Computer Science 2026

[SherlockJones]

DS is in y12 and we have been to a few open days recently as he is hoping to study computer science stating Sept 26. He is doing Maths, CS and Economics A-levels and we have looked at Reading, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Royal Holloway so far.

We also plan to visit York and Cardiff when the open days start again in Sept/Oct. He would like a campus uni.

I think he is predicted an A in CS and Bs in Maths and Economics.

Does anyone have any experience of rhe unis henis looking at or any advice in general?

Thing about AI is most people working in the field do not have degrees in AI. They have degrees in Psychology, Maths, CS. Very few in Ai.

@tonty That’s my concern. That it’s not as solid a choice. Although the degree does seem to cover a lot of the same content as cs degrees but with much more specialism.

Hi all
I am a software engineer with 25+ years experience with a daughter doing computer science at Liverpool.
So thought I would wade into this debate 😬 if I may.

AI is being widely used by businesses to generate code, even the more conservative ones are taking it up. However, in my experience the use of AI is limited to experienced SW engineers who have the knowledge to review the AI output and validate it. So the core computer science skills are still needed and will be for some time to come. Junior engineers will still need to know how to code and be able to review and apply what the AI tools generate. So specialising in AI in the final year would is what I have recommended to my daughter, plus by that point they might have found another aspect to the course they enjoy doing more e.g cyber security and could change their specialism up to the beginning of year 3.

As for Liverpool accommodation. We applied really early, got none of our first choices and daughter ended up at Greenbank when she really wanted to live near the uni and city. The accommodation is lovely, just a pain to have to get buses all of the time, which are quiet often unreliable and really full.
However, there is plenty of non-university places/options available and she has a flat right in the city centre for next year. The first year goes by really quickly so even if Greenbank isn’t their choice, there are plenty of options for the following years.

Hope this helps

Thank you @sleepdeprivedby2. That’s really helpful. Looks like thus particular course only specialises in year 2 and there are other options at that stage as well. Lots to think about.