National College of Ireland

Cloud Computing

This course will provide you with the latest knowledge and competencies required by the fastest growing global industry: the cloud.

Cloud computing has become a multi-billion euro industry and this course offers specialisations in two key areas:
Infrastructure (IaaS - Infrastructure as a Service) and Development (SaaS - Software as a Service).

Studying at our state-of-the-art Cloud Competency Centre, you will gain experience with the latest design principles, models, and technologies in cloud computing. The course is delivered by faculty and industry practitioners with proven expertise in cloud computing.

Who is the course for?
This computing course will appeal to computer science or engineering graduates, ICT industry practitioners, system administrators, and those with an interest in gaining practical experience in cloud computing. To be admitted as a student, an applicant must have earned a degree or equivalent qualification at level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications. Students in their final year of undergraduate study can be admitted on the condition that their degrees are awarded before they enrol at NCI.

As a graduate of this course you will be able to:
. Create and deploy commercial multi-tier applications onto multiple (public/hybrid) cloud platforms
. Plan and architect highly-scalable computing/data analytics solutions for business and scientific needs
. Design pattern-based application code to run efficiently in a cloud environment
. Evaluate security strategies associated with cloud computing and apply them to ensure the technical sustainability of an organisation
. Perform a migration from a traditional ICT environment to a cloud-based platform
. Manage the process of running an IT department from a cloud environment.

Entry requirements

An honours (level 8) primary degree in a cognate discipline with a 2.2 award or higher. The college operates a Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) scheme meaning applicants who do not meet the normal academic requirements may be considered based on relevant work and other experience. This may be assessed using a portfolio of learning, demonstration of work produced, and an interview.

This programme has a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy. Specifically, students are expected to successfully participate in lectures, laboratories and projects using a portable computer (laptop/notebook) with a substantial hardware configuration. The minimal suitable configuration is 8GB of RAM (16GB are recommended); a modern 64-bit x86 multi-core processor (Intel i5 or superior); 250+ GB of available space in hard disk; WiFi card; and a recent version of Ubuntu, macOS or Windows.

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure their computer is functioning correctly and that they have full administrator rights. NCI IT cannot provide support for personal devices.

Duration

Part-time
This course runs over 2 years; 4 semesters with a final research project.

Indicative Schedule:
Two evenings per week, 18:00 - 22:00 and some Saturdays in the final semester.
Please note that exams can be scheduled during the morning, afternoon or evening Monday to Saturday.

Full-time
This course runs over 1 year; 2 semesters and a final research project.

Indicative Schedule Students need to be available 09.00-18.00 Mon – Fri. (Class days and times vary).

Careers or further progression

Progression
Students who successfully complete this course may progress to a major award at level 10 on the NFQ. Students may also elect to exit early with the Postgraduate Diploma in Science in Cloud Computing at level 9 on the NFQ.

According to a recent Higher Education Outcomes Report released by the CSO, ICT graduates receive the highest weekly earnings five years after graduating compared to other sectors based on the analysis of the destinations of students who graduated between 2010 and 2016.

Further enquiries

For Further Information Contact:
The Admissions Team
Telephone: 1850 221 721
Email: admissions@ncirl.ie
Web: www.ncirl.ie

Subjects taught

Course Structure
Core Modules
• Cloud Architecture
• Cloud Security
• Research in Computing
• Utility Computing
• Business Strategies for Cloud Computing
• Research Methods

Infrastructure Specialisation
• Cloud Infrastructure Management
• Data Storage and Management
• Virtualisation

Development Specialisation
• Cloud Application Development
• Cloud Application Services
• Programming for Data Analytics

Capstone Research Project Categories
• Industry-based Research Project
• Research Project

Research Methods, Research Project and Industry-based Research Project modules are not required to complete the award of Postgraduate Diploma in Cloud Computing.

Note that all modules count towards the final award classification.