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MSc Web and Mobile Development Technologies

1 year Full-time classroom

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Response to Covid-19: As a result of Covid-19 and social distancing requirements, we are intending to teach this course using a mix of on-campus and online teaching. For students unable to travel due to travel restrictions in place in their country, students will be able to start online and join us when travel to London is possible. More information about our response to Covid-19 and FAQs are available here.

*The MSc Web and Mobile Development Technologies is due for revalidation in October 2021. We anticipate changes to the course content and modules. Please refer to this course page for the latest information. Once changes are confirmed, we will notify applicants and update the website at the earliest opportunity.

Overview

The aim of the MSc Web and Mobile Development Technologies is to provide you with a firm grounding in strategic web development skills, with a specific focus on mobile development and user experience.

The programme is designed to help you develop the lifelong skills needed to rise to the challenge and opportunity of emerging technologies and engage in an area which is notoriously high risk and has an increased potential of unreliability. The course aims to empower you to understand the current shape of emerging technologies in web, mobile and cloud and to develop lifelong learning skills.

You will study the core skills required to gain a deep understanding of contemporary web development, industry practice and analysis which forms the basis of next generation technologies. This programme also focuses on mobile development and web development skills needed to succeed in the cutting edge of technology.

Key facts

  • Study a masters programme that has been designed in consultation with industry partners
  • Develop technical skills the design, development and testing of web and mobile applications
  • Satisfy the educational requirements of the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT for purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP)
  • Also available as a part-time programme
About this course

What will I study?

To accelerate your learning, the programme exposes you to theories and principles relating to emerging design, development and testing web and mobile applications, User Experience/User Interface (UX/UI) design processes, principles of mobile technologies, architectures, protocols, tools & techniques and the apps development and deployment processes. The programme also provides an  in-depth coverage of the fundamental concepts, principles, technologies and techniques of the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT).

The programme will also cover emerging cloud computing techniques and its ability to meet the rapidly developing demands of cloud infrastructure, in-depth coverage and understanding of the fundamental concepts, principles, technologies and techniques of Web and Mobile application security using industry standards.

You will learn to utilise theories and principles as frameworks for reviewing, reflecting on, analysing and critiquing, where appropriate, existing individual and organizational practices; as well as providing new knowledge and skills which will enable enhanced and more appropriate practices to be developed.

During the programme you will also develop independent research skills to manage risk and identify, recommend and deploy relevant technologies both now and in the future.

How will I be taught and assessed?

You will be taught through a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops and directed study, totalling between 12-14 hours per week.

You will also be expected to engage in independent study involving directed and self-directed learning, between 38-40 hours per week.

Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is embedded throughout the course with tools such as the ‘Blackboard’ eLearning Portal and electronic reading lists that will guide your preparation for seminars and independent research. Computer labs equipped with software are also used for practical sessions.

This course is 100% assessed via coursework. A range of assessment methods are used, including assignments, presentations and group work.

Career and further study

This Masters programme has been designed in consultation with partners from industry to ensure you learn up-to-date computing knowledge required by employers across the industry. Graduates from the programme will be equipped to work in a variety of careers in the IT industry or to progress to academic or research-orientated careers.

The qualification is designed to accelerate skills and competence in a range of job roles, including roles such as

  • Leadership and management in IT
  • Cloud Architect
  • Web Security Analyst
  • Software Engineer
  • Web Designer and Developer
  • User Experience Designer and Developer
  • Usability Tester
  • Mobile Application Design
  • Developer or Cloud Architect

Upon successfully completing your course, you may undertake further professional development and training through Professional Pathways programmes. These are offered to our graduates for free, from our partner, QA. Find out more about Professional Pathways and your eligibility.

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Applicants should have the following:

Academic requirements

  • A good honours degree (2:2 or above) or equivalent, ideally in a computing-related discipline.
  • Relevant qualifications and/or work experience will be taken into consideration where the applicant has the judged potential to benefit from the programme. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Programme Leader and relevant module tutors where appropriate.

Please visit our entry requirements page for country-specific qualifications.

English language requirements

  • IELTS 6.5 (with no component below 5.5), or equivalent.

If you have IELTS 5.5 – 6.0, you may be eligible to join our Pre-Sessional English before starting this programme.

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All modules on this course are core.

This module enables you to understand, learn and develop with emerging web engineering techniques and standards that are supported in all modern browsers. You will learn how to design and develop web applications together with techniques to connect with databases. Furthermore, you will be able to demonstrate the practical skills and engineering principles around a suite of connected technologies including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP and SQL. This will enable you to create high performance web applications without the need for plugin technology and with reduced calls to servers.

This module introduces UX/UI principles and develops practical skills to enhance understanding of user and device capabilities along with the ability to demonstrate professional level skills in planning and presenting workflow and interactions in web/mobile/desktop domains. Additionally, there are opportunities to develop abilities in critically evaluating systems and applying broader concepts e.g. ethical, accessibility, social and legal consideration.

In summary, this module will cover the following aspects:

  • Core Concepts: Usability; Cognitive Limitations; Content Considerations; User Psychology; User Centred Design; Goal Directed Design
  • Implementation and Mental Models: Implementation Models; User Mental Models.
  • Wireframing and Prototyping: The Lifecycle of Wireframes; Low Fidelity Wireframes; High Fidelity Wireframes; Information Design; Navigation Design; Interface Design

This module will enable you to critically analyse the concepts and principles of mobile technologies, architectures, protocols, tools & techniques and the apps development and deployment processes. You will learn and critically review theory and background to the topics including emerging standards and industry practices. The module will also enable you to critically analyse the emerging software engineering techniques being used to meet the rapidly developing demands of mobile infrastructure and you will create industrial strength mobile apps with a mobile platform e.g. Android. Furthermore, you will be able to critically reflect and evaluate mobile design, implementation, quality assurance and deployment processes.

Please note there is an additional cost to this module of $25* to host an application on Google Play store.

*subject to change

This module will provide you with an in-depth coverage and understanding of fundamental concepts, principles and technologies in Cloud Computing through use of industry leading technologies together with an appropriate distributed processing environment. The module will cover a number of topics including distributed computing, hardware infrastructures, software infrastructures, data centre facilities and virtualization. The module will also enable you to critically analyse the emerging cloud computing techniques and their ability to meet the rapidly developing demands of cloud infrastructure. The concepts introduced in lectures will be reinforced with the help of extensive hands-on use of commercial cloud provider technologies e.g.  Amazon (AWS), Microsoft (Azure), Google.

The main objective of this module is to provide you with an in-depth coverage and understanding of the fundamental concepts, principles, technologies and techniques of Web and Mobile application security. You will cover number of topics including security models, web and mobile scanners, SQL Injections, Cross Site Scripting, Broken Authentication and Session Management, Insecure Direct Object References, Cross-Site Request Forgery, Security Misconfiguration and Insecure Cryptographic Storage. Furthermore, you will gain practical experience in both initiating and defending against attacks on web and mobile applications.

The main aim of this module is to provide you with an in-depth coverage of the fundamental concepts, principles, technologies and techniques of the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT). The module will cover a number of topics including Sensing Technologies – Sensors & Actuators, Machine-to Machine (M2M) Communication, IoT Messaging Protocols – CoAP, MQTT, REST, AMQP, Websockets, Hardware Development Boards and Software Platforms for IoT, IoT and Cloud Computing – Application Development and Integration, Security and Privacy for IoT, Society and Business Impact of the IoT. Additionally, this module will provide you with specialised knowledge and hands-on practicals covering IoT. Furthermore, you will learn critical aspects of professional, legal and business issues related to IoT

This module will equip you with the knowledge and practical skills necessary for you to conduct research at Masters’ level and prepare you to complete a Master’s dissertation. This module aims to develop your ability to carry out research at level 7.  As such you will learn how to engage with and critically review research literature and from this to develop relevant research objectives and questions as part of a research proposal.  In addition, you will learn about, and be able to critically evaluate, different research methodologies open to you to address different research objectives and questions.  On the basis of this you will be able to make justified choices of research strategy.  You will be also be equipped with the practical skills needs to execute and write up a coherent piece of significant research relevant to your MSc. Through the module you will be made aware of the ethical principles that govern academic research.

The aim of this module is to enable you to undertake a substantial academic research project at Masters level and present the results from this work in both written and oral forms. Your project itself will be a major piece of independent and original research centred at the forefront of your programme discipline within the wider sphere of the computer science and digital technologies field.

You will experience the full life cycle of a research project from initial conception and development of a research proposal, through a critical review of the literature, planning, design, implementation and analysis of your main research project, to final evaluation, reflection and dissemination. You will be expected to consider and address the professional, ethical, legal and social issues related to this academic research project. You will also be expected to apply your expertise, project management and practical skills within your particular domain of computer science and digital technologies and demonstrate critical and innovative thinking and problem solving within a research environment.

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Tuition fees 2020/21:

  • UK/EU students: £7,170
  • International students: £15,500

Please note that your tuition fees do not include the cost of course books that you may choose to purchase, stationery, printing and photocopying, accommodation, living expenses, travel or any other extracurricular activities. As a Northumbria University London Campus student, you will have full access to our online digital library with over 400,000 e-books and 50,000 electronic journals.

The modules you will study do not require you to purchase additional textbooks although we recommend you allow an additional £200-250 for the duration of your studies should you choose to purchase any additional reading materials.

Please note there is an additional cost to host an application on the Google Play store of $25 (subject to change) as part of the compulsory Module 3: Mobile App Development. There is also an additional cost of £40-£60 to acquire the relevant IoT kit for the Internet of Things module.

Payment plans

We offer an interest free monthly payment plan available to all self-funded students after payment of your deposit.

Government Loan for Masters study

If you are a UK or EU student, you may be eligible for a postgraduate loan of up to £10,000+ from the UK Government. Click here to find out more about the loan and whether you are eligible to receive it.

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How to find out more

Enquire now to find out out more information about the course, studying with us, the application process, and to ask any other questions you may have.

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How to apply

You can download a PDF application form and email it to london.admissions@northumbria.ac.uk.

We strongly recommend that you submit your application as early as possible to allow you to complete all of the preparations needed to study your programme. Please refer to the Dates and Fees page.

Supporting documents

For us to assess your application in a timely manner, it is important that you provide us with the following documents:

  • Fully completed application form
  • Personal email address must be included on the application form
  • Transcripts and/or certificates (including a certified translation if not in English)
  • Passport – copy of personal details page
  • Proof of financial sponsorship if applicable
  • Details of two referees
  • Confirmation of immigration history including copies of previous and current visas if applicable
  • An attached CV is desirable

You can check more information on how to apply here, including guidelines for the application forms.

Course information

Level of study:
Postgraduate
Fee:
UK/EU Fee: £7,170 International Fee: £15,500 (20/21)
Entry requirements:
A good honours degree (2:2 or above) or equivalent, ideally in a computing-related discipline
English language requirements:
IELTS 6.5 (with no component below 5.5), or equivalent
Mode of study:
Full-time classroom
Duration:
1 year
Assessment methods:
Coursework
Scholarship or bursaries:
Available
Student finance:
Available
Payment plan:
Available
Starts:
September, January 2022
Next application deadline:
TBC

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