Explore and realise your ideas – from design, to development, to deployment – with our Computing degree.

  • Create high-end, skill-showcasing projects – both on your own and in collaboration with fellow students – for your portfolio.
  • Hone your professional skills – collaborate with tech and digital agencies across Bath, Bristol and beyond.
  • Enter an up-to-date, employability-driven course that teaches the tools and methods used in industry.

BSc (Hons) Computing at Bath Spa is hands-on and creative. You’ll build computing products such as databases, software and websites, learning by making – right from the start of the course. You’ll focus on context, design and technical implementation. You’ll also learn to collaborate with others and to communicate your ideas, to round off your skillset.

A key driver of the course is industry insight and employability. We work closely with tech companies in the South West to keep the course current, while creating valuable opportunities for you to work on live briefs and showcase your talents in order to grab the attention of the tech sector.

Your learning culminates in the final year Innovation Lab module, which is inspired by commercial projects and emphasises the commercialisation of your ideas. We support you across the full year of team-based development to shape your product and refine those all-important collaboration skills.

Computing at Bath Spa responds to a continuing need in industry for adaptable, capable individuals with a range of technical knowledge and well-developed problem solving- skills. Our aim is that when you graduate, you'll be up-to-date, innovative, and ready to contribute to the digital economy – whether in the UK or worldwide.

Top 25 in the UK

for Teaching Quality in Computer Science (Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)

What you'll learn

Overview

BSc Computing is about realising your ideas – from design, to development, to deployment. You’ll learn skills identified by industry as critical to the computing sector, including computational thinking, software development, problem solving, user experience (UX) design and co-creation.

These themes underpin the Computing degree, and are spotlighted in the Innovation Lab – a collaborative ideas space that reflects a professional tech studio. Here, you'll build commercial products and experiences that address a gap in the market, while receiving invaluable feedback and advice from entrepreneurs and industry specialists.

Across the course, you'll work to develop high-end portfolio pieces designed to showcase your talents to potential future employers or clients. You'll gain first-hand knowledge of the computing sector through specialist lectures and our industry-insight events, and enjoy support from tutors who interact regularly with the South West creative tech scene.

Course structure

Year one
Grasp the fundamentals. You'll start by learning core programming skills in languages such as C++, SQL and JavaScript, while developing knowledge around computing fundamentals and how computer systems work. Modules on experience design and the computing industry provide an all-important primer in digital design and help you position your learning within wider professional contexts.

Year two
Dive deeper. You'll extend your understanding of programming and learn methods of organising and manipulating data. You'll explore human-computer interaction: how people use digital systems, while optional modules in responsive web design and data visualisation expose methods of presenting information effectively on a range of media platforms.

Year three
Showcase your talent. You'll leverage your computing and design skills to develop two extended computing projects – one made individually, and one co-created within our in-house Innovation Lab. These major projects are complemented with specialist modules in machine learning or physical computing – each of which adds flavour and flair to your portfolio and graduate skill set.

Your final project could be almost anything: a home security system, a game, a robotic device, a sensing device that monitors pollutants in streams – this course is designed to allow you to explore your own interests and create something tangible from your ideas.

How will I be assessed?

BSc (Hons) Computing is almost entirely coursework-assessed. You’ll deliver a varied and balanced collection of artefacts including prototype software, experiment collections, interfaces, interactive experiences and design portfolios. Project work is supported by contextual essays, reflective commentaries, reports, tests, pitches and presentations.

How will I be taught?

You’ll be taught through workshops, technical labs, lectures and seminars. These sessions are supported by individual and group tutorials as required.

A network of visiting speakers keeps you in touch with developments in the computing sector, while placement opportunities and live briefs allow for project-based interaction with industry professionals.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.

What's the difference between Computing and a Computer Science degree?

A Computer Science degree is for those who wish to engineer new technologies; it emphasises computation and theoretical maths.

Our BSc Computing places less emphasis on the science of computer science – and more on producing tangible outcomes, such as building databases, developing and testing software, administering computer systems, setting organisational policy and much more.

Computers are everywhere – in every business of every size – from farming to games development. With this degree, you’ll use existing technologies in new and innovative ways to meet the needs of business.

Course modules

This course offers or includes the following modules. The modules you take will depend on your pathway or course combination (if applicable) as well as any optional or open modules chosen. Please check the programme document for more information.

Year one (Level 4) modules
  • CodeLab I
  • Introduction to Computing
  • Fundamentals of Computation
  • Web Dev I
  • User Experience Design
  • Databases
Year two (Level 5) modules
  • CodeLab II
  • Web Dev II
  • Software Engineering
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Extended Reality and the 3D Web
  • Data Visualisation
  • Smartphone Apps
  • Physical Computing
  • Network Administration
  • Professional Placement Year
Year three (Level 6) modules
  • Devised Project I
  • Devised Project II
  • Innovation Lab I
  • Innovation Lab II
  • Cyber Security
  • Creative Incubator
  • Computing for Business

Opportunities

Study abroad

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

Work placements, industry links and internships

Pitch your great ideas to great companies.

We collaborate with various digital and tech companies across Bath, Bristol and beyond. Our students are invited to collaborate with professonals within local industries, on research work and commissions. You can also draw on our networks to help secure work placement and internship opportunities.

A small selection of our contacts and collaborators include:

  • IBM Watson
  • Bristol Virtual Reality Lab
  • Pervasive Media Studio
  • Complete Control
  • Create Studios
  • TechSpark
  • Network N
Careers

Careers for Computing graduates are numerous and varied, and include (among many others):

  • Software engineering
  • Web and mobile application development
  • System design and administration
  • E-commerce
  • IT consultancy
  • Digital product development
  • Start-up / incubator programmes
  • Graduate schemes in a number of IT related fields
  • Further study (Master's, Doctoral and PGCE)
  • Teacher Training (Primary Computing / Secondary Computing).
Global Citizenship

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

Adobe Creative Campus

Develop a wealth of indispensable digital skills that you can take into your future career. One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, we provide all Bath Spa students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving you the tools to communicate creatively, whatever your course or chosen professional field.   

Professional placement year

Overview

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Preparation

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

How will I be assessed?

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.

Facilities and resources

Where the subject is taught

As a BSc Computing student, you'll have access to our:

You can also hire out equipment using SISO, Bath Spa University’s free equipment loan service.

Fees

2025 entry
Student Annual tuition fee
UK full time £9,535
UK part time £4,768
International full time £17,670

Professional Placement Year

During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students.

  • UK: £1,907
  • International: £3,534

Additional course costs

You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document (linked under the main image on this page) for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.

Interested in applying?

What we look for in potential students

We look for students with a genuine interest in computing and its application in both creative and commercial contexts. Successful applicants will be imaginative, organised and have a keen eye for detail. Programming experience is not essential – we teach coding from the ground up.

Typical offers

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below. Applicants are considered on an individual basis, and we take your relevant skills and experience into account.

  • A Level - grades BBB-BCC preferred.
  • BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) accepted in any subject.
  • T Levels – grade Merit preferred.
  • International Baccalaureate – a minimum of 32 points are required.
  • Access to HE courses – typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, at Merit or higher).

If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.

English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants

IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.

Course enquiries

For further information about the programme or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.

How do I apply?

Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page.

Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply webpages.

Get ahead

Although you don’t need to be a programmer before you join us, you can get ahead by learning some basic programming techniques. Courses on Codecademy (HTML, JavaScript) provide excellent starting points for learning to think computationally, and will give you a taste of what being a Computing student is like.

Course leader: Dave Cobb
Email: d.cobb@bathspa.ac.uk

Three year course
With placement year