Computer Science
UCAS Code: G400
Bachelor of Engineering (with Honours) - BEng (Hon)
Entry requirements
GCSE/National 4/National 5
3 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above, including English and Maths.
UCAS Tariff
from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent).
About this course
Your future career starts here. Learn to design and build computer systems on this Cambridge-based course, gain in-demand skills in our virtual NetLab and take up placement opportunities with world-leading local high-tech companies. Accredited by the Chartered Institute for IT and the Institution of Engineering and Technology, this three year degree course leads to Incorporated or Chartered Engineer status. Choose specific modules and apply for Cisco Certified Network Associate status after you graduate.
Your course has a new home in Compass House, which extends our campus along East Road. With the latest technology at your fingertips, you'll be able to collaborate with other students on innovative projects to hone your skills.
Computer scientists don’t use computers like most of us do. Instead, they use them as tools to address important scientific questions, and to solve real world-problems. Computing can be amazingly diverse, including computer design, graphics, artificial intelligence, gaming, software engineering, programming and applications development.
Our course has been designed to offer you a wide choice of career options when you graduate. As you study, you can choose to focus on the core elements of computer science, or to specialise in areas such as software development, mobile applications, computer security, cloud computing, network administration and technical support.
You’ll benefit from being based in Cambridge, home to the largest cluster of technology firms in Europe. Recently named the 'Best UK city to work in' you'll have lots of opportunities to gain relevant work experience locally and after graduation can expect an average salary of £35,000. (Glassdoor 2016). You'll also benefit from talks with industry experts who are regularly invited to give guest lectures and seminars.
You’ll spend lots of time in our computing labs, including a Cisco lab with hands-on routing and switching equipment and our virtual Netlab, offering 24/7 remote access to our Cisco equipment. You’ll have access to Microsoft Imagine Premium’s professional developer and designer tools, VMware IT Academy’s virtualisation software and tools, plus mobile devices for testing and developing mobile applications.
It’s not just about technical skills, though. You’ll learn to work effectively as a team member and become an independent thinker and a creative problem-solver who's aware of the social, moral and ethical issues relating to the impact of computers on our lives. You’ll also be given the opportunity to participate in computing related social and educational activities with your peers. Students have previously taken a day trip to Bletchley Park as part of their course.
Our course has been developed in partnership with professional bodies, the Cambridge Network, and national and international employers. By choosing particular modules, you can apply for Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) status after you graduate.
This programme is CEng accredited and fulfils the educational requirements for Chartered Engineer when presented with an accredited MSc. In addition, the programme meets the educational requirements for registration as an Incorporated Engineer.
This degree has been accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, as well as the IET, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, both under licence from the UK regulator, the Engineering Council. Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). An accredited degree will provide you with some or all of the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills for eventual registration as an Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (CEng). Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.
Modules
Year one, core modules
Computer Systems
Fundamentals of Design
Introduction to Programming
Core Mathematics for Computing
Operating Systems
Year two, core modules
Computing Research Methodologies
Database Design and Implementation
Digital Security
Interaction and Usability
Network Routing
Software Engineering
Year two, optional modules
Digital Data Storage and Transmission
Network Services Engineering
Object Oriented C++
Year three, core modules
Data Structures and Algorithms
Final Project
Image Processing
Professional Issues: Computing and Society
Year three, optional modules
Artificial Intelligence
Distributed-Systems Programming
Computer Graphics Programming
Ethical Hacking and Countermeasures
Internet Services, Data Analytics and the Cloud
Mobile Technology
Digital & Network Security Forensics
Advanced Network Solutions
Assessment methods
Throughout the course we’ll use a range of assessment methods to help measure your progress. Besides exams, these will include group work, presentations, case studies, laboratory tests and projects.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Cambridge Campus
Computing and Technology
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Computer science
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Computer science
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
This is a newly-classified subject area for this kind of data, so we don’t currently have very much information to display or analyse yet. The subject is linked to important and growing computing industries, and over time we can expect more students to study them — there could be opportunities that open up for graduates in these subjects as the economy develops over the next few years.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Computing
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£21k
£25k
£29k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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