Undergraduate Courses

Undergraduate Courses

BA Mathematics and Computer Science

This joint degree offers the opportunity to combine an appreciation of mathematical reasoning with an understanding of computing and its ability to solve problems on a large scale. Mathematics is a fundamental intellectual tool in computing, but computing is increasingly also a tool in mathematical problem solving.

The course concentrates on areas where mathematics and computing are most relevant to each other, emphasising the bridges between theory and practice. It offers opportunities for potential computer scientists both to develop a deeper understanding of the mathematical foundations of their subject, and to acquire a familiarity with the mathematics of application areas where computers can solve otherwise intractable problems. It also gives mathematicians access to both a practical understanding of the use of computers, and deeper understanding of the limits on the use of computers in their own subject.

This is a three-year degree with exams at the end of each year.

Entry to the course is via the usual undergraduate admissions procedure Candidates apply to one of the colleges that offer Computing Science as a subject and are interviewed and selected by that college.

The first two years of the course are spent in getting a firm grounding in the core topics from both subjects; students are then free to choose options from a wide range of Mathematics and Computing subjects.