Computer Science

• Why study Computer Science?
• Course structure and content
• Teaching
• What do our students think?
• How to apply
  • Subject requirements: what do I need?
  • TMUA (pre-registration required)
  • Interviews
  • Offers
• Helpful resources
• Come to an Open Day or Webinar
• Want to know more?
   

Why study Computer Science at Christ's College?

Christ's is a few minutes' walk of Mill Lane where first-year lectures for Computer Science are held. The College also provides a modern library, a theatre, sporting facilities, playing fields, social activities and clubs and societies open to all.

Course structure and content

The Computer Science course (or ‘tripos’) is a four-year degree, and you can choose from a range of options in the first year.

Please visit the University website for full details of the Computer Science course content and structure.
 

Teaching

Christ’s’ Fellows possess a range of expertise that covers the full spectrum of the Computer Science course, so you can expect strong, informed teaching.

• Professor Richard Mortier: Christ’s Director of Studies in Computer Science and University Lecturer in the Systems Research Group at the Cambridge University Computer Lab
• Professor Marcelo Fiore: Professor in Computer Science and a member of the Programming, Logic and Semantics Group
• Professor Ian Leslie: Professor of Computer Science and a member of the Systems Research Group
• Professor Steven Murdoch: Professor of Security Engineering at UCL and bye-fellow at Christ's College.

Christ’s College Director of Studies in Computer Science Prof Richard Mortier can advise you on choosing options and arrange your twice-weekly ‘supervisions’. These small-group teaching tutorials offer support and tuition tailored to your personal work. As other universities usually tutor in much larger groups, this approach is a real advantage of a Cambridge education.

Our students enjoy the fact that Christ's College is just a few minutes’ walk from Mill Lane, home of first-year Computer Science lectures.
 

What do our students think?

Read about the experiences of some of the Christ's Computer Science students:

• Becca
• Dylan
• Simeon
• Henry
• Matt 

If you’d like to hear from other Christ's students, please watch the Christ's student Q&A film, and visit our Student Profiles page.
 

How to Apply

Visit How to Apply for full details and a timeline of the application process. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and school types, all over the world. If you're applying from outside the UK, please read our international students section.

Subject requirements

We particularly welcome applications from candidates with a strong background in mathematics and/or science.

• A-level, IB Higher Level or Scottish Advanced Higher Mathematics (or an equivalent) is essential. IB students must take Maths Analysis and Approaches and students in the USA system should take AP Calculus BC.
• A level candidates offering A- or AS-level Further Mathematics are likely to be more competitive than those without. If your school does not offer Further Maths, you may be able to get support from the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme. See how to take Further Mathematics and the helpful resources section below. Students in the scottish system should see the advice here.
• It is desirable to take A-level, IB Higher or Scottish Advanced Higher (or equivalent) Physics and/or Computer Science.

The university publishes statistics on the profile of recent successful applicants for Computer Science including the percentage of A level candidates taking Further Maths, Physics and Computing. To find these, go to the university Computer Science course information, click on the entry requirements tab and scoll down to the grey box at the end of the page.

Admissions Assessment (pre-registration required)

All students applying to the University of Cambridge for Computer Science sit an admissions assessment called the Test of Mathematics for University Admissions (TMUA). This takes place in your school, college or local testing centre. The same assessment is used regardless of which College you apply to, and preparation information is provided on the website above. The test forms part of our holistic admissions process: there is no set score that we are looking for. When applying, it is important to be aware of the registration and assessment dates:

*Please note that open centres may set an earlier deadline for accepting entries, and it is your responsibility to check if this applies at your centre. There will also be an earlier deadline if you need a modified paper (e.g. enlarged print).

Information about the assessment, including sample papers and subject content, is available on this How to Prepare page, and any further information is accessible via the entry requirements tab in the university course information.

Interviews

If we invite you for interviews, these usually take place in early December. For the last three years interviews have been online and students have been interviewed either at home (in most cases) or at school (if easier). Those invited for Cambridge interviews are normally interviewed for 35-50 minutes in total. At Christ’s, we usually split the time into two interviews with academics in Computer Science.

Further, more general information about interviews (including two useful films) is available in the Cambridge interviews section, and it's worth also having a look at supervisions (short film here), as interviews are similar to what you do every week as a Cambridge student.

Offers

Christ's College does not have fixed quotas of places for different subjects and the exact numbers admitted in any one year will depend upon the strengths of the fields of applicants in various subjects.

Our typical conditional offer is A*A*A at A-level, 42 points overall in the IB with 7,7,6 in Higher Level subjects, A1,A1,A2 in three Scottish Advanced Highers, or the equivalent in other qualifications although the precise terms of each offer are assessed individually.

If you are an international applicant taking qualifications other than A-Level / IB / Scottish Advanced Highers, do look at the international students section for further information. If you will have already finished school when you apply, please see the page for post-qualification applications.
 

Helpful resources

Come to an Open Day / Webinar

Our open days and events page advertises regular online opportunities as well as events you can attend in Cambridge. If you can, sign up for a College Open Day (our October, February and September events normally include a meeting with a subject specialist). Between February and August we run regular webinars:

• Subject Matters: The importance of post-16 subject choices (this one is also run Sept - Nov)
• Cambridge for Beginners
• Christ's College: A look at the Grounds and Facilities
• Personal Statements and preparing for an application

Further subject-specific opportunities you might wish to consider include Subject Masterclasses organised by Cambridge Admissions Office, and subject-specific talks in the July Cambridge Open Days. If you are a UK student from a background where there is little tradition of entry to Higher Education, you can apply to attend a Sutton Trust Summer School in Computer Science or to shadow a current undergraduate studying Computer Science via the Cambridge SU Shadowing Scheme (do be aware that there's a high proportion of applicants to places for both of these last two opportunities so please don't be discouraged if you don't get a place).

Want to know more?

For a full picture of what the course involves, please take a look at Undergraduate admissions in Computer Science on the University website and visit the Computer Science department page. If you have any queries, please send them to admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk and we’ll help however we can.

Undergraduate Admissions main page / Back to the subject list / How to apply / Why choose Christ's?