Internet of Things

Overview

The Internet of Things is expected to have a significant impact on industry with predictions of its success and growth constantly rising.



The MSc Internet of Things is an intensive one-year specialist programme that prepares you for an industrial career with skills in Computing Science, Engineering and Data Analytics. The course covers leading-edge knowledge of Sensor Technology, Networks, Security, Pervasive Computing, Big data and Data Mining in IoT domain. The course is accredited (initial) by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, for Partial CITP (Chartered IT Professional) and Partial CEng (Chartered Engineer).



The delivery of the course is supported by multi-million pound infrastructure of a large-scale pervasive and mobile computing environment, a suite of contemporary sensing technologies and rapid prototyping facilities. The course content has been informed by internationally leading research being conducted by the School of Computing and the School of Engineering and by our strong industry partnerships, most notably with BT through the jointly established £28.6 million BT Ireland Innovation Centre.



The Internet of Things is an exciting and exponentially growing area both within industry and academic. The skills trained from the course are in high demand within the sector across the key verticals of Smart Cities, Industrial IoT, Connected Health and Smart Homes. The course also provides a platform to embark on further research studies.



Work placement / study abroad

The course doesn’t require placement experience. There are opportunities in the course for you to participate in research and industry related projects in the IoT domain through our two Innovation centres BTIIC and CHIC. BTIIC is the BT Ireland Innovation Centre (BTIIC) in collaboration with Ulster University and BT. The centre aims to invent new ways of using data analytics, artificial intelligence and the IoT, through two work streams of Intelligent System and IoT. CHIC is the Connected Health Innovation Centre is funded by Invest NI to support business led research in the area of connected health, with focus on data analytics and IoT. The centre currently has over 30 national and international member companies with both technical expertise and clinical experience.

The MSc award consists of six compulsory taught modules (totalling 120 credits), in addition to a substantial piece of independent Masters Project (60 credits). As part of the programme, students will be required to use various programming languages, including Python and R.



Modules:

Data Science and Machine Learning

Cyber Security

Big data and Infrastructure

IoT Networks and Protocols

Pervasive Computing

Embedded Systems and Sensors

Applicants must:

(a) have gained



(i) a second class honours degree or better, in the subject areas of Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or closely related discipline, from a university of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or from a recognised national awarding body, or from an institution of another country which has been recognised as being of an equivalent standard; or



(ii) an equivalent standard (normally 50%) in a Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate, Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma or an approved alternative qualification excluding Conversion courses; and the qualification must be in the subject areas of Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or closely related discipline.



and



(b) provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English (GCSE grade C or equivalent). For applicants whose first language is not English the minimum English language requirement is an Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5, Trinity ISE: Pass at level III or equivalent English language tests comparable to IELTS equivalent score.



In exceptional circumstances, as an alternative to (a) (i) or (a) (ii) and/or (b), where an individual has substantial and significant experiential learning, a portfolio of written evidence demonstrating the meeting of graduate qualities (including subject-specific outcomes, as determined by the Course Committee) may be considered as an alternative entrance route. Evidence used to demonstrate graduate qualities may not be used for exemption against modules within the programme.



English Language Requirements

English language requirements for international applicants

The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.



Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.



• For English language requirements go to: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/global/apply/english-language-requirements



• For Your country go to: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/global/apply/country



Exemptions and transferability

The entry requirements facilitate accreditation of prior learning.

Your Application

You can apply directly to Ulster at any time of year. We advise that you submit your application no later than two weeks prior to your course start date. This is to ensure there is sufficient time for your application to be reviewed and, should you be made an offer, time for you to complete all the necessary pre-enrolment tasks.



Some programmes will have specific deadlines as additional selection (e.g. interview, portfolio submission etc) is required, so please check the course page to ensure you have sufficient time to complete your application.

Typically 15 timetabled hours per week Monday – Friday including lectures, tutorials and practicals in the computer labs for the taught components of the course. Research Project takes place in the final semester.

Start Date: September 2026 and January 2027.

Careers and Opportunities

The Internet of Things has become one of the most discussed technology trends of recent years, mainly due to the expected impact that it will have and, as a result, how it will change the way people live, work and travel. As the expectations of how IoT will redefine an organisation’s operations grow, so too are the expectations to have knowledgeable and skilled staff in the areas of computing, engineering and data science in addition to having an appreciation for business processes and market potential. Taking all of this into consideration, graduates from the course will be well placed to progress into a wide variety of careers, across a range of industrial settings within the sector across the key verticals of Smart Cities, Industrial IoT, Connected Health and Smart Homes. We have active Industry engagement and links with vibrant technology sector in Northern Ireland. Graduates from the course also have opportunity to embarked on further research at the Ph.D. level.