MSc Softwareentwicklung

The MSc in Software Development is designed in collaboration with industry to provide a year of intensive education in software development and is specifically designed for graduates of non-computing disciplines. It has an extremely high graduate employability rate and is the highest-rated MSc computing course for student satisfaction in the UK.

Course content

You will learn the foundations of computing and acquire industry-relevant skills. These core skills include programming, databases, web development, software engineering and problem-solving. You need no computing background at all to do this course, but on successful completion, you will be equipped with the technical, analytical and professional skills required to take on a range of roles in the computing industry.

The curriculum was designed and is continually reviewed in collaboration with significant industrial partners, who helped ensure the most relevant module content. This helps ensure that our graduates are highly trained and much sought after by employers.

Who will be teaching you

Many of the course teaching teams have worked in the computing industry and have particular research specialisms in developing novel and effective methods for teaching computing. Several of the team have been awarded student-nominated teaching awards for their work.

Please note:

Applications for this course received after 12th August 2022 may not be accepted. In addition, a deposit will be required to secure a place.

Software Development Highlights

This course is also available for part-time study. Search our course listings for more information.

Industry Links

• Alongside the core course curriculum, students are also encouraged to take part in a series of Employment and Professional Skills Workshops, which run at regular intervals during the year. The workshops cover CV writing, Technical Interview Technique, Assessment Centres, etc. and later involve events to allow students to network with representatives from some of the largest employers in the Software Development sector in Belfast. Students get the opportunity to mix with a diverse industrial group, ranging from testers and developers up to senior managerial level staff. Students also have the opportunity to get involved in other industrially sponsored events such as hackathons etc.

Career Development

• The School has a team of staff specifically dedicated to the development of student employability skills alongside technical capabilities. They provide a range of services to help students gain employment during the course, eg one-on-one CV advice and mock job interviews etc.

World-Class Facilities

• Most of the lectures and lab-based activities are in our Computer Science Building opened in 2016 after a £14 million re-development. The four-storey, 3,000m2, state-of-the-art facility has large well-equipped computing labs and formal and informal student spaces which support a high level of group and project work.

Student Experience

• The course is the highest-rated for the overall student experience Computing Master course in the UK (2019). This includes excellence in student experiences in the quality of teaching and learning, student engagement, quality of assessment and feedback, organisation and management, learning resources and careers and employability.
• The course encourages a hands-on approach to learning, with an emphasis on learning by doing. We provide videos of lecture content and continually offer you opportunities to gauge your progress in each module through self-assessments and practical activities and challenges.

Queen's University Belfast is one of the leading universities in the UK and Ireland with a distinguished heritage and history.

Founded in 1845 as Queen's College Belfast, we became an independent university in 1908. The University is a member of the Russell Group of UK research-intensive universities, combining excellence in research and education with a student-centred ethos.

Queen’s campus is at the heart of Belfast in Northern Ireland which has the lowest cost of living in the UK (Mercer Cost of Living City Ranking 2021) making it a more affordable option for students.

A World-Class Education and Student Experience

Queen’s offers a world-class education that prepares our students for leadership and citizenship in a global society.

Our inspiring alumni comprises outstanding scholars, Nobel Prize winners - such as Seamus Heaney and David Trimble - and influential leaders who are making an impact in Northern Ireland and across the globe.

Programmes are focused on preparing students for future employment. Students not only learn the core academic material from the staff at the forefront of their discipline but also learn how to put it into practice through practical workshops and hands-on sessions, ensuring that upon graduation, students are ready to step up as the next generation of industry leaders.

A Global and Inclusive University Community

Queen’s is attracting global talent to Belfast.

We currently have staff and students from over 80 countries, helping to create a multicultural and vibrant campus. They are joining a university that is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing the best global talent within an environment that enables them to realise their full potential.

An innovative, welcoming, and inclusive place to work and study, Queen’s is a leader in gender equality and diversity and currently holds a prestigious Athena Swan Silver Award. The University also holds 14 School Awards comprising 3 Gold, 6 Silver and 5 Bronze.

Research That Shapes Worlds

Queen’s University Belfast is globally connected and networked with leading universities across the world.

We continue to drive forward research to shape worlds, focusing on five key areas. Ensuring a healthy living for all through developing solutions and treatments for diseases; helping to deliver a transformative and sustainable economy for future generations; leading to securely connected intelligence and AI and the data revolution. We are at the forefront of delivering future-focused human-environment relations; and will continue our strong history of expertise in conflict resolution and building inclusive and cohesive communities.

Ranked 24 in the UK for Research Power

We are forward thinkers and will continue to direct and shape research to help support a workable environment and society.

88% of our research has been assessed as world-leading and internationally excellent, 99% of our research environment was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent and we are ranked 24th in the UK for Research Power (REF 2021/ Times Higher Education).

Northern Ireland's Legendary Beauty

Queen’s University is situated in Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland.

In a city with innovation at its heart, technological advances infiltrate every sector helping to build our competitiveness on the global stage. Belfast is in the world’s top 10 Digital Economies of the Future - the only UK city outside London to be listed (Financial Times’ fDi Intelligence, 2018) and was voted one of the top 15 friendliest cities in Europe (Condé Nast Traveller, Readers' Choice Awards 2021).

It is one of Europe's most hip, vibrant and affordable cities, lauded for its energy, and rich in culture and history. Queen's stunning campus is within Belfast's Queen's Quarter, with cafés, bars, restaurants, superb shopping, and entertainment venues (Complete University Guide 2022).