BSc (Hons) Business Computing

Our Business Computing course is ideal for setting you up for a career in developing IT solutions to support business needs.

Business Computing

Key facts

  • Award BSc (Hons)
  • Start date September 2024
  • Duration 48 months
  • Mode of study full time
  • Delivery on campus
  • UCAS Code G510
  • Study abroad opportunities

Accreditations

British Computer Society

British Computer Society logo

Overview

With our Business Computing course, you’ll examine how critical computers are to business and learn how you can create computing solutions to support a range of business needs. As part of your studies, you’ll develop basic knowledge of designing and building software systems and grow a broad base of skills through a combination of theory and practice.

The skills you’ll learn will be highly valued by employers - whether in the software industry itself, or in a wider and more strategic context developing IT solutions for any business.

We’ll help you build strong links with industry, and, during Year 3, there are opportunities to take part in either a three-month summer placement or a one-year placement. You’ll also have the opportunity to study abroad through our exchange programmes.

Top reasons to study with us

Professional accreditation

BSc (Hons) graduates are fully accredited by the British Computer Society for the educational requirements of being a Chartered Information Technology Professional (CITP), which is the Society’s professional member level.

Prizes or awards

Each year we offer the following prizes:

  • outstanding performance in 1st year Computing Science modules
  • outstanding performance in 2nd year Computing Science modules
  • outstanding performance in 3rd year Computing Science modules
  • outstanding performance in 4th year Computing Science modules
  • a Faculty research prize for an outstanding research project
  • BCS Glasgow prize: Best honours project

Entry requirements

Year 1 entry – Four-year honours

SQA Highers
ABBB – by the end of S5
AABB – by the end of S6

GCE A-levels
BBB

IB Diploma
30

BTEC (Level 3)
DDM

Widening access students
Widening access students may be eligible for an adjusted offer of entry. To find out if this applies to you go to our widening access pages.

Care-experienced applicants will be guaranteed an offer of a place if they meet the minimum entry requirements.

Year 2 entry – Three-year honours

SQA Advanced Highers
ABB

GCE A-levels
ABB

IB Diploma
35

Essential subjects:
To include Computing and Business Studies/Management and relevant experience of Java or other programming languages.

Other Scottish qualifications

Scottish HNC/HND
Year one minimum entry - Bs in graded units.

Access courses
University of Stirling access course - for mature students only. You must pass the course with 50% or above.

SWAP Access course - for mature students only.

Email our Admissions Team for advice about other access courses.

Foundation Apprenticeships
Considered to be equivalent to 1 Higher at Grade B

Other qualifications

English, Welsh and Northern Irish HNC/HND
Merits and Distinctions

English, Welsh and Northern Irish access courses
Access to Higher Education - 60 credits, minimum 45 at QCF Level 3, pass at 60% or above.

Email our Admissions Team for advice about other access courses.

International entry requirements

Advanced entry

Year 2 entry
Entry into Year 2 may be possible depending on your HNC or HND course. To find out more go to our articulation pages.

Other qualifications
Advanced entry may be possible depending on your qualifications. For more information, contact our Admissions Team at admissions@stir.ac.uk.

Other routes of entry

If you don't currently meet our academic requirements, INTO University of Stirling offers a variety of preparation programmes that can earn you the qualifications and skills you need to progress onto some of our courses. Explore INTO University of Stirling to see the Foundation and International Year 2 routes available.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:

  • IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.
  • Pearson Test of English (Academic) 56 overall with a minimum of 51 in each sub-skill.
  • IBT TOEFL 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.

See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.

Pre-sessional English language courses

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO University of Stirling offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.

Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses

Course details

In Semesters 1-3, students from our three computing-related degrees (Computing Science, Software Engineering and Business Computing) take the same core modules in Computing Science.

Core topics include: Computational Thinking; Programming Using Java; Social and Professional Issues; Usability and Accessibility of Interfaces; Database Principles and Applications; Data Structures, Objects and Algorithms. There are also three core business modules and you’ll take one additional subject each semester.

We understand that students have a variety of backgrounds, and, in Semester 1, we can adapt the course to suit your previous experience and qualifications.

In Semesters 4-8, the course is made up of both core modules and optional advanced modules, giving you a chance to explore your particular interests further.

Final-year Honours students work on an independent project, which typically involves designing and developing a computer application within a business context.

A range of optional modules is available, drawn from Computing Science, Business Studies, Marketing and Management Science.

Our students also enjoy access to an active Computer Club that organises a number of activities and projects for those interested in Computing Science and Software Engineering.

Modules

The module information below provides an example of the types of course module you may study. The details listed are for the current academic year (). Modules and start dates are regularly reviewed and may be subject to change in future years.

Course details

Teaching

In the most recent National Student Survey (2022) Computing Science at Stirling was ranked 3rd in Scotland, and top 10 in the UK for student satisfaction. Computing Science at Stirling also ranked top 10 in the UK and 3rd in Scotland in the 2022 Guardian University Guide. Furthermore, the University of Stirling was awarded five-star excellence for teaching in the QS Stars University Ratings 2021.

Our teaching makes use of both our campus-based teaching facilities and online learning environment. You’ll learn about Business Computing through lectures, small tutorial groups and seminars, and through practical and laboratory work.

Computing Science at Stirling is part of the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA) Scotland-wide pooling initiative in research and knowledge exchange, as well as The DataLab, Scotland's Innovation Centre for data and AI.

Our research-led teaching is at the core of your learning as our staff conduct world-leading research. Our staff are engaged with funded research from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), as well as funding from other UK Research Councils and funding agencies.

Assessment

The Computing Science component in particular is taught as a very practical subject and almost all modules include practical assignments. Typically these count for 50 percent of the assessment grade, with the remainder given to the exam.

For the Honours degree, the grades for all advanced modules taken in Semesters 5 – 8 are combined to give your final degree classification.

Work placement opportunities

We help our students to build strong links with industry through three-month summer placements and one-year placements. Both of these are offered to third year students. Placements are available with local SMEs as well as large corporates.

Our Careers Service can help you secure placements and offer the support and advice needed to plan your career, develop your employability, or consider further study.

Study abroad

You can study abroad through our well-established connections with North American, Australian and European universities.

Fees and funding

Fees and costs

Academic year: 2023/24 2024/25
Scottish students £1,820 £1,820
Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland £9,250 £9,250
International students (including EU) £20,300 £21,300

Scottish students

This fee is set by the Scottish Government and is subject to change.

Although you’re liable for annual tuition fees, if you are domiciled in Scotland you can apply to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) to have your tuition fees paid by the Scottish Government on your behalf.

You will be charged the annual tuition fee each year when you enrol.

If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.

For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.

Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

This tuition fee may be subject to change depending on guidance provided by the UK Government.

You can apply for financial assistance, including a loan to cover the full cost of your tuition fees, from your relevant funding body. Students from the Republic of Ireland are eligible for a tuition fee loan of up to £9,250 from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

We also offer additional funding – such as our Honours Year Scholarship – for students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. See our funding opportunities section below for more information.

You will be charged the annual fee each year when you enrol. Your fees will be held at the same level throughout your course.

If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.

For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.

International students (including EU)

Eligible students will automatically receive a scholarship worth between £8,000-£30,000 over the duration of your course. See our range of generous scholarships for international undergraduate students.

You will be charged the annual fee each year when you enrol. Your fees will be held at the same level throughout your course.

If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.

For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.

Additional costs

There are some instances where additional fees may apply. Depending on your chosen course, you may need to pay additional costs, for example for field trips. Learn more about additional fees.

Funding

See what funding opportunities and loans are available to help you with tuition and living costs.

Students from Scotland

Find funding opportunities for Scottish students.

Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

Eligible students will automatically receive our Undergraduate Welcome Scholarship, Undergraduate Merit Scholarship, and our Honours Year Scholarship, which are worth between £1,000 and £9,250.

International students

Eligible international students will automatically receive a scholarship worth between £8,000-£30,000 over the duration of your course. Find funding opportunities for international students.

Cost of living

If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.

International (including EU) students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.

Find out about the cost of living for students at Stirling.

Payment options

We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay.

After you graduate

Our graduates leave with knowledge of both business and computing science – a skills combination highly valued by employers. You’ll be ideally placed to work either in the software industry itself or in a more strategic role, developing IT solutions for business.

Potential employers range from consulting firms to IT users, such as governments, banks and insurance companies. Our industrial placements will ease your transition into the job market. Recent graduates have gained successful employment in business and financial services with the likes of JP Morgan, Accenture, British Telecom, Bank of Scotland and HSBC, Verint, Microsoft, Scottish Power and Google.

What jobs can you get with a Business Computing degree?

From consulting firms to managing IT services for business, as a Business Computing science graduate you'll have a range of opportunities open to you.

Jobs related to your business and computing degree include:

  • systems developer
  • information systems manager
  • IT consultant
  • data scientist
  • IT technical support
  • systems analyst
  • UX analyst
  • web designer
  • Web developer
  • application analyst
  • business analyst
  • data analyst
  • database administrator

Companies we work with

We have connections with the following organisation via placements, internships and industrial liaison:

  • Accenture
  • ARM
  • Calnex Solutions
  • Diagio
  • GE Digital
  • Honeywell
  • JP Morgan
  • Mage Control Systems
  • Modus Scotland
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Natural Power
  • NHS
  • Royal Bank of Scotland
  • Sainsbury's Bank
  • Scottish Enterprise
  • Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
  • Scottish Government
  • Scottish Water
  • Sports Scotland
  • Verint
  • Wood MacKenzie

Discover Uni

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What our students said

Anna Eglite
Anna Eglite
Latvia
BSc (Hons) Business Computing
I chose Stirling because it's one of the few universities that offered a course in both business and computer science. On top of that, the campus is incredible and a fun place to be.
Read Anna's story

Flexible study

This course is not available as a combined degree.