MSc Digital and Technology Specialist

In this module, you will develop critical knowledge and skills in Innovation in Business and Technology.  Typical topics covered in the module include; understanding the typology of innovation, how firms leverage internal and external resources to compete in the digital environment, and how to plan for innovation in your organisation. This module prepares students to think about innovation activities in the context of their IT specialism as well as the wider organisation and business ecosystem.

In this module, you will develop a critical knowledge and skills in Technical & Digital Leadership.  Typical topics covered in the module include; understanding the art and science of leading engineering and technology organisations and how to leverage a combination of individual capabilities and technology management practices and tools to deliver business impact and performance. This module addresses a critical gap in the learning and career development of future leaders operating in complex technological environments.

In this module you will engage in a major applied research project, which demonstrates your ability to:

• Undertake an extensive academic literature review
• Develop evaluative skills and research outcomes in Digital & Technology Solutions
• Apply them in your workplace context
• Critically analyse the implementation and recommend potential future improvements.

The module shall commence with a coverage of the research oriented skills required to undertake such a project, before the direction of the project is tailored towards your specific workplace requirements.

In this module, you will develop critical knowledge and skills in Software Engineering.  Typical topics covered include; software life cycle models, agile development, continuous integration and source control, organising development projects, object-oriented modelling and test driven development – all areas considered to be essential for a Software Engineering professional.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the first of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the second of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

In this module, you will develop knowledge and skills in Object Oriented (OO) Applications.  Typical topics covered include; Analysing real-world software systems challenges and development of structured solutions, object oriented analysis and design methodologies, graphical object oriented software modelling and associated tools, key object oriented design concepts and features such as data abstraction, classes and class hierarchies (inheritance), polymorphism, encapsulation  and implementing OO solutions in modern object oriented programming languages.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This module requires you to engage in a recognised CPD programmes relating your specialist pathway and reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery.
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice.

In this module, you will develop a critical knowledge and skills in Data Analytics.  Typical topics covered in the module include; Scalable data management architectures, data-parallel problems in e-science, patterns and technology for exploiting cloud infrastructure on data-parallel problems, graph databases and their application to social media analysis, and scalable real-time data processing – all areas considered to be essential for a data analytics professional.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the first of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework

Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the second of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

In this module, you will develop a critical knowledge and skills in databases.  Typical topics covered in the module include; Data modelling, database management, relational databases, relational database languages: relational algebra, transaction management and recovery, concurrency and normalisation – all areas considered to be essential for an IT professional.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This module requires you to engage in a recognised CPD programmes relating your specialist pathway and reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

In this module, you will develop critical knowledge and skills in Cyber Security.  Typical topics covered in the module include; Developing appropriate security policies and network architectures to minimise the threats from network intrusion, producing strategies to minimise risks of security breaches in a range of network environments, analysing the shortcomings of a range of security strategies, techniques used to penetrate a Web application, assessing the different types of threat posed by different classes of hacker and by different categories of malware, applying the principles of key cryptography and message digests, providing appropriate access controls and authentication techniques at different levels.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the first of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the second of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

In this module, you will develop critical knowledge and skills in Technical and Network Security.  Typical topics covered in the module include; physical attacks, DNS, queries and resolvers, DNS poisoning, ARP, principles, spoofing and poisoning, network and port scanning, network packet factory, firewall and Intrusion Detection technologies, web security: server side (SQL, Xpath and code injections), web security: client side (Phishing, XSS), email security, anonymity and privacy (networks), public key infrastructures (networks) and denial of service.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This module requires you to engage in a recognised CPD programmes relating your specialist pathway and reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

In this module, you will develop a critical knowledge and skills in Enterprise Architecture.  Typical topics covered in the module include; Business resilience and requirements: organisation-wide solutions identification and quality maintenance of agile systems development, Data architecture: the design and implementation of Solution architecture for database administration, Infrastructure: design and planning for hardware and infrastructure, considering flexibility and scalability, Risk assessment of IT systems: network, digital-assets infrastructure and information security plus Architecture implementation, change management and organisational governance.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the first of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the second of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

In this module, you will develop knowledge and skills in Technical Architecture.  Typical topics covered in the module include; Typical technical architecture found in businesses, including:

• End user devices
• Operating Systems
• Applications
• Databases
• Servers
• Communications infrastructure
• Security
• Middleware

Low level technical architecture including:

• Pipelined CPU architecture, Caches: associativity, allocation and replacement policies, sub-block placement, Dependence in loop-based programs: dependence analysis, parallelisation, Implementations of shared memory and Graphics processors and ‘manycore’ architecture.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This module requires you to engage in a recognised CPD programmes relating your specialist pathway and reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

In this module, you will develop critical knowledge and skills in Ops Management (Cloud).  Typical topics covered in the module include; An introduction to the Cloud and Cloud Computing; Virtualisation at both the Desktop and Server levels; Common cloud types which include SaaS, PaaS and IaaS; Benefits and disadvantages of cloud computing; Security considerations with respect to the Cloud; Managing resource consumption in the Cloud; Storage and archiving in the Cloud and Creating scalable deployments.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the first of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the second of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework

Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice.

In this module, you will develop critical knowledge and skills in Linux, Networking & Scripting.  Typical topics covered in the module include;

• What is UNIX? Origins and variants.
• Architecture and purpose, working with Linux/Unix main shell:
• BASH, navigating the file system and manage files and directories, understanding the client/server nature of X Window System and X applications, editing files using vi and GUI editors,
• Manipulating data with a selection of filter tools, using redirection and piping techniques, performing basic administrative tasks, controlling processes, file systems, job scheduling, and simple networking and backups and reading and writing simple BASH scripts
• Automating networking tasks using scripting tools and languages.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This module requires you to engage in a recognised CPD programmes relating your specialist pathway and reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

In this module, you will develop a critical knowledge and skills in DevOps.  Typical topics covered in the module include; Use of agile and other development processes and methodologies, How to reconcile demand for an increased rate of production releases from application and business unit stakeholders, Virtualised and cloud infrastructure from internal and external providers, alongside Data centre automation and configuration management tools  – all areas considered to be essential for a DevOps professional.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the first of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This is the second of two core modules in which you shall engage in a recognised CPD programme relating to your specialist pathway and to reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework

Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice

In this module, you will develop critical knowledge and skills in Linux, Networking & Scripting.  Typical topics covered in the module include;

• What is UNIX? Origins and variants.
• Architecture and purpose, working with Linux/Unix main shell:
• BASH, navigating the file system and manage files and directories, understanding the client/server nature of X Window System and X applications, editing files using vi and GUI editors,
• Manipulating data with a selection of filter tools, using redirection and piping techniques, performing basic administrative tasks, controlling processes, file systems, job scheduling, and simple networking and backups and reading and writing simple BASH scripts
• Automating networking tasks using scripting tools and languages.

A key element of your journey towards becoming a Digital and Technology Specialist is your ongoing skills development.   This module requires you to engage in a recognised CPD programmes relating your specialist pathway and reflect upon how such learning can be embedded back into the workplace. To enable this we will consider the following areas:

• Identification of a relevant skills need and subsequent CPD programme, embedded into your module delivery
• Design and presentation of a Professional Practice Log using appropriate reflective framework
• Strategies to embed learning from your CPD into practice