HND Computing for England - Application Development & Testing

This Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Computing (HTQ) is a two year programme. It is part of the newly developed Higher Technical Qualification which is mapped to the Software Tester apprenticeship standard. It is a highly valued and recognised brand of technical qualification which is well-respected in the sector by employers. It covers theoretical concepts and vocational skills that are required in the IT industry and has been developed to equip learners with the specialist knowledge and skills to make them competitive and employable in the job market. Students who graduate from this programme are able to progress directly into our Level 6 BSc Computing programme to achieve a full honours degree in 1 year of full time study or 2 years of part time study. Full Time study at Level 5 usually requires learners to attend College two days a week.

Successful completion of this programme leads to the award of Pearson BTEC Higher National Diploma (HND) in Computing for England HTQ- with specialism in Application Development and Testing. This programme is an industry recognised, stand-alone level 5 qualification which is the equivalent of completing the second year of a University degree programme. Students who achieve this HND Computing qualification can either progress directly into IT related employment or continue onto our one-year bachelor's degree Top-Up programme.

Learners pursuing the HND qualification will complete eight modules at Level 4 in their first year, and then seven modules at Level 5 in the second year.

Year 1 Modules
Programming
Networking
Professional Practice
Database Design & Development
Security
Planning a Computing Project (Pearson-set)
Software Development Lifecycles
Website Design & Development

Year 2 Modules
Computing Research Project
Business Process Support
Application Development
Prototyping
Application Programming Interfaces
Risk Analysis & Systems Testing
Cloud Computing

Note: Please be aware that modules studied may change periodically in line with student and stakeholder feedback, awarding body changes, or to reflect developments in the discipline. Students can always find the most up-to-date information about modules and who is teaching them in the course handbook.

The lecturing team consists of highly qualified and experienced practitioners who are dedicated to ensuring students success through effective curriculum delivery and pastoral support. Most of the current lecturers have had relevant industry experience in IT and they are educated to at least Masters’ level in Computer Science disciplines.

Learners benefit from a combination of tutor-led sessions, lectures, seminars, group discussions and research, visiting speakers, practical activities and online materials via VLE. Learners also have additional support sessions with their personal tutor. In addition to these, learners are expected to dedicate some time to individual research and self-study outside the timetabled sessions. As expected of all HE programmes, learners individual engagement with the programme contents is very important for successful completion and achieving high grades in the programme.

We are a Cisco Academy, Microsoft Academy, Juniper Academy and Unity Academy. We use our academy status to enrich the curriculum by injecting vendor qualifications into our programme delivery. Students are encouraged to complete industry-recognised vendor certifications during their programme of study (e.g. Juniper JNCIA, Cisco Security, Cisco CCNA, Microsoft Azure, MTA, MCSA etc.).

There may be some voluntary educational visits to seminars and IT Expositions outside the College campus. Students are expected to fund their own transportation to such events if they wish to attend.

For information about tuition fees, please refer to the YCUC Tuition Fees List and the YCUC Higher Education Fees Policy, available at https://www.yeovil.ac.uk/policies-reports

The programme uses different types of formative assessments to test and prepare learners for the summative (graded) assessments. There are usually two summative assessments designed to cover all the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) for each module. The assessment tasks usually require students to produce coursework which may include written reports, presentations, practical implementation of IT systems etc. Each module is second-marked and graded as either Refer, Pass, Merit or Distinction. We aim to provide learners with written feedback within 15 working days of their assessment submission deadlines.

Typical entry requirements are 48 UCAS Tariff Points. These could come from a BTEC Level 3 qualification, an A Level profile that demonstrates strong performance in a relevant subject area, or adequate performance in more than one subject, or other Level 3 qualifications such as an Access Course or International Baccalaureate. Applicants are also expected to hold GCSE Maths and English at grade 4 (or equivalent). We welcome applications from mature students (aged 21 and over as of 1st September) and do not necessarily require the same academic qualifications as school leaving applicants. For more information, please get in touch. Applicants will be invited to attend an admission interview and will be advised of the criteria in advance. International applicants will be required to evidence English language skills - this could be an IELTS score of 5.5 (with both reading and writing at least 5.5), a grade 4 in GCSE English (or equivalent), or having recently completed a Level 3 qualification taught and assessed in the English language. For more information, please email university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk.

To study full-time, please apply through UCAS:
Institute name: YEOV
Institute code: Y25
HND Course code: YDCA
For the part-time route, please apply directly to the Yeovil College University Centre by calling: 01935 845454 or emailing:university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk