Computer Science!

Chris1712 said:
Hard to explain, and varies wildly depending on institution. Really its the difference between working on computer/microprocessors INSIDE real things, like cars/planes/STUFF in general, or working with applications on Desktop PCs etc. Ofcourse thats a massive generalisation but you get the point hopefully. You would never get a CompEng grad working as tech support/server admin etc. that kinda thing.

The course itself will likely have more real content, like C/ASM programming, hardware/OS architecture and electronic engineering. Less 'fluff' like project management/java/webtech.
Click to expand...

Burnsy2023 said:
Computer engineering is building computers, from the electronics upwards. Computer science is more about what use they can be put to.
Click to expand...

Ah so is it like a mixture of Compute Science and Electrical Engineering eg. Robotics or something?

Personally I'm more interested in the software/programming side of CS, I'm not 100% sure about it though which is why I favour Computer Science over Software Engineering, which I find is more limiting.
 
bam0 said:
A proper Computer Science course wouldn't teach you any of the skills to be tech support/admin either.
Click to expand...

Your probably right, my only experience is with the CompSci course at UWE which appears to be carp. We had a module this year with a group project, half CompEng people and half CompSci. We pretty quickly decided to just make them do all the documentation etc. as they were completely incompetant with embedded/linux/c programming etc.

I think your best bet regardless is to carefully check over the courses ACTUAL content on the Unis website.
 
Read up on computer architecture and the fetch execute cycle ect, all that good stuff.Should give you a little bit of a head start if you don't already know about it.
 
Chris1712 said:
Your probably right, my only experience is with the CompSci course at UWE which appears to be carp. We had a module this year with a group project, half CompEng people and half CompSci. We pretty quickly decided to just make them do all the documentation etc. as they were completely incompetant with embedded/linux/c programming etc.

I think your best bet regardless is to carefully check over the courses ACTUAL content on the Unis website.
Click to expand...

Probably because CompSci isn't about writing ASM for Embedded Microcontrollers :rolleyes: (Although they deserve a kick up the arse if they can't write C)
 
Just finishing my first year; last exam on Tuesday!! :D

I agree that it's more focused on theory/design rather than actual programming. We did do a couple of units of procedural, object oriented and functional programming (C, Java, Haskell), but most were theory, architecture, a small unit on the origins of CS, 3 maths units.

If you've done programming before, the programming side shouldn't be that troublesome, maybe not until the second term anyway.

The maths units were mostly A level maths/further maths stuff with a few new things.

Theory I touched on before I came to uni so I knew some things, but most were newish.

And architecture stuff, some were new. Had to code in assembly.. that's horrible I'll tell you now lol.

I don't know which area I want to base my career on yet, but there's still a lot more to explore. Software engineering is a possibility but I'll see how it goes next year.

I enjoyed this year though. Should have probably revised more than I did, and will have to catch up in Summer :)

Girl guy ratio.. I knew it was going to be poor, but it's better than I thought when I arrived. Have about 130 doing the course, with about 10-15 or so girls.

As said, content/syllabus will change depending on the uni, as some will focus more on a certain topic, or not have any units at all.

A couple of the unis I was looking at didn't do any architecture at all, for example.

The uni I'm at (Bristol) is fairly balanced, with it leaning towards theory more.

I think programming picks up in 2nd year as the main language will be Java, and we won't have any maths units.

Basically, 1st year simple brings everyone up to a basic understanding on programming, maths, and the underlying principles of the theory behind computing because everyone would have chosen different A level courses and not all would have had the option of computing / further maths, etc etc.
 
explicit4u said:
Sooooo I'm thinking of doing Computer Science at uni (still have to get through A-levels first) and I just had a few questions and figured this would be the best place to ask.

Firstly, how did you find it? I have no problem working with computers 24/7 or doing loads of maths but I still don't really know what to expect! Would I be up all night programming or is it nothing like that?

How competitive is the Job market? Would I be better off doing a masters with an Industrial Placement to increase my chances of getting a decent job after?

MONEY! :D I know Computer Science is quite an 'open' degree so you can do loads of stuff with it, but is there an average salary statistic for Computer Science grads? If not what kind of post-grad jobs do people usually go for?

And finally, is there any other general advice or things I should know about computer science?

danke!
Click to expand...

As already said, the course outcomes of Computer Science at one university compared to another are disparate to say the least

A "better" Computer Science syllabus will cover modules that aim to develop your ability to design efficient algorithms independently of a particular programming language. You may study subjects that aim to help you understand how compilers of types of programming languages interpret code and proving the validity of code. You are also likely to cover a significant amount of logic (propositional, predicate) and AI.

There may also be a significant focus on the Software Development process; this is often what many consider to be the watered down portion of Computer Science. This usually involves modelling application designs in terms of UML, documentation, making steps towards developing maintainable/scalable software. This is easy if you have a level of common sense however many universities will cover this to death - while the syllabus has changed for earlier years, my university drilled this side of computer science into me for all three years. I must admit however that this side of the course is very practical in industry.

Job prospects can be good however it is definitely competitive. As with all courses these days you will need at least a 2.1 to open all possible doors for graduate jobs and to guarantee success, you will want to do plenty of computing related work (freelance, as a hobby, internships and placements) in your free time. You get a lot of free time during and outside of term time - do NOT waste it. This is not to say that you shouldn't be able to find the time to go out and have some fun :)

In terms of starting salaries, it varies a lot. In the corporate world and in London, graduate job salaries can take you painfully close to (and sometimes beyond) the 40% tax bracket however these are among the most competitive roles.

While they are popular, I personally couldn't justify an industrial placement. A similar (although briefer) amount of experience can be had by undertaking a summer internship (8-10 weeks) while allowing you to graduate in 3 years time rather than 4. I have a similar opinion about 4 year MSc courses - I had initially subscribed for a 4 year course but decided against it at the end of my 2nd year.
 
Last edited:
I finished my degree around a week ago. I dunno how it works at other universities but at Kent you get to choose your own module choices in the 2nd and 3rd year so you can specialise in what interests you. I done mostly programming with some security, AI/neural network and algorithms modules.
 
the only advice I'd give is don't just do comp sci because you like building computers. Its a very general degree and a lot of people have it. Don't get me wrong it is interesting but it might be more benefical to do a more specialist subject.

I ended up doing 'computer and network technology' instead of doing CS. It worked out well for me and was very hands on and practical, a lot of CS is academic theory which is useful for acadenmic and research environments.

My point being have a look at other computer related degrees and go to the best uni you can as there are a lot of peeps out there getting IT degrees
 
Jamie23 said:
Just finished first year today studying Computer Science at Newcastle (last exam was 7 hours ago :) ). I've found it on the whole very good. The modules have all been very interesting, quite broad at the moment, ie we learn programming, maths, computer hardware, programming for the web etc. but I think thats a good thing in first year and on the whole I've enjoyed them all. Obviously if you've programmed before you'll know what to expect from those type of modules but I did have to write some essays that I didn't really expect on certain subjects like new technologies for the future.

I do know people who do leave all the coursework to the last minute and end up programming all night, however you are given a deadline normally 4 weeks or so in advance so unless you leave it all to the last couple of days, normally it won't involve an all night session.

I'm currently enrolled to do a placement year, think the experience will look great on my CV afterwards and anyone I've talked to has said it was one of the most beneficial things they've done.

Can't really help on the salary side of things, would be interested to know myself actually :).

Good luck for the A-Levels! .
Click to expand...

I'm a final year student in the NCL Uni comp science school. In the Mill right now revising! :( . I carried out a placement year within my degree which was fantastic! Best thing I've done! Get in contact with me or ask Riddle about 'The GSK 3' ;)
 
J.B said:
the only advice I'd give is don't just do comp sci because you like building computers. Its a very general degree and a lot of people have it. Don't get me wrong it is interesting but it might be more benefical to do a more specialist subject.
Click to expand...

Theoretically CompSci shouldn't be a general subject. It's the study of algorithms, data structures, compilers etc. It's an academic subject really, the practical counterpart would be Software Engineering. Either degree is a foundation for a Programmer.
 
Thanks for all the info so far guys :D

sldsmkd said:
Theoretically CompSci shouldn't be a general subject. It's the study of algorithms, data structures, compilers etc. It's an academic subject really, the practical counterpart would be Software Engineering. Either degree is a foundation for a Programmer.
Click to expand...

So you can still do Software Engineering (as a job) with a Computer Science degree?
 
Do a degree that give you a placement.
Narrow it down to specific field
cybernetics / robotics / security / algorithms / embedded / games

Degree's don't make you stand out,
It's just saying i have a 1st / 2:1 I'm not a retard

Real world experience counts.
 
I think this applies for any university course: find some free videos of university lectures for that subject and see if they take your interest. Loads of universities (particularly American institutions) have free videos available on youtube, itunes etc. It's just a matter of finding them - in fact even if you're not applying to university they're worth a look just because they often cover fascinating subject areas. Then when applying make sure the universities you're applying to cover the subject areas relevant to your interests.

As far as computer science vs. computer engineering is concerned: To the best of my understanding computer science is, as mentioned previously, the study of algorithms, data structures and the underlying theories of computation (not necessarily on a computer, but in general). Computer science degrees however vary fairly wildly by institution, at somewhere like Warwick it's my understanding that the degree is more or less an applied mathematics subject and then you get ex-polys and other lower-rated institutions who typically focus on the applied side of computer science (the courses in this case basically border on IT). Of course many institutions prefer to try to strike a balance between the practical and theoretical sides of computer science.

Those more theoretical courses basically give you the tools to understand how to create some logical process to solve some problem, but it's up to you to get a good understanding of how to practically implement that solution. Possibly more importantly, it's up to you to demonstrate to any future employers that you can practically implement such things as a computer science degree by itself doesn't necessarily do that, it just shows you know a lot about how to compute things. I think the argument there being computer science is more 'future proof' than a seemingly technology focused degree is, because so long as you have a good understanding of the theory behind computation, the rest is just programming language syntax.

Computer engineering on the other hand is, again to the best of my understanding, something in between electronic engineering and computer science. I expect in such a degree you'd do a lot on the physical structure of microprocessors and the like but that's just speculation on my part. I try not to think about it too hard because I couldn't do physics at A-Level and I suspect this subject would be of interest to me. :p

I'd guess the difference is that while a computer engineer might design a microprocessor, the computer scientist then writes some software for that microprocessor, then the IT guy uses that software.

Edit: And I should probably add I'm applying for computer science (my firm is Nottingham) at the moment.
 
Last edited:
Yep ensure you do a placement as it will go a long way and may even land you with an easy post-graduation job.

I went to Aberystwyth which I would recommend other than the trip there. I have friends that have gone elsewhere and I would say I have noticed a big variation in the quality of courses available.
 
kayomani said:
Yep ensure you do a placement as it will go a long way and may even land you with an easy post-graduation job.

I went to Aberystwyth which I would recommend other than the trip there. I have friends that have gone elsewhere and I would say I have noticed a big variation in the quality of courses available.
Click to expand...

+1 for Aber =P
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom