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MRes Natural Computation

There is an increasing need from industry for professionals with knowledge of natural computation techniques. Graduates from the Natural Computation programme from University of Birmingham develop a solid foundation to pursue a research and development career in industry or further studies.

Quick Facts

  
Full-Time Duration: 1 year
Starting in: September
Tuition Fee: £26,040 per year
Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom

This multidisciplinary area is the study of computational systems that use ideas and gain inspiration from natural systems. The Natural Computation programme from University of Birmingham explores current topics in natural computation, such as evolutionary algorithms, co-evolution, evolutionary design, nature-inspired optimisation techniques, evolutionary games, novel learning algorithms, artificial neural networks and theory of natural computation.

The Natural Computation MRes is a Masters degree by research. This means that you are taught core principles and then develop these skills by doing interesting, innovative research, supported by academic staff and peers. This is structured so that you learn how to plan, organise and manage your time; you learn what it is to be a scientific researcher; you help contribute to the development of new knowledge; you learn intellectual skills such as argumentation, exposition, and reasoning; and you develop as an individual by improving your communication skills, writing, collaborative working and creativity.

The mini project module consists of a research project on the in-depth investigation of a chosen topic coming from industry (strongly encouraged) or academia.

Courses include:

  • Research Skills
  • Mini-project
  • MRes Thesis
  • Advanced Aspects of Nature Inspired Search and Optimisation (Extended)
  • Neural Computation
  • Intelligent Robotics
  • Intelligent Data Analysis
  • Machine Learning

“The transition from undergrad to postgrad can be a big step up in terms of workload and what is expected of you, but there is so much support available to you as a postgrad student, from academic writing support (if you’ve been out of education for a few years or just want a bit of extra help) to mental health and wellbeing services. The careers support is fantastic – the uni puts on employer fairs throughout the year and you have access to one on one support from the Careers Network team, who can help you develop your skills ready for your next step!”

Emma Sutton // PhD Psychology

Careers

Preparation for your career should be one of the first things you think about as you start university. Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal.

Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CVs and job applications will help give you the edge.

Requirements

  • A 2:1 Honours degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering, or another science or engineering subject with a significant computing component. Students who have not studied in English must pass a recognised English test. This is a highly selective Masters programme and only a limited number of places are available.
  • International students applying for this programme will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before the University can issue you with a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). We recommend that you apply for your ATAS certificate as soon as you receive an offer from us.

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