Internet of Things with Industrial Placement

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 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. Please note it is the student's responsibility to secure a placement, however we are on hand to support with this and help prepare you for interview and the working environment.



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.



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 a suitable internship, 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.

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 offer as soon as possible. When you have satisfied all academic conditions 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.



• 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 third semester separately. The industrial placement is in the second year of MSc programme.

Start Date: September 2026.

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.