sponsored by J.P. McManus | €6,750 | 125 |
Brad Duffy Access Scholarship | €5,000 for one year | 1 |
Bursary for my Future Scholarship | €2,750 one off payment | 4 |
Cooperative Education Award | 1 medal per faculty | |
Elaine Fagan Scholarship | €1,250 | |
Financial Aid Fund | ||
Hegarty Family Access Scholarships | €5,000 for one year | 2 |
Higher Education Grants & VEC Grants | ||
Paddy Dooley Rowing Scholarship | €2,500 | |
Plassey Campus Centre Scholarship Programme | ||
Provincial GAA Bursaries Scheme | €750 | |
Stuart Mangan Scholarship | ||
The Michael Hillery and Jacinta O’Brien Athletics Scholarship | Various benefits equating to over €7,000 in value | |
UL Sports Scholarships | Varies depending on level of Scholarship | Multiple |
Your future career
Employability skills from this degree
- Evaluating potential risks and designing creative solutions
- Teamwork
- Communicating *written and verbal)
- Report writing
- Presenting reasoned arguments
- Retrieving information
- Coping with rapid technological changes
- Developing commercial awareness
- Ability to construct, design and specify computer-based systems
- Leadership
- Time management and organisation
- Architectural and programming design patterns
- Verification and validation
- Agile development
Further Study Options
Job titles for graduates with this degree
Graduates progressing directly into employment take up a wide variety of roles. The following provides a sample of initial roles listed on the Graduate Outcomes Survey by graduates approximately one year after graduation:
- Application Support
- Associate Build Systems Engineer
- Associate Software Developer/Engineer
- Computer Programmer
- Data Centre Engineer
- Freelance Wordpress Designer
- Implementation Web Developer
- IT Analyst
- Java Engineer
- Junior Software Engineer
- Network Software Engineer
- Production Technician
- Program Manager
- QA Software Tester
- Quality Assurance Engineer
- Service Engineer
- Sharepoint Consultant
- Software Developer/Engineer
- Software Technician
- System Test Engineer
- Systems Administrator
- Systems Engineer
- Technical Support
- Unix Programmer
Student profiles
Mara Kelly
Throughout school I was always interested in mathematics, science and technology. As IT is the fastest growing field globally, I knew that a BSc. in Computer Systems would interest me and also enable me to find work in any part of the world.
A typical day for me involves discussing new projects with clients and co-workers, in order to gather requirements and design technical plans for how any new changes will be developed, tested and deployed. I am also working on development projects in C#. Dell has been great for starting my career, as we are not pigeon-holed into one role or set of tasks. There is a huge diversity of roles across IT in areas such as development, analysis, human resources and release management, so do not think that in order to go in to IT you must be one type of person with a certain skill set! If you are interested in technology and the way things work, you can find a place in IT.
The BSc. in Computer Systems at UL gave me the technical skills to be able to understand and develop software, test plans, and requirements documents. I have also learned skills which could be applied to anything I may decide to do in the future, such as attention to detail and the ability to be a highly analytic critical thinker.
Any advice for school leavers? It sounds clichéd, but make sure you chose something you are truly interested in! A lot of people seem to be scared into choosing a course they may not love, because it is a “guaranteed” job. You should think about how you can become successful in the thing you love, rather than choosing a degree that you think will make you successful.
Mara currently works as a Software Development Analyst with Dell EMC Technologies
Shane Craven
I have always been interested in how computers work and from a young age knew I wanted to follow a career path in software engineering. When I was researching what computing course to choose I was drawn to Computer Systems at UL mainly due to the Co-Op placement but also the modules on offer. Having the opportunity to get hands-on experience in industry for 8 months was the deciding factor for me.
This course will provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to gain competency in the software engineering profession. There is a heavy focus on programming, as well as developing applications in mobile and web environments.
For my Co-Op placement, I worked in Amazon Web Services in Dublin which is the largest cloud computing platform in the world, powering some of the most popular websites and services available. I was based in the CloudFront Content Delivery Network team, creating an internal system that kept the service healthy and automated repairs when an issue was detected.
Throughout my placement, I got to greatly expand my knowledge of programming languages and technologies, gained invaluable practical experience in the industry and also developed a deeper understanding of how distributed systems function on a worldwide scale. When approaching potential employers at graduation, having Amazon Web Services on my CV will be a major selling point.
Malvina Walsh
Since childhood, I was always very inquisitive and loved to learn about how things work. This interest drove me to be a good problem solver and lateral thinker. At secondary school I was stuck for direction but ultimately decided that the IT road appeared to provide lots of options after college ? turns out I was right!
I started my career after UL as a Test Engineer, then moved on to various other roles. This experience was invaluable and provided me with a strong business acumen in addition to my technical skill set, which eventually led me to a fantastic career at Dell.
I work as part of a team of technical specialists. My main focus is to engage with customers and help to identify solutions for their business needs. It's a fast-paced exciting role which is always at the cutting edge of technology.
IT is a great choice for people from all backgrounds. Whatever your personality you will ultimately find that there is a niche for you. There are opportunities to work in all industries and anywhere in the world. Don't forget you need to sell yourself, so big-up your experiences to future employers. Don't be afraid to be different or to go for something that seems difficult at first. With a company like Dell, you will learn from motivated enthusiastic people. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Malvina is currently employed as an Internal Enterprise Consultant with Dell Ireland.