Transferable Skills

As a student in the School of Computing you will learn a range of transferable skills that will help you in your career. This page will help you identify the skills you have learnt and how to use them when applying for jobs.

These definitions are taken from your programme specification, but you may prefer to put these skills into your own words when writing CV’s and job applications.

Intellectual skills:

All Computer Science, Computing and Business Information Technology programmes

  • Design & Modelling: knowledge and understanding in the modelling and design of computer based systems in a way that demonstrates comprehension of the trade-off involved in design choices.
  • Reflection and communication: present succinctly to a range of audiences rational and reasoned arguments
  • Problem solving & requirements: Identify and analyse criteria and specifications appropriate to specific problems and plan strategies for their solution.
  • Criteria evaluation and testing: Analyse the extent to which a computer-based system meets the criteria defined for its current use and future development.
  • Methods and Tools: Deploy appropriate theory, practices, and tools for the specification, design, implementation and evaluation of computer-based systems.
  • Professional responsibility: Recognise and be guided by the professional, economic, social, environmental, moral and ethical issues involved in the sustainable exploitation of computer technology
  • Analytical and Computational thinking: demonstrate a basic analytical ability and its relevance to everyday life.

Outcomes specific to:

Computing and Business Information Technology programmes

  • Critically evaluate arguments and evidence
  • Analyse and draw reasoned conclusions concerning structured and, to a more limited extent, unstructured problems

Year in Industry programmes

  • apply some of the intellectual skills specified for the programme from the perspective of a commercial or industrial organisation

Year in Computing programme

  • Design & Modelling: approach the modelling and design of computer based systems in a way that demonstrates an understanding of the relationship between specification, design and implementation, and the trade-off involved in the choices made.
  • Reflection and communication: present technical information succinctly to a range of audiences
  • Criteria evaluation and testing: Critically evaluate the extent to which a computer-based system meets the criteria defined for its current use and future development.
  • Methods and Tools: Select and deploy appropriate practices and tools for the specification, design, implementation, and evaluation of computer-based systems.

Subject-specific Skills:

All Computer Science, Computing and Business Information Technology programmes

  • Design & implementation: Specify, design and implement computer-based systems
  • Evaluation: Evaluate systems in terms of general quality attributes and possible trade-offs presented within the given problem.
  • Information Management: Apply the principles of effective information management, information organisation, and information-retrieval skills to information of various kinds including text, images, sound and video.
  • Tools: Deploy effectively the tools used for the construction and documentation of software with particular emphasis on understanding the whole process involved in using computers to solve practical problems
  • Operation: Operate computing equipment and software systems effectively.

Outcomes specific to:

Business Information Technology 

  • Identify, formulate and solve business/ decision making problems using appropriate qualitative and quantitative tools
  • Create, evaluate and assess options, in a range of business solutions, applying concepts and knowledge appropriately
  • Communicate effectively, orally and in writing about business issues

Computer Science (AI) and Computer Science (AI) with a Year in Industry

  • Identify and develop solutions for computational problems requiring machine intelligence.

Year in Industry programmes

  • Apply some of the subject-specific skills specified for the programme from the perspective of a commercial or industrial organisation.

Year in Computing programme

  • Design & implementation: Specify, design and implement computer-based systems
  • Evaluation: Evaluate systems in terms of general quality attributes and possible trade-offs presented within the given problem.
  • Information Management: Apply the principles of effective information management, information organisation, and information-retrieval skills to information of various kinds including text, images, sound and video.
  • Tools: Deploy effectively the tools used for the construction and documentation of software with particular emphasis on understanding the whole process involved in using computers to solve practical problems
  • Operation: Operate computing equipment and software systems effectively.

Transferable Skills:

All Computer Science programmes

  • Teamwork: Be able to work effectively as a member of a development team.
  • Communication: Make succinct presentations to a range of audiences about technical problems and their solutions
  • Information Technology: Effective use of general IT facilities and information retrieval skills
  • Numeracy & Literacy: understand and explain the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of a problem
  • Self management: Managing ones own learning and development, including time management and organisational skills
  • Professional development: Appreciating the need for continuing professional development in recognition of the need for lifelong learning

Outcomes specific to:

Business Information Technology

  • Communication: Make succinct presentations to a range of audiences about technical problems and their solutions.
  • Information Technology: Effective use of general IT facilities; information retrieval skills
  • Numeracy and literacy: understand and explain the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of a problem
  • Self-management: Managing one’s own learning and development, including time management and organisational skills

Computing programmes

  • Communication: Make succinct presentations to a range of audiences about technical problems and their solutions.
  • Information Technology: Effective use of general IT facilities; information retrieval skills
  • Self-management: Managing one’s own learning and development, including time management and organisational skills

Year in Computing programmes

  • Communication: Make succinct presentations to a range of audiences about technical problems and their solutions
  • Information Technology: Effective use of general IT facilities and information retrieval skills
  • Self-management: Managing ones own learning and development, including time management and organisational skills