Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Computing (with Foundation Year)

at Wrexham Glyndwr University - Wrexham Campus United Kingdom

This course offers a practical programme of study, enabling you to bring characters to life. This specialised Animation programme will transform you into a versatile creative in the art of the moving image. Designed and developed from the ground up with employability as the core aim, you will develop skills in 2D, 3D and stop motion animation.

You will finish your studies with the professional skills and creative thinking strategies to pursue a career within animation studios, work as a freelance artist, or start your own studio.

Students will

• learn the principles of visual communication and drawing and apply them to character design, background design, storyboarding and scene layout
• explore the principles of animation with a focus on 2D techniques
• work in teams on an informative motion graphic project for a real client
• practice character animation using 3D techniques to build up a show reel
• specialise and develop a final degree project

Your studies will see you gain experience in digital skills and techniques used to bring your imagination from ideas to screen through, 2D Animation, 3D Animation, and stop motion animation, depending on which you choose to specialise in.

You can also choose to study this course as a four-year integrated masters option MDes Animation or as a foundation year BA (Hons) Animation (four years including foundation year)

Key course features

• Official partnership with http://TechUpandGo.com. With direct links to live 3D Animation projects.
• Latest industry standard software used such as Autodesk Maya, Toon Boom Harmony, Dragon Frame and the Creative Cloud suite.
• Access to Wacom Cintiq tablets and a purpose built stop motion studio.
• Industry-focused visits to gain first hand insight into how creative media companies function and the variety of employment opportunities that are available in the development of your career aspirations. There are also other study trips to festivals and expos.
• Opportunities to enter competitions.
• There is strong pastoral care within a friendly creative community with an emphasis on team building and collaborative work. Contact hours with tutors is high with enthusiastic and supportive sta? who are knowledgeable, research-active practitioners.

Mechatronics is a modern fusion of electrical and electronic, mechanical and software engineering.

The interface between electrical and mechanical environments is the role of a Mechatronics engineer. It combines precision engineering, automatic control and real-time computing to produce innovative products, such as smartphones, the manufacture of semiconductors, electron microscopes and medical equipment. Robotic manufacturing processes, automatic vision based and vehicle navigation systems also use Mechatronics principles.

There is increasing industry demand for graduates who can work in this interdisciplinary engineering environment. International companies such as Siemens, Volkswagen, and Micron Semiconductors etc. all recruit graduates with a Mechatronics profile.

To develop Mechatronics graduate skills, the programme covers design and modelling of electromechanical systems such as positioning of robotic arms, pick and place technology using vision, recognition and feedback sensing.

The programme also includes real time control system modelling and embedded systems design, development and implementation. Programming includes both high and low level languages such as Python, C or C++, and VHDL for FPGA applications.

Key Course Features

There is increasing industry demand for graduates who can work in this interdisciplinary engineering environment. International companies such as Siemens, Volkswagen, and Micron Semiconductors etc all recruit graduates with a Mechatronics profile.

The Football Coaching and the Performance Specialist degree is an innovative programme which integrates football coaching awards into an academic course. 

The degree is designed in partnership with the Football Association of Wales (FAW) to prepare students who want to work as a coach or performance specialist (Physiologist, Psychologist, Performance Analyst or Development Officer) in the world of football. Students on the programme will develop practical coaching skills in addition to developing an understanding of the application of sport science (physiology, psychology, performance analysis) and the social context of the sport of football.

Students on the programme will work towards the Football Association of Wales (Level 1) Football Leaders Award, (level 2) C Certificate and (Level 3) UEFA B coaching licence. Students completing the programme will develop the skill to work with youth and senior football teams at grassroots and a high-performance level.

You can also choose to study this course as a three year degree (without a foundation year) BSc (Hons) Football Coaching and the Performance Specialist

Key Course Features

• Includes a foundation year to prepare you for further years of study.
• Students will work towards Football Association of Wales (Level 2) C Certificate and (Level 3) UEFA B coaching licences.
• The dynamic lecture environment will support and challenge students to engage with all aspects of the coaching process including hands-on practical coaching, physiology, psychology, performance analysis and coaching pedagogy.
• Engage with research-active lecturers and industry professionals.  
• Lecturers are research active, which means that the curriculum is engaging, current and relevant.
• The staff team includes specialists who have extensive applied knowledge and practical experience of working across the performance range from grassroots to the elite environment.
• Additionally, students have the opportunity to gain applied experience working within a variety of football settings. Extensive links with partners provide students with the opportunity to develop vocational and industry-relevant skills.
• Excellent student support from approachable staff. Students engage on a journey which takes them from personal development in the early part of their degree to professional development as they progress through the course.

Take your hands-on computer networking skills to the next level with our industry-focused course. As the demand for specialists in the computer networking industry continues to grow, this course will support you to develop the specialist technical and consultative skills required to progress to higher technical and managerial positions within businesses, or work towards doctoral study.

Concentrating on practical networking rather than abstract concepts or theories in data communications, the programme is centred around real-world network problem-solving, the planning, design and development of network services and infrastructures,plus the  use and application of current and emerging hardware and protocols.

For your dissertation, you will be expected to investigate cutting-edge technologies, implement and test novel networking solutions, or develop or analyse original network applications.

Key Course Features

• Opportunity to study Computer Networking in-depth
• Lecture/tutorial and practical sessions are enhanced with additional, resource-rich online materials allowing you to continue independent learning through a variety of approaches
• Taught by staff leading research into the areas of the internet and computer networks
• Research activities are associated with the University’s research centre
• Learning progresses from design and building small networks to the techniques required for large public networks
• Options to complete external Cisco Certification qualifications

Are you interested in health and wellbeing? Do you want to make a real difference to people’s lives? If so, this is the programme for you.

At the heart of public health is helping people to enjoy healthier lives and preventing them from getting ill. In a society where the National Health Service is facing unprecedented demand, promoting good health and preventing poor health is of vital importance. There are many existing as well as new and exciting roles out there for public health and wellbeing graduates, from developing health promotion campaigns through to social prescribing and tackling health inequalities.

Students will

• be introduced to a whole range of health challenges affecting the nation, including obesity, substance misuse, loneliness, mental illness and air pollution & will learn what we can do to address these challenges.
• learn about health behaviours at different life-stages – childhood, youth, adulthood and old age – and how to help different populations adopt healthy behaviours and change damaging ones.
• develop your self-awareness and emotional literacy, alongside reflective and interpersonal skills – all of which are crucial to working effectively in public health.

  This course is also available as a three year degree (without a foundation year) BSc (Hons) Public Health & Wellbeing

Key Course Features

• Includes a foundation year to prepare you for further years of study
• The programme team work with local employers to ensure that the theory taught is relevant to current practice in the sector
• Delivered by academics from a range of backgrounds, which means that you will be part of a diverse community of practice
• Established peer mentor scheme, so you can obtain support from students already undertaking the programme
• Innovative and flexible teaching methods are embedded throughout, including interactive lectures, tutorials, case studies, workshops, online activities and learning resources.
• Work based experience which you can tailor to your own area/s of interest in years two and three of the programme
• Opportunities to take part in additional relevant events and volunteering within the wider University, giving you a full portfolio of experience on graduation

Cyber security plays an increasingly important role in our world of ever-evolving technology. This course will help you deepen your understanding of network security, penetration testing and computer forensics, whilst also adopting a systematic approach to information security management-from the varied perspectives to the technical elements.

You will explore several specialist technical disciplines. These will focus on areas such as developing secure software platforms and protecting against complex attack processes used to breach system security and create deficits in normal functionality.

To enhance your learning, the programme integrates professional skills which relate to audit, management and risk. These will address both cyber security and data protection regulations within institutions and organisations.

Topics you will cover include cryptography, ethical hacking and penetration testing, information security management, information risk management, software security and implementing secure systems.

Key Course Features

• This course offers you the opportunity to study Cyber Security in-depth.
• Lectures, tutorials and practical sessions are enhanced with additional, resource-rich online materials to support your independent learning.
• You will explore information assurance methodologies and testing operational security management, incident management, audit, assurance and review, business continuity management, and more.
• Our staff undertake leading research into several areas of Cyber Security which will give you the latest insight as you develop your own specialism.
• The research activities you undertake will be associated with the University’s thriving and, often collaborative, research centre.

Studying Social and Cultural History at Wrexham Glyndwr University will introduce you to themes such as family, fashion, crime, art, politics and propaganda – from the Roman era through to the modern age. 

Alongside regular class-based teaching, there are also visits to country houses, historical archives, and sites of historical importance.  These provide a strong practical element to the degree and encourage engagement with a wide range of sources and experiences. We also offer a work placement module in a historical setting of your choice. 

Our degree is designed to be diverse and enjoyable, with a focus on the investigative and analytical elements of historical study.  This focus opens up a wide range of careers.  Our students have gone on to work as teachers, writers, researchers, financial analysts and members of the legal profession. 

*Our history subject area has been rated first in Wales and in the top 10 in the UK for student satisfaction, Complete University Guide 2021. 

The Foundation Year in Humanities will introduce students to a diverse range of themes and activities from the disciplines of History, English Literature, Creative Writing, Theatre and Media.

Key Course Features

• Wide-ranging degree – from Ancient Rome to Modern Britain - connected by important social and cultural themes
• Work experience opportunities - Placements are available in archives, libraries and heritage centres
• A blend of theory and practice -  Visits to aristocratic homes and other sites compliment class-based learning
• Develop your research, analysis, interpretation, communication and presentation skills
• Analyse primary documents from the past
• Study local, national and international history
• *Our history subject area has been rated first in Wales and in the top 10 in the UK for student satisfaction, Complete University Guide 2021. 

Computing specialists are in high demand as technology now plays a role in almost everything we do. Our computing degree combines the core principles of the field with a forward-looking approach to embracing and driving new developments.

The subject area is 1st in Wales for learning opportunities and academic support (WGU analysis of unpublished 2019 NSS data).

Key Career Features

• These courses respond to identified skills gaps. They will provide you with the critical understanding, knowledge and skills needed for successful employment.
• Personal Development Planning is integrated throughout the course to develop the skills framework necessary for effective personal, academic and career management.
• The university is home to ARCLab, which specializes in research in the field of Computing and Computer Science.
• Newly refurbished IT labs.
• Host of biennial internet research conference attracting delegates from across the world.
• Optional Industrial Placement Year gives students the opportunity to experience the workplace first-hand and gain valuable employment experience for the future.
• Subject area is 1st in Wales for learning opportunities and academic support (WGU analysis of unpublished 2019 NSS data).

 With its special focus on comics, this degree will provide you with the technical and creative skills to develop both your illustrative style and flair for storytelling. The programme introduces a broad range of creative skills, from the generation of ideas to their technical production through printmaking, bookbinding, 3D materials, life drawing, traditional and digital media, with an emphasis on drawing and the development of a unique personal style. 

Students will

• Work with experienced and industry active staff, learn how to write stories, draw comics and produce a professional portfolio
• Have opportunities to explore visual sequencing, narrative imagery, anthropomorphism and character development
• Gain personal, professional and entrepreneurial skills, learning about the business of working as a freelance artist
• Be encouraged to work on live briefs and competitions

Key Course Features

• You will be part of a vibrant and creative community of commercial artists including children’s book artists, illustrators, animators, game artists and designers.
• You will be taught by a teaching team with a broad range of experience working professionally in the comics and illustration industries.
• We encourage our students to self-publish and learn how to produce high-quality production prototypes to pitch to the publishing industry through the use of our in-house Bindery.
• Our students have won illustration prizes and awards such as the Oxford University Press Illustration competition, the Macmillan Children’s Book competition, the Caldecott Society and D&AD awards and been nominated for prestigious Eisner and Silver Reuben Awards.

An MBA qualification continues to be the flagship qualification for post-graduate business students seeking to increase subject knowledge, build a portfolio of management skills and enhance future career prospects in a competitive and increasingly global arena. 

The MBA suite consists of a number of routes (see above) all of which encompass three core topics, which provide the foundation for a successful business, namely strategy, finance and leadership. 

MBA - There is a mix of traditional ‘hard core’ academic business Master’s modules consisting of Strategy, Finance, Marketing and HRM which continue to be the foundation for this type of programme. The programme routes offer other modules, drawing on a wide range of bodies of knowledge, which reflect the context within which an organisation is required to trade. The outcome is a rounded business outlook with insights into corporate governance, environmental concerns, marketing and HRM perspectives within a framework of effective and critical reflective practice.

MBA (Marketing) - The inclusion of the Marketing route is particularly distinctive and is readily embedded within the programme. The overarching teaching and learning strategy which encompasses current business and marketing issues together with issues arising within the students’ workplaces if, and where, appropriate. This ensures the three-fold framework of skills, mind-set and knowledge are oriented towards this particular body of knowledge throughout the duration of the taught element of the programme for students electing to take this route. When progressing to the dissertation route there would be a clear expectation for the student’s research questions to focus on a topic that would benefit from research into Marketing.

MBA (HRM) - Similarly, the HRM route is of increasing relevance where people are the foundation of a vibrant world economy and requires a mind-set that is supported by an understanding of HRM practices where transferable business knowledge and key management skills are important. During the generic taught modules students will be encouraged and supported to bring HRM issues into classroom debate as a pre-curser to including and emphasising current issues in their assignments. When reaching the dissertation stage, again there would be a clear expectation that HRM students would base their dissertations on a research topic that is of international relevance.

Key Features

• Focus on career development skills and knowledge in a supportive environment.
• MBA modules are aligned to the Institute of Directors Competency Framework which encompasses a range of skills, knowledge and mind-sets.
• Access to a network of aspiring business managers drawn from various sectors and organizations.
• Opportunity to attend Wrexham Glynd?r University on campus business related events.
• The research element of the programme enables students to identify, investigate, analyse and propose sound solutions in relation to a business problem. 
• Teaching is interactive and, where possible, based on contemporary business issues throughout the programme.