University of Warwick

Course Details

Computer and Business Studies

Course Description

Industry frequently reports that IT graduate employees need to be not only technically competent but also business aware and people sensitive. This is in response to difficulties that arise through a narrow, purely technical outlook, and acknowledges that IT is becoming much more assimilated into business operations and strategy. The Computer and Business Studies course combines these two disciplines throughout, enabling an in-depth integrated understanding that prepares you well for these demands. The course draws on a wide range of existing and custom-designed modules from the Department of Computer Science and Warwick Business School. Whilst encouraging academic rigour at all times, it offers early exposure to practical computing and relates in many ways to issues in IT as they are experienced in organisations: particularly useful for IT consulting, technology risk management, technology integration, business intelligence management and business systems analysis. Your individual project in the final year offers an opportunity to integrate and apply ideas from across the course, and it can be based on ‘real-world’ situations. Optional modules give you considerable freedom to part-specialise in either computer science or business; by your final year you could choose up to two-thirds of your modules tailored to your interests and aspirations. For module information please visit the Computer and Business Studies website. How will I be taught? Our courses offer a balance of core material delivered through lectures and small group seminars, and hands-on laboratory sessions. Approximately 23% of the time is spent in timetabled classes, the remainder being used for private study, completion of assignments and projects, and practical work in the computing laboratories which are open to students 24/7. How will I be assessed? Your performance on most modules will be assessed by a combination of coursework and written examination. The coursework may be individual or group work involving programming, research, writing, and presentation. The final year project work is fully assessed by a presentation and project reports. You will need to pass the first year, and the subsequent two years contribute equally to your final degree classification. What opportunities are there to study abroad? All the degree courses have versions ‘with intercalated year’ during which you could spend a year either in salaried employment in industry, or study at an overseas institution. We have a formal arrangement for such a year abroad with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Erasmus exchanges with the Universities of Eastern Finland, Rostock, Potsdam and Madrid Carlos III. MEng students may, if they wish, spend the third year of the course studying at a formal exchange university overseas, such as the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Course Duration

NumberDuration
3year

Career outcomes

A computing degree is a gateway to an excellent career in the IT industry, but our graduates have also joined consultancy firms, financial institutions, e-business consultancies and smaller companies offering specialist technical services.




Computer and Business Studies University of Warwick