See also:
This page is written by the department undergraduate admissions tutor for Computer Science at Queen Mary (University of London), Matthew Huntbach. The job of the department admissions tutor is to check applicants have the necessary qualifications to join the department's degree programmes, and to decide which applicants will be made offers of places. Enquiries on non-academic matters, such as fees and accommodation, should be made to the college's admissions office.
The aim of this page is to answer some of the questions commonly asked by people applying, or thinking of applying to our Computer Science degree programmes, and also to clear up some common causes of confusion.
Although some of the advice here is general, much of it is specific to the Computer Science department. You should not assume that other departments at Queen Mary handle admissions in the same way as us, nor should you assume that admissions to a degree programme in another department at Queen Mary entitles you to transfer to Computer Science. Undergraduate degree programmes run by the Computer Science department are listed here. Please note that though some other departments at Queen Mary run computer-related degree programmes, we are not responsible for them, and you will need to contact those departments if you have any queries on their programmes.
Recruitment to postgraduate degrees in Computer Science at Queen Mary is also handled entirely separately.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions about the
admissions process to Computer Science degrees at Queen Mary which aren't
answered here. You can contact the admissions tutor by
email, telephone (020 7882 5216), or
in writing.
What should I do before applying?
It is important that you thoroughly research your options before deciding
whether to apply. First of all, you need to be sure you want to do a degree
in the first place. Don't feel forced into doing it because you feel society
or your parents expect you to. Don't expect a degree to give you the
sort of training in specific systems that a commercial certification
course would. Don't forget that mature applicants are
welcome, so there is nothing wrong with getting a little experience with
the world first rather than applying straight from school.
Secondly, make sure you understand what Computer Science is as an academic subject, and that you really want to do what a Computer Science degree involves. This is particularly important because many people expect a Computer Science degree to be similar to what they have done in school under the title "Information Technology", or similar to what they have been reading about in the many glossy magazines devoted to hobby use of computers, and are surprised to find it is very different. In particular, please note that however fascinated you may be with using computers, that isn't really what Computer Science is about. It's about designing these fascinating applications and writing the computer programs that make them work. If your motivation to do a degree in Computer Science is that you enjoy using word processors, drawing packages, spreadsheets and other such applications and want to learn about them in more detail, you will need to reconsider your plans since that is not what we are about.
Thirdly, look at how Computer Science is taught at Queen Mary and elsewhere, and make sure that our approach to Computer Science is the one you want to follow. University departments are free to choose their own approach to subjects, and set their own assessments, thus a degree is very different to school qualifications such as A-level where schools across the country follow a nationally set syllabus. Each university department which teaches Computer Science will have its own specialities, and its own approach ranging from the very theoretical to the very practical, or from a systems emphasis to an applications emphasis. We believe our degree programmes offer a good balance between all possible approaches, but check for yourself first! Many people do not realise that university staff spend as much time on research as they do on teaching, and the research interests of a university department will often influence how it teaches its subject, particularly in the more advanced course units.
To help you make a more informed choice, there is a page of useful links
here.
What is the difference between Computer Science and
Software Engineering/Information Systems/etc ?
"Computer Science" has become established as the standard name for our
subject, although many would agree it is not an ideal name. Some would
say the "Computer" in it is misleading, because it is more about
the instructions a computer obeys (i.e. the "software") than the
actual machinery of the computer (the "hardware"). Some would say the
"Science" in it is misleading, because it is more about constructing
software than making observations of the natural world, so "Engineering"
would be better. For this reason, you will sometimes see degree programmes
similar to our Computer Science called "Software Engineering".
In the Computer Science world, however, "Software Engineering" is
usually used to mean a specialist aspect of Computer Science which
looks in particular at the practical problems of managing large-scale
production of software systems. A course unit in Software Engineering
in this sense is a core part of our degree. Sometimes you will see the
subject called "Computing" rather than "Computer Science", but this does
not indicate a significant difference in material covered.
A good introduction to Computer Science as an academic subject can be found
here.
Although written for another university, what it says about the subject
gives an indication of what it involves at Queen Mary and other academic
universities.
"Computer Engineering" is sometimes used as a name for degree programmes which have much more of a hardware emphasis than Computer Science degrees. This sort of degree is generally given by Electronic Engineering departments rather than Computer Science departments. Specialist study of topics like networks will also be covered in more detail in Electronic Engineering departments. A Computer Science degree like ours has some coverage of hardware and network issues, but it is not the main emphasis of our degree programmes. If you are looking for something which is more oriented towards hardware and communications systems, you might find it in Queen Mary's Electronic Engineering department.
You will also often see degree programmes with titles like "Information Systems" or "Information Technology". These tend to be more about the use of software in a business environment, with less emphasis on creating software and the technical aspects of computation. Again, a Computer Science degree like ours will have some coverage of topics covered in more detail in Information Systems degrees, but it is not our main emphasis. Queen Mary does not have a separate department specialising in Information Systems. You need to be aware that while in the education world "Information Technology" tends to have this separate meaning, employers and the business world generally uses the term "Information Technology" to cover everything involving computers, including the production of software and hardware issues.
In general, you should be aware that there is not a hard division
between these various related subjects. It is often the case that the
only difference between two different sounding degree programmes is
a minor choice between some individual course units, with most course
units shared. It is also often the case that two degrees with the same title
in different universities differ markedly in their content. It is best to do
a bit of research into the individual course units that make up a degree,
which you can usually find in web pages and sometimes prospectuses, rather
than make assumptions based just on its title.
I am interested in game design / artificial intelligence / multimedia / etc,
should I do a degree in it?
You will sometimes see degree programmes advertised in specialist areas
of Computer Science, shading off into other subjects. For example,
artificial intelligence shades off into areas such as linguistics and
psychology, multimedia shades off into art and design, and so on. If your
real interest is more in the other subject than Computer Science, that may
be the best option for you. If you have a special interest in some
area of Computer Science, you will often find a good general degree in
Computer Science is the best option, providing a good foundation for
whatever you may wish to specialise in at a later date, and flexibility
to change and adapt as your knowledge of the subject
increases. Our degree programme contains course units which introduce
some of these specialist areas of Computer Science.
However, in order to demonstrate some of the specialisms we cover in
Computer Science at Queen Mary, we have introduced two specialist
degree programmes which will take their first entrants in 2004.
We also have a long-running specialisut degree programme in Computer
Science and Linguistics taught jointly with the Modern Languages
departments. See below
for details.
What jobs do your degrees lead to?
Most of our graduates obtain jobs in the software industry, initially
as programmers or analysts. Some also obtain general management or
financial positions. Details of companies employing some recent graduates
and the positions obtained in those companies can be found
here.
Do you run part time / distance learning degrees?
Although Queen Mary has an
Open and Distance Learning unit which offers degrees in
Computer Science, currently these are run only in conjunction with certain
partner organisations, and only those associated with them may apply.
Otherwise, our degree programmes assume you will put full time
commitment into your studies. You will be expected to be available
whenever requested during working hours on week days in term time.
Although you will find if you become a student with us that your
actual timetabled hours - lectures, labs and tutorials - add up
to less than the 35-40 hours a week someone in full-time employment
would be expected to work, in order to succeed on the degree you should
expect to make up the balance in your private study. We accept that these
days it is not uncommon for students to have part-time jobs, but they
should always be fitted in around your study requirements. We do
not expect our students to fit in their degree around outside
work commitments.
Do you offer HND qualifications?
No. All our teaching is to degree or postgraduate level.
Do you run short training courses?
No. This sort of training is done by
Computing Services
at Queen Mary. They are the non-academic department which
provides computer support to other departments at Queen Mary, including
specific training requirements. Although their courses are intended
primarily for students and staff at Queen Mary, they are open to others.
We can occasionally offer places on some of our course units to undergraduates from other departments who wish to include them as a part of their degree. However, our course units are intended to be an integrated part of a Computer Science degree, and are unsuitable to those who just want introductory training in computer usage.
Otherwise, there are many commercial organisations which offer training
in various computer systems. This is not at all like a degree in
Computer Science. A degree in Computer Science is about the general
principles of computing and software design. Although it will involve
practical use of systems where these are useful to illustrate the
principles, it is not intended to offer in-depth study of any particular
system. However, understanding the general principles means you can
easily adapt to whatever systems exist in the future, and will have a
much firmer foundation than is given by superficial training in whatever
is currently on the market.
What are the fees?
The Computer Science department plays no part in the administration
of fees - that is the responsibility of Queen Mary's central
organisation, and you can find details
here.
The decision over whether a student is classified as "home" or
"overseas" is not made by the department admissions tutor, and cannot be
influenced by the department admissions tutor. Unfortunately, the
Computer Science department does not have any scholarships to offer
to overseas students. We do have one bursary which is open to home
students and is given to the winner of our
Web Competition.
How do I apply?
Having said this, of course we would not want to encourage applicants
to leave it until the last minute before submitting their UCAS forms.
So if you have done your research, made up your mind where you want to
apply to, and written a good personal statement, don't delay in filling
up your UCAS form and submitting it to your referee to write the reference
and send it off.
What qualifications do I need?
Computer Science at Queen Mary is an academic degree, so we can only
give places to those who can demonstrate through formal qualifications
that they have academic ability. The UCAS form gives space to list the
qualifications you already have and those you are currently taking. It is
important that you fill in these sections accurately and correctly,
they will be the main thing we use to decide whether to offer you a place.
Please note that if you are untruthful about previous qualifications
obtained, that counts legally as fraud and will result in automatic
rejection or withdrawal of any offer made if discovered at a later date.
The page Entrance qualifications for Computer Science at Queen Mary gives more details on the sort of qualifications we require. However, it is unlikely we will be able to offer you a place unless you have some qualifications showing mathematical ability.
Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to
offer an interview or personal discussion with any potential applicant who
requests it, though we are happy to discuss suitability by email, telephone
or writing. We will only offer formal interviews to applicants who have
applied to us through the UCAS system and it is at our discretion whether
to interview any particular applicant.
Can I transfer from another university?
There is no special form of "transfer". If you are studying at another
university and wish to join our degree programme, you must make a normal
application through UCAS. There is space on the UCAS form where you can
indicate if you wish to be considered for direct entry to our second year.
The Computer Science department does not offer direct entry to its third
year.
Please note that each university department sets its own curriculum, so you should not assume that taking the first year of a computer-related degree at one university means you would be capable of joining the second year of ours. Since our second year course units are heavily dependent on the material in our first year course units, we can only offer direct entry to the second year to those who have passed a first year in a degree elsewhere which contains material of similar content and standard to ours. We do not offer "top-ups" to HND qualifications.
We may be able to take a successful first year in another university as a qualification for entrance to our first year if you are a student who previously lacked our pre-university requirements. However, we would expect you to consult with the university you are leaving before applying, and we will always require a reference (preferably as the reference on the UCAS form) from the university you are leaving.
More information on transferring to Computer Science at Queen Mary from
other degree programmes can be found here.
What sort of computer experience do I need?
The short answer is "none". Our degree programmes teach the subject
from scratch, and assume no previous knowledge, just general ability
of the sort provided by an all-round education. In fact there is
a big difference between hobby computing, or the sort of computer-related
work done in pre-university education, and what is covered in an
academic Computer Science degree. Work at degree level is much more
focussed on abstract programming skills and other aspects of computation
rather than use of any particular system. Note in particular that much
training and education that goes under the name "Information Technology"
is about using current computer applications, whereas Computer Science
is about designing and constructing new computer applications using
software engineering principles.
So if you have pre-university experience or qualifications in Computing
or Information Technology, you may have a short-term advantage of some
familiarity with some of the terminology, but others will soon catch up.
Pre-university experience of computer programming can give you a good idea
of whether you will enjoy the subject, but you are likely to find the
rigorous in-depth approach of a Computer Science degree very quickly goes
beyond what you already know. Pre-university experience of computer
applications that does not involve programming, such as office applications,
search engines, many web-page designing packages (please note that using
HTML is not programming) and so on, is of very little benefit to
academic computer science.
What degree programme should I apply for?
We prefer to offer a small range of degree titles within which
you can specialise by choosing from our range of options once
you have joined our degree programmes. Currently, we have the
following:
Firstly, do not be over-anxious about the personal statement. Your qualifications are likely to be the main factor on which an admissions decision will be made, a personal statement is only likely to be a crucial deciding factor between two applicants whose qualifications are very similar.
Secondly, be yourself. Personal statements which make an insincere attempt to be clever or impress often backfire because what you think will impress us often won't! Don't claim abilities or experiences you don't really have, that might cause you problems when we interview you. But do tell us about all the qualities you have, and anything that's important to you. The personal statement should enable us to get an understanding of you as a person.
We will expect your personal statement to tell us why you want to do Computer Science. Tell us a little about previous experience with computers, but it is not necessary to go into lengthy detail. Remember that what we really want to see is evidence of a good logical mind, and problem-solving skills rather than any specific computer experience.
If there is anything unusual in your application, tell us about it.
For example, if you are re-taking your A-levels, it is better that you
are honest about the reasons than leave us wondering and assuming the worst.
If there are any special factors you think may affect your performance,
it would help you if we knew them.
Who should write my reference and what should be in it?
In most cases, your UCAS form will be handled by your school or college,
and they will have someone who writes your reference who is very familiar
with writing UCAS references. If this is not the case (for example, if you are
applying after leaving school), we would still like, if possible, for your
reference to be written by someone who is familiar with your academic skills.
Otherwise, a reference from an employer or someone who knows you
professionally would do. Do not use a friend or relation, since they are
unlikely to give an unbiased references we can trust. The reference is
important, so we would rather have a late application than one without
a reference.
The first job of the reference is to confirm that the rest of the form, the qualifications and personal statement, are accurate and honest. The reference should tell us about your skills, strengths and weaknesses. A reference which is balanced will come across as a more honest appraisal than one which exaggerates the good points and ignores the bad points. The referee should confirm that you are suitable for the degree programmes you have applied to, and say why.
School and college references will generally include predicted grades for qualifications you are taking. Again, an honest appraisal is preferable and will be taken more seriously than an exaggeration. Although we appreciate predicted grades are not always accurate, and most teachers will want to be optimistic about their pupils, they do play a large part in our assessment. If the predicted grades are well below our minimum requirements, we are unlikely to make an offer.
The referee should point out an unusual circumstances we may need to
take into account. For example, personal circumstances which may lead
to the applicant performing less well in the qualifications s/he
is taking than s/he would normally be capable of. Or if there has been
a real boost in the applicant's performance, so that previously
disappointing results should not be taken as an indicator of future
ability.
What happens after I apply?
A copy of your UCAS form is sent to us. Note, the copy we receive is reduced
to half size, so if you are filling in a paper form don't make your writing
(computer generated or handwriting) too small.
The sections on the form on ethnicity and parental employment
are blanked out (they are used only within UCAS for collecting statistics on
who applies to university). Also (this is new for 2003 entry) the section
giving the other degree programmes you applied to is blanked out.
There are four things we can do after we receive your UCAS form:
On the interview day, we will give you a talk about our department, a tour around the college campus, and a one-to-one interview with a member of academic staff. We may also give you an aptitude test. None of this is anything to get worried about, we rarely reject applicants who have reached the interview stage. The one-to-one interview will be more of an informal chat in which we can find out more about your interests and why you have applied, than a test designed to catch you out. It's also a chance for your to ask questions, and it is treated as a sign of interest if you have some good questions to ask. You will be asked what grades you think you will obtain in your A-levels or other qualifications. This may affect the conditional offer you are given, for example if you admit to being weak in one subject but strong in another, we may be willing to make an offer which asks for a low grade in your weak subject balanced by a high grade in your strong one. We may wish to check whether you really understand what academic computer science involves and that you have a commitment to it. We may also want to find out of there are any particular reasons why you want to come to Queen Mary.
Casual dress is fine for our interviews. Most students prefer to come on their own, but it's acceptable to come with your parents, particularly if you are coming from outside London and they want to see what the campus is like. Since the interview day may involve some waiting around, it's probably a good idea to bring something to read while you're waiting.
No admissions decisions are made while you are being interviewed. The
report from the interviewer is passed to the department's admissions tutor
to make a decision on whether to make an offer, and which conditions to
ask for in conditional offers. You will be informed in writing about the
decision made as soon as possible after the interview.
What if I am not asked to attend an interview?
You are still free to visit Queen Mary, and look around. We will
send you further information on our degree programmes to enable you
to make an informed choice.
Can I query your decision?
If you are uncertain about the terms of our conditional offer, please
contact us for clarification. If you decide to change the qualifications you
are taking after we have given you a conditional offer, please inform us
immediately. In fact, it would be better to discuss this with us first
before changing, since we may have to withdraw our offer if you drop
the qualifications we are most interested in.
We only reject an applicant because we believe on the evidence we have that he or she is unlikely to be able to cope with the demands of our degree. Under these circumstances, it is better for all concerned that the applicant goes to a more suitable degree programme. Otherwise, unless we have made a genuine mistake, we will not change our offer once made. Please note:
You need to be aware of the nature of this commitment because
you cannot easily change your mind and break out of it. The UCAS
rules state that you can only do so under exceptional personal
circumstances. You should always think of your Insurance choice as
your "Second choice". The term "Insurance" may suggest it's
a fall-back option you can hold onto while you check out other options
if you didn't get into your first choice, but it doesn't work like
that. Note that if you don't get the grades you were asked for but
are still given the place, your commitment to your Firm or Insurance
choice remains, you can only break it and go to another university
if there are exceptional personal circumstances which have arisen since
you made your Firm and Insurance commitment.
What do I do if I don't get any offers?
If you get rejected by all of your original choices on your UCAS form,
UCAS has a system, called "Extra" which enables you to make further
choices. You will be sent details of this system if you fall into this
category. Obviously, if you are in this category you will need to adjust
your thinking regarding your university choices. Were you too ambitious
and applied for degree programmes which usually fill up with student
with grades you are unlikely to achieve? Or do you lack the necessary
qualifications for the subjects you originally applied for? Computer Science
at Queen Mary may accept applicants through the "Extra" route, but only those
whose original UCAS applications were all for degree programmes with
higher entrance requirements than ours.
What happens when I get my exam results?
If you have made us your Firm choice, and you obtain the grades we
asked for, then you are guaranteed a place. If you made us your
Insurance choice, and you obtain the grades we asked for, then we
guarantee to hold open a place for you if you do not get into your
Firm choice university. UCAS send the results of any A-levels you
are taking in your year of applying directly to us at the same time
as you receive them, so you need take no action yourself to inform us.
If you did not get the grades we asked for, do not assume you will not get the place, particularly if your grades are only just below our conditional offer. Our usual practice is to set conditional offers at a high level, which will leave us some places to fill, and then to fill the majority of places left with applicants who made us their Firm or Insurance choice but did not quite get the grades asked for. We will make this decision on the basis of information we already have, so please ignore the commonly-given advice "phone the admission tutor if you didn't get your grades": we would prefer not to enter into personal discussion at this stage. In particular, if there are personal circumstances you feel may have affected your exam results, you will have a much stronger case if you informed us before you got the exam results.
We always try to make decisions once we have the A-level results as soon as possible, as we realise this is a time of anxiety, so our aim is that for most applicants a letter will be in the post telling them whether they have been accepted or rejected on the day they get their A-level results. If your grades are below those we asked for, you may wish to phone other universities to check whether they have places available in the UCAS clearing system. Please note, however, that you can only take up any places you are offered in clearing if you have been rejected by both your Firm and Insurance choices. In this case, UCAS will send you a form known as a "Clearing Entry Form" which you use to take up clearing offers. So bear in mind that if you have made us your Firm or Insurance choice and, before you knew we accepted you, you made some enquiries and were offered places in clearing, you will not be able to change your mind and go to one of those other places. That is against UCAS rules, because it is unfair on those we rejected to give you your place.
If there is any delay in us making a decision once the A-level results
have become available, it is likely to be because there has been a
delay in your results reaching us. In this case, check with your school
or college to see if there is any reason for your results being delayed.
The number to phone to enquire about places in clearing will be published
by UCAS and also in national newspapers. Just as we will not release
students who have made us their Firm or Insurance choice and we have
accepted, so we will not be able to offer places to students who have
been accepted at their Firm or Insurance choices elsewhere. If you are
still waiting to hear, we can informally tell you whether we would be
prepared to give you a place if you didn't get into your Firm or
Insurance choice but we cannot encourage you to break your commitment.
Once you know you have been rejected by your Firm and
Insurance choice, if we decide to make you an offer in clearing we will
guarantee to hold the place open for you until you receive your Clearing
Entry Form from UCAS. This will take a few days, but you shouldn't be
too anxious as everyone else looking for a place in clearing will
also be waiting for their Clearing Entry Form. We would prefer students
who are applying to us in clearing to be happy about choosing our degree
after comparing it to other degrees with places available in clearing, than
to feel rushed into making a decision.
We will send you the necessary joining information. Although Information
Sheets on course units may contain "recommended reading", in general it
is best to wait until you start the course and receive confirmation of
any necessary course text books before you buy any.
Do you have places available in clearing?
If you did not originally make Computer Science at Queen Mary your
Firm or Insurance choice, but you were rejected by your Firm and Insurance
choices, we welcome you phoning us to discuss the possibility of a place
available in clearing. The number of places we have available in clearing
and the grades we require will depend on factors we won't know until the
A-level results are out. We will not, however, accept applicants through
clearing whose grades are below those we accepted through the normal
application route.
What do I need to do before joining the degree programme?
Relax. You have got a place on a highly-regarded degree programme which
offers you excellent prospects for the future. But you will need to work
hard to get the best out of your university study. So a well-earned break
after taking your A-levels or other pre-university exams and before
starting university is not a bad idea! However, if you want some introductory
reading, Paul Curzon, a lecturer
in Computer Science at Queen Mary, has put together some articles suitable for
newcomers to Computer Science
here.
Matthew Huntbach
Last modified: 19 October 2004