BSc Artificial Intelligence (Including Foundation Year)

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly important in addressing complex problems faced in many different aspects of our society, including economics, business, healthcare, medicine, education and agriculture. With recent developments in AI techniques and large-scale computing infrastructure, the exploitation of big data further pushes forward on all fronts. This rapid advance leads to a growing demand for students who can understand and exploit AI.

Our BSc Artificial Intelligence (including foundation year) course is open to Home and EU students. It will be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entrance requirements for the three-year version of this course and you want a programme that increases your subject knowledge as well as improves your English language and academic skills.

This four-year course includes a foundation year (Year Zero), followed by a further three years of study. During your Year Zero, you study four academic subjects relevant to your chosen course as well as a compulsory English language and academic skills module.

You are an Essex student from day one, a member of our global community based at the most internationally diverse campus university in the UK.

After successful completion of Year Zero in our Essex Pathways Department, you progress to complete your course with our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering.

Our BSc Artificial Intelligence (including foundation year) course aims to prepare you for meeting this demand. You will obtain a comprehensive perspective of the current developments, the needs and the potential of AI by learning about AI models, algorithms, and systems.

You'll be equipped with solid knowledge of computer science and will gain a strong understanding of theoretical and practical aspects in AI. You will also gain expertise that is in huge demand within the UK industry, and will be made competitive within a plethora of recruiting sectors in the country and beyond.

Throughout the course, you will study a range of topics such as:

• Computer science
• Artificial intelligence
• Data science
• Machine learning
• Natural language processing
• Computer vision
• Robotics

You'll also be able to take specialist modules in order to pursue your own interests and develop your knowledge in these areas. You are able to learn several programming languages and apply your knowledge across a range of AI applications.

• Use our world-class research facilities, such as our Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) lab and our Robotics Arena.
• Work alongside our academic staff who actively conduct cutting-edge research in AI and its related fields.
• Choose a range of specialised optional modules to develop your own interests in AI applications.

Previous university/college study is required in addition to local high school qualifications for our Undergraduate Bachelor degree courses.

We accept a number of international qualifications, including the International Baccalaureate with the majority of our courses requiring a grade 30 or above or the SATR with the majority of our courses requiring a minimum of 1100 out of 1600 with 550 in each test.

The course will give you transferable skills such as the ability to develop and present arguments, as well as the ability to work independently and in groups. With a skillset that combines both technical and analytical know-how from our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, you will be able to find employment in very competitive institutions in a wide range of disciplines.

Read more about computer science and electronic engineering career destinations here.

UCAS

Applications to UCAS are open for 2023-24 entry. Applications are made online via the UCAS Apply and UCAS Hub, where you will be charged a small fee for processing your application. Here you will be able to fill out your details, upload your personal statement, choose the universities you would like to apply for, and track your application status.

It’s important that you complete your application fully to give us all the information we need to make a decisions as quickly as possible. A few key things that we will need are:

• Details of all qualifications, including those you may have not finished yet and any predicted grades
• Your personal statement (we have some tips for this)
• A suitable reference – if this is not provided or does not meet our requirements this may be a condition of any offer made and will be required before your place can be confirmed.

The UCAS code for Essex is ESSEX E70. Our individual campus codes for our Loughton and Southend campuses are ‘L’ and ‘S’ respectively. There is no campus code for Colchester – please leave this blank in your application.