Internet of Things with Industrial Placement

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 with Industrial Placement is a two-year specialist programme that prepares you for an industrial career with skills in Computing Science, Engineering and Data Analytics.



This industrial placement provides masters students with an opportunity to gain structured and professional work experience at an advanced level, in a work-based learning environment, as part of their planned programme of study at the University. This will allow students to further develop, refine and reflect on their key personal and professional skills. The placement opportunity significantly supports the development of the student's employability skills, build confidence through further application of theory within the workplace and prepare them for a future career in computing.



The course is accredited 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 in the School and by our strong industry partnerships, most notably with BT through the BT Ireland Innovation Centre (BTIIC) and with PwC through the Advanced Research and Engineering Centre (ARC).



The course is accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, for Partial CITP (Chartered IT Professional) and Partial CEng (Chartered Engineer).



The School of Computing at Ulster University holds Athena Swan Bronze Award since 2016 and is committed to promote and advance gender equality in Higher Education. We particularly welcome female applicants, as they are under-represented within the School at postgraduate taught courses.



Work placement / study abroad

Students who have successfully completed the taught modules and Masters Project of their MSc programme, and have secured an internship of twelve months duration with a suitable company, are eligible to proceed to the Industrial Placement pathway. This pathway provides masters students with an opportunity to gain structured and professional work experience at an advanced level, in a work-based learning environment, as part of their planned programme of study at the University. This will allow students to further develop, refine and reflect on their key personal and professional skills. The placement opportunity should significantly support the development of the student's employability skills, build confidence through further application of theory within the workplace and prepare them for a future career in computing. It also serves as an integrating mechanism for course content as well as developing analytical, evaluative and project management skills in an industrial context. The nature of the work will vary depending on the company providing the placement. The student will complete a reflective professional development report and learning journal as part of the assessment of this pathway.



Professional recognition

BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT

Accredited by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT for the purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional.



BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT

Accredited by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer.

The first year of the MSc programme consists of 6 taught modules (totaling 120 credits), in addition to a substantial piece of independent Masters Project (60 credits). Students who have successfully completed the Masters Project, and have secured an internship of twelve months duration with a suitable company, are eligible to proceed to the Industrial Placement (60 credits) pathway.



The six taught modules are:

• Data Science and Machine Learning

• Cyber Security

• Big Data & Infrastructure

• IoT Networks and Protocols

• Pervasive Computing

• Embedded Systems & Sensors

Applicants must have gained

(i) an upper 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.



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.



Offers issued by the University are subject to the academic conditions attached to each offer, capacity on the course and completion of the admission process. We will confirm places to offer holders on a first-come, first-served basis, and reserve the right to close admission to any of our courses when student capacity is reached. We strongly advise you satisfy the conditions of offer as soon as possible. When you have satisfied all academic conditions of offer you will have to complete the admission process and pay your deposit to secure your place. If your course is already full when you pay your deposit, you will be offered the next available intake for your course or offered a refund of your deposit.



English Language Requirements

Applicants must 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.



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

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 third semester.



The industrial placement is normally 12 months in duration in the second year of MSc programme.

Start dates: September 2025

Career options

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 embarke on further research at the Ph.D. level.