If you've already undertaken an undergraduate qualification in Computer Science, then chances are you have already experienced some portion of how diverse (and hopefully, if you're reading this, interesting) Computer Science can be.

The discipline is extremely wide ranging from the formal aspects of correctness, algorithms and languages, embedded systems, computer vision, artificial intelligence, databases, data mining and information retrieval, operating systems, communications and networking, through to human and business processes (software and requirements engineering) to the sociology/ psychology of how people interact, appropriate and use computers (human computer interaction). A postgraduate course in Computer Science will deepen your knowledge and enhance your employment prospects. Read on to discover how a postgraduate course in Computer Science can benefit you.

Today Computers are a fact of life, from multi-billion pound government sponsored IT projects, embedded systems in everything from the car to the humble toaster, and, of course, not neglecting the mobile phone or iPod in your pocket. We're experiencing a revolution - computers are not just bulky items sitting in air conditioned rooms or on our desktops, but the stuff that enables new forms of interpersonal communication and interaction, pioneers distribution of digital music and video content, fosters new types of games, art installations and interactive entertainment - not to mention the machinery that makes many modern businesses and social communities function. There is no longer a choice for companies of whether to 'be online' and have a web presence - this is an essential prerequisite for business in the 21st century. To many people, social life is not just face to face interaction, but the sharing of thoughts, music and video through online communities.

What is clear is that computers are now indispensable - and being skilled in Computer Science is a key enabler in fully participating in the IT world of tomorrow. Computer Science is a vital discipline - bursting with opportunity for innovation and creativity: whether you wish to deepen your knowledge and move beyond undergraduate level, challenge yourself, differentiate your CV from your peers or give yourself a solid underpinning for beginning a research career, then there will be a course to suit you.

There are a bewildering array of courses available, however, there are some general rules that will help you to select the course that best fits your background and interests. At the most course-grained level, postgraduate taught courses fall into two main classes: 'the advanced MSc' and 'the conversion MSc'. Both courses are typically 1 year in duration. The former assumes an existing background in Computer Science (typically BSc or equivalent), the latter is for those who may have no prior qualification in computing and wish to deepen their IT knowledge (e.g. to pursue a career path in Computing). The conversion course normally has a broad syllabus and is limited as to the depth it is realistic to achieve, but should provide a solid foundation of the most important concepts in the discipline.