Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (with integrated year in industry)

Why study Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at Aberystwyth University?

• Employability is embedded in the structure of this degree.
• You will have access to mobile and aerial robots, vision and motion tracking systems, micro controller systems and laser scanners.
• You will have access to dedicated Linux, Mac OS X laboratories and central servers.
• You will be taught by lecturers who have close links with the industry and software engineering conferences.
• You will have access to robotic equipment including Arduinos, mobile robots and sailing robots.

Our Staff

Almost all of the Department of Computer Science Lecturers and Teaching Fellows are qualified to PhD level, and those who are not have considerable research or industrial experience. All new Lecturers and Teaching Fellows are required to obtain the PGCTHE, and hence are Senior Fellows or Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. The department also employs a number of part time demonstrators and tutors and some student demonstrators, who are selected from our undergraduate and postgraduate students. Research fellows and research assistants (mostly PhD qualified) may also be involved in delivering occasional teaching when it is appropriate.

Our degree prepares you for a variety of careers:

• software design
• communications and networking
• computer applications
• web development
• IT consultancy and management
• systems analysis and development
• education.

What skills do I acquire from this degree?

Employability skills are the core values of our degree.

As part of your degree you will be required to take part in a first year residential weekend where you and other students will have work in teams to solve problems.

This activity will encourage and improve:

• communication skills
• analytical skills
• time management
• working independently and as part of a team
• organisation skills
• implementation skills
• research skills
• technical skills.

Industrial Year students have the opportunity to join a second year residential weekend concentrating on skills to help you find a great placement. This includes:

• CV skills
• interview practice
• networking with employers
• online presence.

What will I learn?

The breakdown below will provide you with an illustration of what you may study during the four year degree scheme.

In your first year you will be introduced to:

• programming
• computer infrastructure
• web development
• problems + solutions.

In your second year you will discover:

• C and C++ and environments
• software development lifecycle (This module will allow you to take a role which exists in the industry i.e. project manager, designer etc, you will be required to produce a working software product, following best current industrial practice at every stage.)
• robotics and embedded systems
• artificial intelligence
• data structures and algorithms.

In your third year, you will be taking part in your work placement, with the assistance of the department. By the end of this placement you will have the knowledge and understanding to make a substantial contribution in the workplace, and you will also return to University with a greater sense of motivation.

In your final year, you will undertake:

• ubiquitous computing
• machine learning
• space robotics
• professional issues in the computing industry
• an individual project, where you will develop a piece of software in an area of particular interest to you
• a range of further electives to specialise in areas of your choice.

How will I be taught?

Our enthusiastic staff will teach you through the medium of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practicals and individual/ group based project work.

• You will be assessed through a combination of coursework, practicals, projects, workshops and examinations
• You will be assigned a personal tutor throughout your degree course, who will help you with any problems or queries, whether these are academic-related or personal issues. You should feel free to contact them at any time for help and advice
• You will also have the opportunity to complete a Personal Development Plan (PDP) at Aberystwyth. This is a structured process of self-appraisal, reflection, and planning, which will enable you to chart your personal, academic and professional development throughout your time at university. By recording your academic performance, and highlighting the skills you already have and those you will need for future employability, the PDP portfolio will equip you with the necessary tools to plan effectively, develop successful approaches to study, and consider your future career options and aspirations.

AI & Robotics is great because it not only gives you the most concrete feedback that what you're doing works - by a robot moving how it's supposed to, or even just a single sensor or motor behaving properly - it also feels the most creative, because you're creating something that can respond to any kind of environment or input, and even learn how to respond to things it's never seen before. Mathew Hathaway