MSc Advanced Computer Science with Placement

If you're looking to truly differentiate yourself in the competitive tech landscape, the two-year MSc Advanced Computer Science with Placement at Cardiff University is specifically designed to give you an unparalleled depth of practical experience. 

Your learning is a powerful combination of intensive academic study and professional application:

• One-Year Professional Placement: The cornerstone of this programme is a dedicated one-year paid industrial placement. You'll be supported by our dedicated Career Team to secure a role with one of our industry partners, where you'll work as a computing professional, applying your academic knowledge to real business challenges in areas like software engineering, data science, or cybersecurity.

• State-of-the-Art Specialist Laboratories: In your first year, you'll have access to our suite of specialist labs within the Abacws building. This includes the Cyber Security Lab for practical work in ethical hacking, the Data Science Lab, and the Human-Centred Computing Lab, all equipped with cutting-edge technology.

• Industry-Standard & Research Software: You will gain hands-on experience with the tools that drive innovation. This includes data science and deep learning platforms like Python with TensorFlow and PyTorch, big data tools like Apache Spark, and professional environments for advanced programming.

• Research-Led Teaching & Projects: You'll be taught by active researchers from groups like the Artificial Intelligence Research Group. Your first year includes collaborative projects that tackle challenges mirroring the cutting-edge work happening in our research centres.

• Substantial Individual MSc Project: Upon returning from your placement, you will complete a significant individual research project. This allows you to delve into a specialist topic, often inspired by your industrial experience, creating a sophisticated piece of work for your portfolio.

Graduates of Cardiff’s MSc Advanced Computer Science with a Professional Placement Year often move into roles such as Software Developer / Engineer, Systems Architect, Data / Knowledge Engineer, or IT Professional in R&D / Innovation roles. The placement year usually gives them stronger employability and an edge over those from non-placement programmes.

Progression & Future Opportunities:

Here are how the programme supports you, what you can expect after finishing, and the long-term benefits:

• University Services that Help Students to Employ:

  • Cardiff provides a Placement Support Officer dedicated to helping students find and apply for paid 7-12 month professional work placements following the taught stage of the MSc. 

  • The School of Computer Science & Informatics offers guidance on applications, workshops and events for placement readiness (e.g., CV/interview/preparing for work), plus support during the placement. 

  • Being taught in the Abacws building, with modern labs and research-led modules, helps you learn using current tools & environments employers expect. 

• Employment Stats & Salary Figures:

  • Official published salary data specific to this programme is not clearly listed in Cardiff’s public sources. However, the programme is structured to equip you with advanced technical skills plus real working experience, which typically leads to above-entry-level roles.

  • The paid placement year itself means you earn during that period, which helps offset living costs and adds quantifiable work experience to your CV. 

• University–Industry Partnerships:

  • While specific named companies for placement aren’t listed in the course page, Cardiff emphasises that students who secure placements will work in “professional work” settings, exposing them to realistic environments. 

  • The optional specialisms (complex systems, visual computing, data & knowledge engineering) align with current industrial/research trends, making the knowledge gained relevant to sectors investing in AI, big data, graphics / vision, etc. 

• Long-Term Accreditation Value:

  • The programme emphasises strong technical depth from the first day and research-led optional modules, which adds academic credibility. 

  • Completing a professional placement in addition to the taught MSc components helps make your qualification more attractive to employers in hiring/selection, especially in competitive markets.

• Graduation Outcomes:

  • On graduation, many students are well prepared for roles such as software engineer, data engineer, systems analyst, knowledge engineer, etc. The project (dissertation) after the placement lets you demonstrate advanced individual capability and specialization. 

  • Graduates also have the option to use this degree as a pathway into doctoral study / research roles, given the research specialisms offered. 

Further Academic Progression:

After completing the MSc Advanced Computer Science with Placement at Cardiff, these are some logical next steps to move your academic & professional profile forward:

• PhD / Doctoral Research in one of the specialism areas (complex systems, visual computing, data & knowledge engineering) or another computing domain you found interesting during the degree. The dissertation and research-led modules serve as good preparation.

• Specialist Certifications / Upskilling: After graduation, you might pursue certifications (e.g. cloud providers, AI / ML specialism, big data, security) to deepen your technical skills in niche areas.

• Professional Recognition: With a strong MSc plus placement, you’ll be in a good position to seek certifications or chartered status (where applicable in your region or industry) — which adds value in many tech professions.

• Industry / R&D Roles or Consultancy: Equipped with both theory and real work experience, you can enter R&D units, innovation teams, or take up roles that require you to be problem-solving, designing systems or working on cutting-edge tech.