Welcome to the School of Computing and Mathematics

Computer Science

Computer Science is concerned with the application of computing to a wide range of problems. Computer systems are now vital to business, government, science and society, and there is much demand for graduates with the professional understanding and practical skills to harness software and hardware technologies to solve real-world problems and develop the systems of the future. Many of the recent advances in these areas can be attributed to developments in computing, and this trend is likely to increase in speed and impact.

The range of opportunities for graduates with computing skills continues to expand. Many of our graduates move into employment that is directly computing-related, for example as systems analysts, software engineers and consultants, working in the same context as Single Honours Computer Science graduates from elsewhere. In some cases the breadth of a Single Honours Computer Science degree is an advantage; in others the sector of employment is also related to another Dual Honours degree subject, which enables our students to offer a unique blend of skills to potential employers. A substantial number of graduates go on to study for higher degrees in a wide range of subject areas, at Keele and elsewhere.

What Keele Offers

Both BSc Single- and BSc Dual-Honours Computer Science courses are available. The Single Honours Computer Science course enables you to devote your studies full-time to the tools, techniques and underpinning theories that make the science and technology so innovative and exciting. It provides the greatest breadth of learning in the subject, and has been developed to meet the accreditation requirements of the British Computer Society (BCS).

The Dual Honours Computer Science course is suited to those students who would like to study Computer Science with a second subject (see list) in equal weight for three years and so gain a deep understanding of a domain that either compliments the discipline or to which they can then apply their computing knowledge, for example in their final-year project or subsequent career.

Both courses explore the theoretical underpinnings of the discipline and place an emphasis on practical computer programming and software development. They are delivered by the School of Computing and Mathematics.

Another option, which should not be confused with the standard Single Honours Computer Science course, is to specialise exclusively (or ‘major’) in Computer Science in the final year of an otherwise Dual Honours Computer Science programme. This route is referred to as “BSc Single Honours Computer Science (major)”. To apply for it, select G400 Single Honours Computer Science but indicate your choice of second science subject (indicated in the Dual Honours list with *) for years one and two in column 3f of your UCAS form. If instead you would like to study on the Single Honours Computer Science course, leave the field in column 3f blank.

All Dual and Single Honours Computing courses, including Computer Science, have a common first semester and common entrance requirements. This retains flexibility of choice during the first semester of your first year. There are no specific subject requirements for entry to our computing courses, and no previous experience of computing or computer programming is assumed.  The courses do not involve an advanced level of mathematics, and any mathematical knowledge needed beyond that taught at GCSE is taught as part of the modules included in the courses.

The content of final-year modules reflects and is informed by the research interests of teaching staff, discipline and industry trends and market requirements, giving students an opportunity to explore topics at the leading edge of the discipline.

Mathematics

Today, mathematics is used throughout the world as an essential tool in many fields, including natural science, engineering, medicine, and the social sciences such as economics and psychology. Applied mathematics, the branch of mathematics concerned with application of mathematical knowledge to other fields, inspires and makes use of new mathematical discoveries and sometimes leads to the development of entirely new disciplines. Mathematicians also engage in pure mathematics, or mathematics for its own sake, without having any application in mind, although practical applications for what began as pure mathematics are often discovered later.^[7]