ISE is a computer science degree built around learning by doing. You spend half your time on paid residencies at top companies solving real problems, and the other half in studios, not lecture halls, working on projects with the lecturers and researchers running the course. Four years, integrated BSc and MSc at the end.
Problem Solving with Computers
First programming module of the degree, taken with zero prior coding background. Covers algorithmic thinking and problem decomposition from the ground up in Python. This is where writing my first hello world happened. Weekly labs move from arithmetic and control flow through functions, lists and dictionaries, into small end-to-end programs by the end of the semester. Coursework was the OSHI-based Java Sysinfo tool, built as a team Git-collaboration exercise where the point was less the tool itself and more agreeing on a branching workflow and not stepping on each other's changes.
Effectively Building Software with Others
Software engineering practices module focused on team workflow, version control, code quality, and shipping something real rather than writing code in isolation. Covers Git, branching, code review, testing discipline, and the OO fundamentals underneath. Coursework was the JavaFX text-adventure Flames of Prometheus, built around a full MVC architecture with serialisation, custom annotations, and a live minimap.
Data Centric Computing
Data-focused computing module covering relational databases, structured data handling, and processing pipelines. SQL and schema modelling alongside Python data work. First proper exposure to designing schemas rather than just querying them, and to thinking about data as the thing the program is shaped around rather than an afterthought.
Computation and Architecture Part 1
Low-level systems module covering CPU, memory hierarchy, and OS internals from the metal up. Coursework was KernelWare, a WarioWare-style micro-game engine where the game logic runs inside a custom Linux kernel module exposed at /dev/kernelware, driving seven mini-games from userspace through an ncurses HUD.
Computation and Architecture Part 2
Follow-on systems module going deeper into Linux internals, kernel programming, and concurrency. Character devices, ioctls, hrtimers, kthreads, spinlocks and waitqueues. Coursework was the iDaVIE Codebase Refactor, a first-year EPIC team assessment: a two-sprint refactoring proposal for iDaVIE, IDIA's open-source Unity VR tool for 3D astronomy data, pitched competitively to the maintainers and judged against ISO/IEC 25010:2023.
Residency 1: Software Systems / Dev Part 1
Industry residency module. ISE alternates study with paid on-site placements at partner companies, and this is the first of those. Currently at Johnson & Johnson inside the Vision Care franchise as a GenAI Resident, prototyping GenAI tools for knowledge automation and productivity alongside KPI dashboards, process optimisation, and Power BI analytics work. Emphasis on secure, GxP-aware design: model validation, data governance, reproducibility, and auditability for healthcare contexts.