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Student Handbook
Funding Support for Students
This course is designed around the computing requirements of local industry. Learners will gain the knowledge, understanding and design skills to formulate solutions to computing problems and the practical skills to implement those solutions.
Additionally, ‘soft’ skills will be developed in teamwork, communications, professional practice and time management.
This course is offered through the Higher Level Apprenticeship pathway - Higher Level Apprenticeships.
A minimum of 56 (CD) UCAS tariff points for part-time, with passes in 4 different subjects including grade C/4 or above for GCSE English and Maths. Entry is also subject to successful interview.
International students (for whom English is not their first language), must demonstrate their competence in written and spoken English at IELTS – Academic 6.0, with minimum 5.5 in all four elements of the test. Trinity ISE - Pass at Level 3 also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.
Where an applicant does not hold the formal academic requirements for entry to the programme, but can demonstrate relevant experiential learning across a range of industries, they may apply for admission through the College Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) process. In such cases, contact the Course Director for the programme who will advise further.
In the event of over-subscription entry criteria may be enhanced. Refer to general entry requirements.
To be eligible to commence study on the HLA pathway, applicants must have secured full-time paid employment in a computing-related position.
Assessment is by the use of coursework assignments with some module examinations throughout the duration of the course.
The articulation routes for successful graduates from the South West College Foundation Degree in Science in Computing includes but depends on the overall grade achieved: ·
Access NI disclosure may be required to undertake a work placement in some settings and costs £33. During your course you may be required to purchase course textbooks and incur additional costs for printing, photocopying, and binding. The overall additional costs incurred to support your studies may be in the region of £100 or more per year.
P5002DP10B
Session Code
3 Year(s)
Duration
Higher Education
Mode of Study
11
Hours per Week
30
Number of Weeks
Interview Required
25/26
Academic Year
11/09/2025
Start Date
Subject to Timetable
Day/s
Noreen.McGirr@swc.ac.uk, Sinead.McGee@swc.ac.uk
Coordinator(s)
Total Annual Fee N/A
Total Concessionary Fee N/A
Fees Payable Each Year
**Am I eligible for concessionary fees?
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Information Technology (RQF) (Equivalent to 3 A-Levels)
Level 2 Traineeship in IT
Ulster University Foundation Degree in Science in Computing (HLA)