The changes brought about by networked digital media and by social media are creating new job opportunities, not only in the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) sector but also in business, enterprise and the not-for-profit sector. In these areas the skills and knowledge of computer science, digital media and information management intersect, and understanding and analysis of the dynamics of social media, digital communicative practices, digital publishing and curation is both relevant and valuable.

Opportunities at Aberystwyth for Computer and Information Sciences students include:

• being taught jointly by the departments of Information Management, Library and Archives, and the Department of Computer Science, by staff who are experts in their fields; 

• enjoying access to the latest equipment in our Computer Science department.

Our Staff

Almost all of the Department of Computer Science Lecturers and Teaching Fellows are qualified to PhD level, and those who are not have considerable research or industrial experience. All new Lecturers and Teaching Fellows are required to obtain the PGCTHE, and hence are Senior Fellows or Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. The department also employs a number of part time demonstrators and tutors and some student demonstrators, who are selected from our undergraduate and postgraduate students. Research fellows and research assistants (mostly PhD qualified) may also be involved in delivering occasional teaching when it is appropriate.

Department of Information Management, Libraries & Archives lecturers are either qualified to PhD level or work in areas of the subject where professional practices are the focus. Many of the staff engage in research relevant to the theoretical and practical development of the discipline and the associated professions.

Graduates from this programme will benefit from knowledge of the technical, practical and managerial aspects of digital information technology within digital information environments.

What will I learn?

The breakdown below will provide you with an illustration of what you may study during the three year degree scheme.

In your first year you will discover: 

• Foundations of Information Studies; 
• Introduction to programming; 
• Human communication; 
• Programming using an object oriented language; 
• Web development tools; 
• Introduction to computer infrastructure. 

In your second and third years you will explore: 

• Information Behaviour and Digital Literacy; 
• Modelling persistent data; 
• Programming for the web; 
• Social informatics and digital ethics; 
• Resource discovery and digital information management; 
• Web design and the user experience or software; 
• Engineering for the web; 
• Knowledge and information management; 
• Digitisation and digital preservation. 

Please note that during your second and third  years, you will be able to choose from a range of optional modules that will complement your core modules.