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Written assessment Helping students prepare School/college reference Teachers' Newsletter Area links Events for teachers Application statistics Admissions research Frequently asked questions Getting here Contact us PQA consultation response Computer Science Undergraduate Study Courses Why Cambridge Colleges Finance Applying International Open Days and Events Find out more In view of the COVID-19 public health emergency, we may need to make changes to the course details outlined on these pages. Offers holders will be notified of changes. Please see this page for further information. Computer science is a fast-moving field that brings together disciplines including mathematics, engineering, the natural sciences, psychology and linguistics. Our course provides you with skills highly prized in industry and for research. Container Overview Computer Science at Cambridge Cambridge was a pioneer of computer science and continues to lead its development. There are more than 1,000 specialist computing and advanced technology companies and commercial laboratories in the area (known as ‘Silicon Fen'). A number of local firms and start-ups support our teaching and employ our graduates, in areas from chip design to mathematical modelling and AI. Our course is broad and deep – giving skills to create future technology. All aspects of modern computer science are covered, along with the underlying theory and foundations in economics, law and business. You also develop practical skills, such as programming (in various languages, eg OCaml, Java, C/C++, Prolog) and hardware systems (eg chip design using Verilog). Facilities and work experience Our students benefit from the Department’s cutting-edge research and extensive facilities. The purpose-built Department of Computer Science and Technology is packed with the latest technology, advanced lecture theatres, dedicated practical rooms, and even a café. Group projects during the course, where small teams of students deliver a product to an external client, ensure relevant industrial experience. Projects often lead to commercialisation, licensing or employment. Course costs Tuition fees Information on tuition fee rates for Computer Science is available on the tuition fees page. Additional course costs All years of study Required: A University approved scientific calculator - Estimated cost £23 Strongly recommended: A laptop is pretty much essential. A modern entry-level laptop for around £800 is sufficient, but we would recommend at least half the main drive is dedicated to a bootable Linux system, such as Ubuntu Year 1 (Part IA) Strongly recommended: Copies of core textbooks for Part IA options (students that don't have their own copies may be disadvantaged) - Estimated cost £150 Year 2 (Part IB) Strongly recommended: Copies of core textbooks for Part IB courses (students that don't have their own copies may be disadvantaged) - Estimated cost £150 - £250 Year 3 (Part II) Strongly recommended: Copies of core textbooks for Part II options (students that don't have their own copies may be disadvantaged), number/costs dependent on options chosen - Estimated cost £150-£250 Year 4 (Part III) Strongly recommended: Copies of core textbooks for Part III options (students that don't have their own copies may be disadvantaged), number/costs dependent on options chosen - Estimated cost £150-£250 Changing course It is possible to change from Computer Science to another course at the end of the first year or second year, although in practice students rarely do. To be able to change course, you need the agreement of your College that any change is in your educational interests, and you must have the necessary background in the subject to which you wish to change – in some cases you may be required to undertake some catch-up work or take up the new course from the start/an earlier year. If you think you may wish to change course, we encourage you to contact a College admissions office for advice. You should also consider if/how changing course may affect any financial support arrangements. Careers Our graduates’ knowledge and skills embody principles which will outlast today’s technology, making them highly sought after by industry and commerce alike. Many of our graduates go on to work as programmers and software development professionals, with others pursuing further study and careers in teaching and research. Many have also founded companies or gained employment in software, hardware, the games industry, finance, communications and commerce. To get an idea of what’s currently on offer to our graduates, visit our Supporters Club For further Computer Science undergraduate admissions information visit: www.cl.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate. Course Outline Course Outline Teaching is provided through lectures, practical classes and supervisions. In Year 1, you can typically expect 20 hours of teaching every week, including up to 12 lectures and practical classes. In Years 1 and 2, assessment is currently by three-hour examinations taken in the final term of each year. In Year 3, students are assessed by coursework and three-hour examinations. Practical work is undertaken and assessed in all years of the degree programme. Please note that successful applicants are required to do some preparatory reading and complete a pre-arrival online course before the start of the first term. Students will be sent details after their place is confirmed. Year 1 (Part IA) You take four papers, including three compulsory Computer Science papers - covering topics such as foundations of computer science (taught in OCaml), Java and object-oriented programming, operating systems, and digital electronics, graphics, interaction design - and the Mathematics paper from Part IA of Natural Sciences. Year 2 (Part IB) Core technologies and theories You take four papers, spanning core topics including: theory – including logic and proof, computation theory systems – including computer design, computer networking programming – including compiler construction, advanced algorithms applications and professionalism – including artificial intelligence, graphics, security You also undertake a group project which reflects current industrial practice. Year 3 (Part II) Specialisation You choose from a large selection of topics which allows you to concentrate on an area of interest to you, such as computer architecture, applications (including bioinformatics and natural language processing) or theory. New topics inspired by current research interests include cloud computing, data science and robotics. All students also work on a substantial project demonstrating their computer science skills, writing a 10,000 word dissertation on it. Projects are often connected with current Cambridge research and many utilise cutting-edge technology. Year 4 (Part III, optional integrated Masters) Research preparation The fourth year is designed for students considering a career in academic or industrial research. You explore issues at the very forefront of computer science and undertake a substantial research project. Progression to Part III is dependent on Part II examination achievement. Successful completion of Part III leads to the MEng qualification, as well as the BA degree attained at the end of Part II. For further information about studying Computer Science at the University of Cambridge see the Faculty of Computer Science and Technology website. Entry Requirements Typical offers and requirements A Level: A*A*A IB: 40-42 points, with 776 at Higher Level Other qualifications: See Entrance requirements and International qualifications. No prior knowledge of programming is required. Required by all Colleges: A Level/IB Higher Level Mathematics* Required by some Colleges: A Level Further Mathematics; IB Higher Level Physics Computer Science: Subject Requirements and Typical Offer by College All undergraduate admissions decisions are the responsibility of the Cambridge Colleges. Please contact the relevant College admissions office if you have any queries about College-specific requirements. See Entrance requirements and The Subject Matters for additional advice about general requirements for entry, qualifications and offers. * IB applicants are expected to take IB Higher Level 'Analysis and Approaches' for any course where Mathematics is a requirement. If this option is not available at your school, please contact the College that you wish to apply to directly for further advice and guidance. Admission assessment For 2022 entry, all applicants for Computer Science (including applicants to mature Colleges) are required to take the pre-interview Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA) on 4 November 2021, at an authorised centre local to them (for a lot of applicants, this will be their school/college). Please see the Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing website for information about registration deadlines, and check admission assessments for further details. Assessment format Paper 1: Mathematical Thinking multiple-choice questions. (75 minutes, no calculator) Paper 2: Mathematical Reasoning multiple choice questions. (75 minutes, no calculator) In addition to the pre-interview assessment, applicants to the following Colleges are required to sit the Computer Science Admissions Test (CSAT) at interview (see the Computer Science course website for further details): Gonville & Caius, Peterhouse, Queens’, Robinson, Trinity College. Please note that your performance in the pre-interview assessment will not be considered in isolation, but will be taken into account alongside the other elements of your application. Submitted work Applicants are not typically asked to submit examples of written work. Some may be asked by their College to do some reading in advance of their interview, but if this is required the College will provide full details in the letter inviting the student to interview. Resources Find out more about Computer Science at Cambridge Faculty of Computer Science and Technology - Explore Computer Science in more detail on the faculty website. Computer Science FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about the Computer Science course. Preparing to study Computer Science - Guidance on preparatory reading for applicants interested in Computer Science, as well as guidance on developing practical experience. Course Guide - A detailed guide to the Computer Science degree. First Year Options - You study a wide range of computer science topics and mathematics. Discover Uni Discover Uni data Contextual information Discover Uni allows you to compare information about individual courses at different higher education institutions. This can be a useful method of considering your options and what course may suit you best. However, please note that superficially similar courses often have very different structures and objectives, and that the teaching, support and learning environment that best suits you can only be determined by identifying your own interests, needs, expectations and goals, and comparing them with detailed institution- and course-specific information. We recommend that you look thoroughly at the course and University information contained on these webpages and consider coming to visit us on an Open Day, rather than relying solely on statistical comparison. You may find the following notes helpful when considering information presented by Discover Uni. Discover Uni relies on superficially similar courses being coded in the same way. Whilst this works on one level, it may lead to some anomalies. For example, Music courses and Music Technology courses can have exactly the same code despite being very different programmes with quite distinct educational and career outcomes. Any course which combines several disciplines (as many courses at Cambridge do) tends to be compared nationally with courses in just one of those disciplines, and in such cases the Discover Uni comparison may not be an accurate or fair reflection of the reality of either. For example, you may find that when considering a degree which embraces a range of disciplines such as biology, physics, chemistry and geology (for instance, Natural Sciences at Cambridge), the comparison provided is with courses at other institutions that primarily focus on just one (or a smaller combination) of those subjects.You may therefore find that not all elements of the Cambridge degree are represented in the Discover Uni data. Some contextual data linked from other surveys, such as the National Student Survey (NSS) or the Destination of Leavers in Higher Education (DLHE), may not be available or may be aggregated across several courses or several years due to small sample sizes. When using the data to inform your course choice, it is important to ensure you understand how it has been processed prior to its presentation. Discover Uni offers some explanatory information about how the contextual data is collated, and how it may be used, which you can view here: https://discoveruni.gov.uk/about-our-data/. Discover Uni draws on national data to provide average salaries and employment/continuation data. Whilst starting salaries can be a useful measure, they do not give any sense of career trajectory or take account of the voluntary/low paid work that many graduates undertake initially in order to gain valuable experience necessary/advantageous for later career progression. Discover Uni is currently piloting use of the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) data to demonstrate possible career progression; it is important to note that this is experimental and its use may be modified as it embeds. The above list is not exhaustive and there may be other important factors that are relevant to the choices that you are making, but we hope that this will be a useful starting point to help you delve deeper than the face value of the Discover Uni data. Course Film Computer Science at Cambridge Fact File UCAS Code G400 Course Duration Three or four years – BA (Hons) or MEng Colleges Available at all Colleges. 2020 Entry Applications per place: 12 Number accepted: 119 Department Open Days Check Department website for events. See also Cambridge Open Days. Related Courses Engineering Linguistics Management Studies (Part II course) Mathematics Natural Sciences Course Website www.cst.cam.ac.uk Course Email undergraduate.admissions@cl.cam.ac.uk Course Telephone 01223 763505 Cambridge Admissions Office Cambridge Admissions Office Student Services Centre New Museums Site Cambridge CB2 3PT 01223 333308 admissions@cam.ac.uk www.cao.cam.ac.uk About this site Our website Cookies Privacy policy Participant data and booking policies Contact us Sitemap Information for Teachers and Parents International students Disabled students Mature students Care leavers and estranged students © 2021 University of Cambridge University A-Z Contact the University Accessibility Freedom of information Terms and conditions Study at Cambridge Undergraduate Postgraduate International students Continuing education Executive and professional education Courses in education About the University How the University and Colleges work Visiting the University Map News Events Jobs Giving to Cambridge Research at Cambridge News Features Discussion Spotlight on... 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