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NUI Galway

Software Design & Development

Your course
This two-year MSc is aimed at candidates with little or no IT experience who want to pursue a career in the IT industry. The skills developed in this programme include the core software development tools and techniques as well as a solid grounding in research and its application in a specific ICT (information and communications technology) domain.

The first year follows the normal academic cycle of lectures and laboratory sessions/tutorials, and provides students with a thorough foundation in IT skills. Time will also be spent on developing research interests/skills to prepare for their second year, during which students will conduct a research project and submit a thesis on their findings.

Entry requirements

Minimum entry requirements
Candidates must have a minimum 2.2 honours (Level 8) undergraduate degree (or equivalent international qualification). If applicable, applicants require a GPA score of 3.0 (or equivalent international qualification) and an IELTS score of 6 (or equivalent international qualification).

Duration

2 years, full-time. Students can choose to exit the programme with a HDip upon successful completion of Year One.

Careers or further progression

Career opportunities
A variety of opportunities are open to graduates in the software industry or in a range of other sectors, such as telecommunications, medical informatics, energy informatics, digital media, banking and consulting. Many graduates continue with careers related to their specialised field of research. Companies/organisations that have recruited graduates recently include Fidelity Investments, Galway; Cisco, Galway; SAP, Galway; Hewlett Packard, Galway; and Ericsson, Athlone.

Further enquiries

Dr Séamus Hill
T: +353 91 495 232
E: seamus.hill@nuigalway.ie

Dr Hugh Melvin
T: +353 91 493 716
E: hugh.melvin@nuigalway.ie

Subjects taught

The programme's modules comprise:
• Databases;
• Software Engineering;
• Algorithms and Logical Methods;
• Object-Oriented Programming;
• Internet Programming;
• Computer Architecture and Operating Systems;
• Computer Communications.

Comment

3 GOOD REASONS TO STUDY THIS COURSE
1. It provides applicants with both a solid foundation in ICT in Year One, and specialist research and applied skills in their chosen research area in Year Two.

2. It provides a stepping stone to an exciting career in either research or across very diverse applied domainsentertainment, enterprise, communications, finance, education, etc.

3. It can very much complement existing graduate qualifications, resulting in highly sought after skillsets, e.g., data science.