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BSc (Hons) Computer Science and Mathematics

Study complementary subjects to become fluent in both.

Year of entry: 2024/25

UCAS code

GG41

Institution code

Y50

Length

3 years full-time

Typical offer

AAA (full entry requirements)

Start date

September 2024 (semester dates)

UK (home) fees

£9,250 per year

International and EU fees

£28,800 per year

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Discover York

in the Russell Group for 'Assessment and feedback'

of institutions included in the National Student Survey 2023 for mathematics

in the Russell Group for 'Teaching on my course'

of institutions included in the National Student Survey 2023 for mathematics

Study both computer science and maths in this combined course. The skills you gain from both disciplines will make you highly employable across a range of sectors.

Computer science is founded upon maths, and the study of the two together allows you to explore topics core to both while gaining an insight into how they intersect. 

Maths influences computer science, from designing and analysing efficient computer programs to developing formal proofs that a piece of software does what was intended. This is especially important, for example, if the software is being used to fly a plane.

Increasingly, computer science is also being used to find solutions to mathematical issues. Computers are used to solve long-standing mathematical problems, as they can help visualise complex numerical data, search for solutions, and make number manipulation faster.

Software lab virtual tour

Our software labs offer spaces for individual and group work.

The labs are used for seminars and practical sessions and are fully equipped with the latest software to support your studies.

Twice the expertise

Work with world-leading tutors and researchers in two highly-regarded academic departments

14th in the UK

for Mathematics (Complete University Guide 2023)

Course content

You will gain a thorough grounding in both computer science and maths in your first two years, introducing the fundamental concepts in both subjects while gaining an insight into the interplay between the two. In your final year you can choose to weight your studies towards either subject. Your individual project can be in either subject.

Study abroad

 There are opportunities for you to spend time abroad during your course: 

Placements

You can apply to spend a year in industry as part of this course.

Year 1

Your first year contains essential fundamental material in programming and computer architectures. You will study the mathematical and theoretical foundations of computer science. You will also learn how to increase your employability prospects, including improving your presentation style and exploring the professional issues in computer science.

Core modules

Academic integrity module

In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.

Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff.

Learning by design

Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Students who complete this course will be able to:

  • Confidently and competently apply computational and mathematical thinking to problems, using skills in problem analysis, representation and abstraction, and the application of standard mathematical and computational techniques, including the theory and practice of programming and software engineering. 
  • Critically analyse statements, arguments or conjectures that underpin the theory of Mathematics and Computer Science, and justify the principles chosen for such critiques. 
  • Adapt to new and unfamiliar challenges in Computer Science and Mathematics, recognising appropriate ideas and approaches drawn from a range of technologies, languages, paradigms, models and mathematical theories.
  • Conduct an independent investigation into a specialised area of Mathematics or Computer Science, by gathering material from a variety of sources, and synthesising this material into a well-organised and coherent account, or effective solution to a user-specified need. 
  • Work effectively in a team, formulating and fulfilling obligations towards achieving goals by managing workloads, setting and meeting deadlines, and optimising resources. 
  • Communicate complex ideas in Computer Science and Mathematics in a clear and organised manner, at a level appropriate for the intended recipients, and also present an effective summary of these ideas. 
  • Appreciate the wider context of Mathematics and Computer Science and their individual components, develop an awareness of issues such as information security and system reliability. 

Excellent facilities

Our modern, self-contained building houses four software laboratories, two hardware laboratories and a range of social learning spaces.

Committed to equality

We are proud to hold an Athena SWAN Bronze award in recognition of the work we do to support gender equality.

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees

UK (home) International and EU
£9,250 £28,800

UK (home) or international fees?

The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Fees for subsequent years

  • UK (home) fees may increase within the government fee cap in subsequent academic years. We will notify you of any increase as soon as we can.
  • International fees are subject to increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).

More information

For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.

Additional costs

There are unlikely to be any mandatory additional costs associated with the course, although you may want to set aside £200 for optional photocopying and personal stationery over the duration of the course.

Funding

We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2024/25 throughout the year.

Living costs

You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.

Teaching Excellence Framework Gold Award

Gold-standard education

Our teaching, learning and student experience is outstanding, recognised by a Gold rating from the Office for Students in the 2023 national assessment (Teaching Excellence Framework).

Why we’re gold-rated

Teaching and assessment

You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Teaching format

A typical week will involve about 10-15 hours of scheduled teaching time. Our courses are based on a series of one-hour lectures with associated laboratory sessions, programming classes and tutorials.

Throughout the course, you will have a personal supervisor responsible for guiding your studies. In addition to any timetabled sessions, you will meet with your supervisor regularly, and you can also go to them at any time should you have any issues, academic or personal. There are problem classes to help you put learning from lectures into practice and weekly one-to-one project supervisions in your final year.

You will also undertake learning outside of the scheduled timetable. This can be through working in the labs, through reading recommended materials or by working through problems. Consequently, you'll need to be self-motivated, self-disciplined and willing to learn outside regular classes.

As you progress through the course you will develop your skills to become a more independent learner. You'll also spend time working on your individual research project later on in the course, in addition to timetabled activity; you will be allocated a project supervisor, with whom you will have regular meetings in addition to timetabled sessions. You can go to your supervisor for support and advice regarding your project.

Timetabled activities

In your first year, you can expect:

Lectures4-6 hours per week
Tutorials0-2 hours per week
Problem classes2-4 hours per week
Workshops0-2 hour per week
Practicals3-6 hours per week
Optional activities0-3 hours per week

These figures are representative of a typical week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.

Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.

In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.

Facilities

Built to the highest specifications, the Department of Computer Science is packed with cutting-edge facilities housed in a modern, self-contained building.

Computer Science houses four software and two hardware laboratories which you will be able to use depending on the topic of your third year project. These facilities are professional grade and used by our research teams so, depending on your interests, you'll get first hand exposure to these environments.

The Department of Mathematics is a community of mathematicians from all over the world, engaged in world-class research and committed to excellence in teaching with a special emphasis on small groups and a friendly atmosphere.

Teaching location

The Department of Computer Science is based on Campus East and the Department of Mathematics is based on Campus West. As a result, you will be taught at locations across campus. 

About our campus

Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.

Assessment and feedback

We use a variety of assessment techniques throughout your course. This allows you to practice different techniques, from report writing, presentations and live demos to timed programming assessments and closed exams. It also means that you are not disadvantaged by being assessed in any one way.

To aid your learning we provide feedback on your assessments in addition to the marks you receive. 

We ask our students for feedback on the course at the end of each year. This helps to improve and modify what we do to help meet the needs of our students.

Careers and skills

The move towards a digital economy creates demand for computer scientists and software engineers across a broad section of employers, so the skills you develop here will make you attractive to many organisations.

Many of our graduates are employed by software and electronics industries, but the continuing expansion of the use of computers in commercial and financial operations means that you will be able to find employment in other industries - and here your sharpened numeracy and analytical skills will have prepared you well.

Career opportunities

  • Computer programmer
  • Software engineer
  • Software developer
  • Business analyst
  • Research scientist
  • Network manager
  • IT Systems manager
  • Banking and financial services
  • Computing and IT
  • Law
  • Engineering
  • Logistics
  • Telecommunications

Transferable skills

  • Analytical skills
  • Research skills
  • Management skills
  • Communication skills

Entry requirements

Typical offer
A levels

AAA including Mathematics

Access to Higher Education Diploma We accept the Access to Higher Education Diploma. The syllabus must contain a significant portion of Mathematics that is considered equivalent to A level standard. Applications will be considered on an individual basis - please contact the Department before you apply.
BTEC National Extended Diploma DDD and grade A in A level Mathematics (or equivalent qualification). We consider applicants with a combination of other BTEC Level 3 qualifications, and this must include a grade A in A level Mathematics (or equivalent qualification). Please contact us to discuss your combination of qualifications.
Cambridge Pre-U D3, D3, D3 including Mathematics
European Baccalaureate 85% overall, including 85% in Mathematics
International Baccalaureate 36 points overall, including grade 6 in Higher Level Mathematics (either Analysis and Approaches or Applications and Interpretations).
T levels We are currently not accepting T Levels for this course unless an additional A Level (or equivalent qualification) in Mathematics has been taken.
Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers Advanced Highers - A in Mathematics plus Scottish Highers - BBBB

We may also be able to consider three Advanced Highers or a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers, where an applicant does not meet the grade requirement through Highers alone. Please contact us to discuss your qualifications.
International foundation programme Foundation Certificate from our International Pathway College or an appropriate alternative.
Other qualifications We welcome applications offering a mix of OU, A level and other appropriate qualifications. Applications will be considered on an individual basis: please contact the Department before you apply.
Other international qualifications Equivalent qualifications from your country

Additional requirements

We require a qualification in a physical science; for example, a GCSE at grade 4 (C) or above in Physics, Double Science, Combined Science: Trilogy, or Science and Additional Science.

Alternative offers

Meeting the following additional criteria may qualify you for an alternative offer.

Criteria Adjustment
Widening participation If you successfully complete one of the following programmes, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to three A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer: Black Access Programme, Next Step York, Realising Opportunities, YESS, YorWay to York. More about widening participation.
Contextual offers If you have experience of local authority care or live in an area with low progression to university, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to two A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer. More about contextual offers.
EPQ We recognise the value of this qualification although it will not be included as a condition of entry. It may be taken into consideration when you receive your results.

English language

If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:

Minimum requirement
IELTS (Academic) 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component
Cambridge CEFR 176, with a minimum of 169 in each component
Oxford ELLT 7, with a minimum of 6 in each component
Duolingo 120, minimum 105 in each component
GCSE/IGCSE/O level English Language (as a first or second language) Grade C / Grade 4
LanguageCert SELT B2 with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component
LanguageCert Academic B2 Communicator with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component
KITE 459 Main Flight score with 426 in each component
Skills for English B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component
PTE Academic 61, with a minimum of 55 in each component
TOEFL 87 overall, with a minimum of 21 in each component
Trinity ISE III Merit in all components

For more information see our undergraduate English language requirements.

If you haven't met our English language requirements

You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.

The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.

After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.

Applying

To apply to York, you will need to complete an online application via UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

Next steps

Contact us

Get in touch if you have any questions

Learn more

Department of Computer Science, Department of Mathematics

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