Mr Martin McKinney  Head of School

Thank you for choosing a course in computing at the University of Ulster on the Coleraine campus. You are now a student in the School of Computing and Information Engineering, which is part of the Faculty of Computing and Engineering.

As you may already have noticed, the Coleraine campus is spacious and set in attractive grounds. The surrounding area is also very scenic, making this one of the most pleasant places to study in the UK. Being a resort area, you will also find plentiful out-of-season accommodation that is well presented and modestly priced.

In the School, we hope that you will be pleased by the high standard of computing equipment that you use in your course. Equally important, however, is the very personal approach that we take to supporting your education. The School has a reputation for encouraging a friendly, family atmosphere in which students feel comfortable contacting us for assistance whenever necessary.

Computing is an exciting, rapidly changing, widely influential subject area. Almost everyone is a computer user on a daily basis—either directly in the workplace or indirectly through use of equipment in which computing devices are embedded, such as mobile phones, cameras, and even refrigerators! The Internet, in particular, has been a significant influence in bringing computer usage to people of all ages in the developed world. The possible use of computers seems endless, which guarantees a need for those who can develop, maintain and exploit computing systems. Careers here range from programming up to systems analysis, and will vary with the type of application involved. Typical applications include business and financial software, Internet systems, device controllers, and digital games.

One of the challenges in being a successful student is in finding the right balance among the competing demands for your time. You will want to obtain a good degree but should also take advantage of the many activities available in the University and local area. We expect you to make significant progress towards your future career but it is also an opportunity to enhance your broader life skills. We hope that you do this successfully throughout the course and enjoy the journey to graduation.

Martin McKinney
Head of School of Computing & Information Engineering

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