General Principles
A-levels
AS Certification and Resits
AVCE or GNVQ
BTEC National and Higher Diplomas
Access courses
International Baccalaureate
Foundation Programmes
Other University Course Units
Overseas Qualifications
Mature Students / Work Experience
Web Competition
The main entrance qualification is the UK A-level. Anyone thinking of applying who has opportunity to take UK A-levels is strongly recommended to do so. The UK A-level is the qualification we are most familiar with, and know we can rely on to provide the sort of training and testing that tells us an applicant is suitable for our degree programmes.
UK applicants who feel the A-level would be too difficult for them or offer a style of education that is too academic, are likely to find the same applies to our degree programmes. Therefore, anyone who has take "vocational" qualifications like the BTEC National Diploma or the GNVQ/AVCE will need to convince us that they have academic ability equivalent to those with A-levels.
Some UK applicants, as well as overseas applicants take the International Baccalaureate. We are happy to accept this as providing the same standard of academic rigour as UK A-levels.
Comprehensive information on UK pre-university qualifications is available from UCAS here.
In many countries, particularly Commonwealth countries, its is possible to take UK A-levels, and we would recommend that route to applicants from those countries. This is particularly important in those countries where high school education finishes at a standard below that of UK A-levels.
We appreciate that there are some applicants for whom the two-years full time study involved in taking A-levels is not practical. Such applicants may take various Foundation or Access courses as a quicker substitute. Our experience is that the standards of these sorts of courses are often variable, and rarely at a level which is completely equivalent to A-level. Therefore, we can only take a small number of applicants coming from these routes, and we will only consider those who have shown an exceptionally good performance on them.
The high school leaving certificates of most European Union countries:
the French Baccalaureate, the German Abitur, and so on,
are of equivalent standard to UK A-levels. Therefore applicants who
have taken or are taking these qualifications are welcome to apply
and we will use these qualifications to make admissions decisions.
General Principles
The most important thing we are looking for in entrance qualifications
to our degree programmes is demonstration of logical reasoning skills.
Our experience is that qualifications in mathematics are a good
indicator of these. While there are exceptions, someone who is poor
at mathematics is unlikely to have the sort of ability required for
success in a computer science degree such as ours, and someone who is
good at mathematics is unlikely to be poor at computer science.
Therefore, whatever qualifications you have or are taking, we will
look at the mathematics component first.
Applicants may be surprised to find that we are not particularly interested in qualifications in "information technology". This is because such qualifications are often more about use of computer applications, rather than the skills required to design and construct them. Since our degree programmes are about general principles rather than specific systems, we also cannot accept commercial certificates such as those provided by Microsoft or CISCO as contributing towards our entrance requirements. This is because these are all about knowing the incidental details of particular systems, and tend to involve little which is about general problem solving and reasoning skills.
We find that many students confuse learning with memorisation. In academic computer science there is very little that has to be memorised. It is much more about deep understanding than surface memorisation. For this reason, we dislike any qualification that can be passed by viewing it as a "memory test". This is another reason for our lack of interest in many "Information Technology" qualifications, since we find that too many of them are centred around memorising and regurgitating definitions. This is not a useful skill for computer scientists!
The importance of the sort of skills developed and tested by mathematics means that where there is a choice of subject in pre-university qualifications, we would encourage all applicants to choose at least some mathematics. Anyone who drops mathematics because they find it difficult or dislike it, is also likely to find our computer science degrees difficult and will not enjoy it. However, if applicants have dropped mathematics simply because they did not realise its importance to computer science, we may still be willing to consider them on the basis of other subjects which require some mathematical or logical reasoning skills. This could include science subjects such as physics. Good performance in a qualification involving the more technical side of computing could also be considered as an alternative to a mathematics qualification.
Apart from mathematics, we like to see evidence of a good all-round
education. Writing and communication skills are important in computer
science, as is a sense of the human world around you. So we particularly
welcome applicants who combine mathematics with qualifications in the
arts or social sciences.
A-levels
Our current standard offer is equivalent to 260 points on the
UCAS tariff.
However, because the subjects taken are as important to us as just
accumulation of points, we will often express our conditional offers
in terms of grades. For example, we may ask for 260 points which must
include a grade C in full A-level Mathematics, or for grades
BCC in three full A-levels. The most important A-level for us is
Mathematics.
We will consider applicants who have A-level Computing but not A-level Maths, but we will generally ask for a grade A in A-level Computing in this case. We may consider applicants who are not taking A-level Maths or Computing if they have a grade A in GCSE Mathematics. Our advice to anyone who is considering applying to us in future but who is currently deciding which A-levels to take is to take A-level Maths. A medium grade in A-level Maths is more likely to gain you entry to our degree programme than a higher grade in a less relevant subject.
Apart from Maths, we are not too concerned what the other A-levels are. One A-level in Maths is sufficient, we do not require or advise A-level Further Maths. An ideal choice would be one science subject or A-level Computing, and an A-level in one of the traditional arts subjects.
The A-level in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is not the same as the A-level in Computing. In fact, our experience is that A-level ICT is only weakly related to the material in an academic Computer Science degree, and so we do not recommend potential applicants to take this A-level. Applicants who have A-level ICT but no other mathematical or scientific A-levels will not be accepted.
We are prepared to accept General Studies as one of the A-levels contributing to our entrance conditions, since we find it a good test of the sort of all-round abilities we require. For example, someone taking three taught A-levels including Maths, plus General Studies may well be made an offer "B in Maths plus grade C in any other two of the A-levels being taken".
Our experience is that it is quite easy for someone brought up in a household which speaks a language other than English to gain a good grade in the A-level of that language without otherwise having any strong academic skills. We regret, therefore, that we cannot count A-levels in mother tongues as contributing towards our entrance requirements.
We are willing to accept two AS-levels in subjects which haven't been studied to full A-level as a replacement for a third A-level. We recommend that an applicant who didn't originally take A-level Maths but has chance to take AS Maths in the final year before university does so, even if that means dropping another subject to just AS-level.
Our offers will always be in terms of three A-levels or their equivalent. We do not recomment students to take more than three A-levels, and taking more than three A-levels will not confer any advantage.
If you have a choice of modules to take within A-level Mathematics,
we would prefer the Pure and Discrete Mathematics modules. The Discrete
Mathematics modules are the closest to the sort of material you will
encounter in our degree programmes.
AS Certification and Resits
As mentioned above, we are willing to consider two subjects certified
at AS level which have not been studied to full A-level in the place
of a third A-level. However, it is also possible to obtain an AS
certificate while continuing the subject to full A-level. We would
very much prefer applicants to certify at the AS stage the subjects
they are taking to full A-level. The AS grades must then be entered onto
the UCAS form and will be a valuable guide to level of performance.
We regret that many school and colleges have made it "policy" not to
certify at AS level - we believe this is just hiding from us information
which would be valuable in helping us guide applicants to the most suitable
degree programmes. However, as so many schools and colleges adopt
this policy, we will not discriminate against those who cannot show us
certified AS grades on their UCAS forms.
One of the reasons that A-level students are reluctant to certify at AS-level is that they are considering resitting to improve their grades. We are, however, particularly interested in seeing how students manage on their first attempt. If someone can obtain a particular grade on first sitting, it suggests they have a better aptitude than someone who obtains the same grade only after resitting.
The same principle applies to applicants considering resitting their A-levels to obtain higher grades. We are more concerned with aptitude than actual grades, so if resitting just means "cramming" and special tuition in passing exams, we would not recommend it: in that case the original grades obtained are probably a more honest assessment of aptitude. We would expect applicants who are applying while retaking A-levels to obtain higher grades to demonstrate that their original A-level grades really were an under-assessment of their true ability, and that they have learnt from the mistakes and/or changed the attitude that led to the original poor grades. An exception would be students who had genuine personal problems that led to a poor performance. In this case, we would want to see, preferably on the UCAS personal statement backed up by the UCAS reference, clear details of the problems plus an assurance that they have been resolved.
It is a condition of UCAS that all qualifications taken and
certified are entered on the UCAS form. Applicants who are
retaking their A-levels but do not enter their original A-level
grades on their UCAS forms are breaking this condition, and we
reserve the right to refuse to consider their application until
they provide us with those grades. To refuse to provide requested
information because it might "look bad" shows a dishonest attitude
which looks worse still to us.
AVCE (Vocational A-level) or GNVQ
A vocational A-level is perfectly acceptable as contributing towards
the 260 UCAS points we ask for, if taken alongside A-level Maths.
Otherwise, we would want to see high grades (grades AB), and some evidence
of good maths skills - an AS-level in Maths would be good, but at the very
least a good GCSE in Maths.
Without A-level Maths, the only vocational A-level subject we can
consider is Information Technology.
BTEC National Diploma and Higher Diploma
We can accept a BTEC National Diploma in a
Computing
subject as an entrance qualification, but only if passed with high grades.
We make conditional offers which
ask for Distinction grades in several of the modules taken, particularly
the programming modules. As with the AVCE, if there is a possibility
of taking the AS-level in Maths alongside the BTEC National Diploma,
this would increase the chance of being considered.
We can accept the BTEC Higher
in Computing, but only for entrance to the first-year. Although it is
intended to be of equivalent level to a degree, the very different
emphasis it has means it does not cover the material which is in our
first and second years that would be necessary to enter our third year.
We require high grades, preferably Distinction level, in the HND.
Access courses
We are willing to consider applicants from
Access courses.
However, our experience is that on their own these courses do not
provide sufficient training or testing of skills for those who pass them
to have a good chance on our degree programme. Therefore, we only take
a small number of applicants through this route, and we will generally
require the Access course pass to be supplemented by other factors.
For example, work experience in computer programming, or overseas
qualifications. We will ask for the Access course to be passed with
as many units as possible at level 3. We can only consider applicants
from Access courses in computing and/or mathematics.
International Baccalaureate
We will ask for around 30 points overall in the International
Baccalaureate, and for at least 5 points in Mathematics.
Although we will consider applicants who are only taking
Mathematics at Standard level, we would prefer applicants who are
taking the IB to take the Higher Level Mathematics option.
Foundation Programmes
There are a number of private organisations running "Foundation
Programmes" for entrance into UK universities aimed at overseas students.
Please note that the Department of Computer Science at Queen Mary does not
endorse any of these, and strongly recommends any student who is
considering them to take the UK A-level instead. However, we will
occasionally take applicants from them, at our discretion and only
when the foundation programme involves mathematics of a standard
equivalent to UK A-level Mathematics.
Many UK universities run foundation programmes intended for applicants who do not meet their normal entrance requirements. We will consider applicants who have done well on another university's foundation programme if the programme leads to acceptance on a Computer Science degree of equivalent standard to ours. If it leads to a degree programme of lower standard, we would only accept applicants who have done exceptionally well in the foundation programme. Applicants from other universities' foundation programmes must apply through UCAS in the normal way.
Queen Mary has its own foundation programme, the
Science and Engineering Foundation Programme. The Computer
Science department, however, is not involved in this programme,
and cannot guarantee a place to students who pass it. Students on
it who wish to be considered for Computer Science must contact
the Computer Science department directly.
Other University Course Units
The successful completion of a first year of a degree programme at
another university can be considered a suitable entrance requirement
for our department from applicants who otherwise lack our
pre-university entrance requirements. We can only accept it as
enabling direct entrance to our second year, however, if it is the
first year of a degree in Computer Science covering a similar range
of subjects to a similar depth as our own first year. Otherwise, we
may accept it as qualifying for entrance to our first year. We will
generally require above-average performance, particularly in maths
and computer programming units at other universities.
More information on transferring to Computer Science at Queen Mary
can be found here.
Overseas Qualifications
If your qualification is not in the English language, we may require
proof that your English is of a level sufficient to be able to
follow our degree programmes. An acceptable proof would be a pass
at level 6 in the IELTS or a
pass with 220 points in the TOEFL.
Our UCAS conditional offers may sometimes include these requirements.
Amongst the more common overseas qualifications, our requirements are around:
When filling in your UCAS form, please give the name of your qualification
as it is in your own country. Do not describe it using a UK
equivalent, such as "GCSE" or "A-level", we would regard that as
claiming to take the UK qualification named, which would not be the truth.
In general, we will follow the advice
given by UCAS here
regarding the equivalence of overseas qualifications to UK qualifications,
but you must leave the final judgement to us, not assume it for yourself.
If your qualification involves separate marks for individual modules or
components, please list each of them, both on qualifications obtained
and qualifications not yet completed. This will enable us to make the
most accurate judgement of your suitability for our degree programmes.
Mature Students / Work Experience
Because our degree programme is of an academic nature, we cannot accept
maturity as a substitute for formal entrance qualifications. We require
applicants of any age to have qualifications showing mathematical ability.
We may accept applicants with slightly lower grades in A-levels or
equivalent qualifications taken some years ago but not previously
used for university entrance, as a recognition of skills obtained through
maturity. However, the only work experience we can take into account
directly as compensation for lack of suitable entrance qualifications
is employment as a computer programmer. Even in this case, we will expect
applicants to have some qualifications of university entrance standard.
Mature applicants with relevant work experience but without pre-university
qualifications are recommended to take an
access course. Mature applicants
with neither relevant work experience nor pre-university qualifications
are recommended to take at A-level Maths and preferably one other
A-level on a part-time basis if full time pre-university study is not
possible. Under these circumstances, we will consider applicants who have
fewer than the normal three A-levels.
Entry by Web Competition
We are running a competition on the web with the prize being
a place on our Computer Science degree, with
fees paid and a maintenance grant. The winner will require only the
minimal qualifications needed for all entrants to the University
of London, two A-levels at grade E or the equivalent.
Runners up may also be offered entry at lower than normal grades.
Details of the competitiona re available
here.