University choices - For a joint Maths and Computer science degree

[MAT525]

Hi,
DC is bright and at a Grammar school. Will probably be applying to one of the COWI universities for a Joint degree in Maths and Computer Science. Aware Cambridge does not do joint degrees.

Would love to hear people's opinion /or from anybody whose child is currently studying a joint degree in Maths and Computer Science on which other universities are highly regarded for a Joint Maths and Computer science degree. Especially in terms of teaching and job opportunities later.

Thanks.

https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/university-of-warwick-w20/courses/computer-science-bsc-hons-2025-b040a93861f8

We were looking into this and were shocked by the very poor students' rating of computer science at Warwick.

Well, therefore quite keen to find out about other Universities especially if someone has a child doing the particular course.

Anyone?

Anecdotal advice, DS is at Oxford and of all the students doing Maths in his College, only one was accepted for joint Maths & CS. According to DS, that particular student is off the scale genius and competition was especially fierce for that course.
That's all to say, make sure your DS has a good spread of Universities to apply to with some very realistic safeties, he's applying for one of the most competitive courses in the country.

Mine is doing CS and his best friend doing Maths at Warwick. Personally the overwhelming impression is that is very much a Uni for work not play. Leamington is lovely but quite a lot of them stay in the soulless dump that is the outskirts of Coventry so they can be in on time easily. Neither of them seem to have made many friends.

However both of them have had amazing opportunities to do internships and work within industry during the holidays. Second year DS has already got his name on one research paper and has the opportunity to do another.DS is putting out his CV already and employer's but seem very keen to meet him on graduation.

Although neither seems overly impressed with the course teaching ( to be fair neither has anything to compare it to) the stats for leavers do seem pretty good. I am hoping his social life improves when he has made his fortune though.

I have a friend who has a son on the first year of a Maths & Comp Sci degree at Bath and is enjoying it a lot. My friend has a masters from Imperial and runs his own AI consultancy so I think he's probably a decent judge of suitable courses. IIRC Edinburgh was another of his son's choices.

Dss is at the University of Manchester doing combined Computer Science and Maths. He's in his final year and has loved it. They do an industrial placement in y3 which has been the absolute making of him.

Mine has just started at Glasgow. We are in Scotland and he got 5 As at higher. He had unconditional offers for other places too including Edinburgh but chose Glasgow as they were the only one who offered MSci and not just the BSc (Hons) for the joint degree

CS and Maths is inherently a very satisfying programme, OP. All the suggestions above are good academically; it is a question of what DS wants and just how strong he is.

Many Joint Hons programmes are BSc versions with the presumption that you can specialise during an MSc should you desire. Would DS prefer a 4 year programme now?

What about the city vs campus question? Bath has a wonderful campus and is very sporty; Warwick has a very workmanlike campus. However although I know CS are having problems with their teaching ratings, the vibe on campus feels good and students’ overall experience of life there seems positive. Perhaps DS should visit?
IC is of course the epitome of city living with a high international population. Some are fine with all of that - or better still, are enriched by it - whilst others struggle. Glasgow Uni is in a fab part of a great city and has high student satisfaction. Manchester is grittier but that placement year sounds wonderful - though it may be available elsewhere.

Also, Birmingham punches well above its weight in CS. It is a real UK star with a beautiful campus. Lancaster has very good CS, a great campus in a great location, a collegiate system, and Maths that punches above its weight. Loughborough has some of the most innovative STEM Teaching and Learning in the UK. Either of these would be good for the fallback choice (everyone needs one).

If DS does well at any of these universities or a host of others, he can be optimistic about his career. The key isn’t so much being at one specific place, as taking advantage if the opportunities presented to you.