Software Engineering
Turn your ideas into powerful software solutions with hands-on learning, expert guidance and industry-relevant projects.
in the East of England for undergraduates employed as managers, directors or senior officials.
Source: GOS 2025
If you're fascinated by coding and looking to take your skills further, this accredited Software Engineering degree at ARU in Cambridge will help you turn that passion into expertise.
You’ll learn to design, build and test innovative software solutions, develop secure data systems and master the tools and languages shaping today’s digital world.
Through hands-on, industry-relevant projects and teaching from leading academics and experienced practitioners, you’ll gain the confidence and experience to deliver professional-standard software. You’ll graduate ready to lead, innovate and create impactful solutions in a fast-moving, technology-driven world.
Our course is accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP). Our course is accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and the IET, Institution of Engineering and Technology, on behalf of the Engineering Council as fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as an Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and partly meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng).
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Senior Lecturer Philip Payne talks about some of the features of this computing degree, including opportunities to gain work experience.
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Study in the Silicon Fen, home to global tech leaders such as Arm, Microsoft and Samsung AI.
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Bring the world of work to life through Live Briefs; designed and developed with regional employers, such as The Fellows House and Redgate to give you exposure to ‘real world’ problem-solving.
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You’ll develop a strong set of employability skills through studying a future-focused curriculum with both academics and practitioners.
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Accredited by BCS and IET and a Cisco Network Academy for over ten years.
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You’ll develop skills in a range of programming languages including Java, C#, C++ and .net framework, supported by popular databases such as MySQL.
Study at an award-winning university
We've received a Gold award for the quality of our education in a UK-wide review of teaching standards. We were also proud to be named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023.
Careers
With our Software Engineering degree, you’ll not only build your technical expertise in coding and programming, but you’ll also gain the understanding what global businesses are looking for and why.
You’ll gain an industry-focused mindset, ethical awareness and adaptability, equipping you to progress into high-demand roles or further specialist study in a rapidly evolving digital world. You’ll also have the option to take a placement year in industry, making contacts and building your knowledge in the kind of environment you may ultimately work in.
You’ll also have 12-month access to Pluralsight courses for programmers, giving you experience of real-world professional training.
Teaching and modules
Across the course, you’ll develop strong foundations in high-level programming using industry-standard tools and languages to design and test simple programs; and explore programming languages including C#, C++ and Java.
You’ll explore computer systems, operating systems and the hardware and software that underpin modern computing, alongside key areas such as databases, cybersecurity and designing and programming data-driven applications.
As your skills advance, you’ll apply them to increasingly complex challenges, culminating in your Final Project, where you independently research or develop an innovative software solution in an area of personal interest.
Student experience
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Hear from ARU Senior Lecturer Dr Razvan-Ion Dinita in this Springpod subject spotlight: Decoding social media: an exploration of programming and platforms. Watch the full lecture on Springpod
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Software Engineering graduate Isioma reflects on their university journey and offers advice for future students.
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Work closely with students who share your interest in computer science and get expert guidance from academics who will support you through your studies.
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Get to grips with the inner workings of computers with hands on, interactive sessions.
Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.
- Introduction to Programming (30 credits)
- Computer Systems (30 credits)
- Software Principles (30 credits)
- Core Mathematics for Computing (15 credits)
- Operating Systems (15 credits)
- Database Design and Implementation (15 credits)
- Object Oriented Programming (30 credits)
- Digital Security (15 credits)
- Computing Research Methodologies (15 credits)
- Algorithm Analysis and Data Structures (15 credits)
- Ruskin Module (15 credits)
- Machine Learning (15 credits)
- Final Project (30 credits)
- Advanced Object Oriented Programming (30 credits)
- Professional Issues: Computing and Society (15 credits)
- Advanced Relational Database Development (15 credits)
- Cloud Computing (15 credits)
- Human Computer Interaction (15 credits)
You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.
- Work Placement - Computing and Information Sciences
To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.
- Foundation in Engineering, Computing and Technology
Read profiles of teaching and research staff on this course.
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Philip PayneSenior Lecturer Practitioner
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Dr Arooj FatimaSenior Lecturer
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Dr Razvan-Ioan DinitaSenior Lecturer
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Dr Ian van der LindeAssociate Professor
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Dr Mahdi Maktabdar OghazSenior Lecturer
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Dr Stiphen ChowdhuryLecturer
Facilities
Based in our £45m Science Centre in the heart of Cambridge, you’ll work within our industry-standard computing labs with specialist software development tools, including:
- High-performance computing environments for designing, building and testing software
- Access to AI and cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure, AWS and VMware
- Virtual Netlab offering 24/7 remote access to cyber security and networking software
- Cyber security and digital forensics facilities supporting secure software design and system integrity
Entry requirements
Fees and funding
Apply for Software Engineering
UK students
International students
Official student data
See student feedback on this course from Discover Uni.