UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND OUTREACH

University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD

If you require an accessible version of the document, please contact Undergraduate Admissions by
email ([email protected] ) or via the online form (http://www.ox.ac.uk/ask).

Computer Science Course Information Sheet for entry in 2022

Computer science is about understanding computer systems and networks at a deep level.
Computers and the programs they run are among the most complex products ever created;
designing and using them effectively presents immense challenges. Facing these challenges is the
aim of computer science as a practical discipline, and this leads to some fundamental questions:

• How can we capture in a precise way what we want a computer system to do?
• Can we mathematically prove that a computer system does what we want it to?
• How can computers help us to model and investigate complex systems like the Earth’s
climate, financial systems or our own bodies?
• What are the limits to computing? Will quantum computers extend those limits?

The theories that are now emerging to answer these kinds of questions can be immediately applied
to design new computers, programs, networks and systems that are transforming science, business,
culture and all other aspects of life.
Computer Science can be studied for three years (BA) or four years (Master of Computer Science).
The fourth year allows the study of advanced topics and an in-depth research project. Students do
not need to choose between the three-year and four-year options when applying to the course; all
students apply for the four-year course, and then decide at the start of the third year whether they
wish to continue to the fourth year (which is subject to achieving a 2:1 at the end of the third year).

The course concentrates on creating links between theory and practice. It covers a wide variety of
software and hardware technologies and their applications. We are looking for students with strong
mathematical ability, which you will develop into skills that can be used both for reasoning
rigorously about the behaviour of programs and computer systems, and for applications such as
scientific computing. You will also gain practical problem-solving and program design skills; the
majority of subjects within the course are linked with practical work in our well-equipped laboratory.

A typical week
During the first part of the course, your work will be divided between about ten lectures and two
tutorials each week, in addition to about two practical sessions. In tutorials you will discuss ideas in
depth with an experienced computer scientist, usually with just one or two other students. You will
be expected to spend a considerable amount of time developing your own understanding of the
topics covered in lectures, answering questions designed to check your understanding, and
preparing for tutorials.

As the course progresses, you will also begin to work in small classes of up to ten people on more
specialised topics. In the second year you will take part in a group design practical, which may be
sponsored by industry. In Years 3 and 4 about a third of your time is spent working on your chosen
individual project. Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by staff who are tutors in their
subject. Many are world-leading experts with years of experience in teaching and research. Some
UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND OUTREACH
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD

teaching may also be delivered by postdoctoral researchers or postgraduate students who are
studying at doctorate level.

To find out more about how our teaching year is structured, visit our Academic Year page.

Course structure
YEAR 1

COURSES
• Core courses (100%):
o Continuous mathematics
o Design and analysis of
algorithms
o Digital systems
o Discrete mathematics
o Ethics and responsible
innovation
o Functional programming
o Imperative programming
o Introduction to formal
proof ASSESSMENT
o Linear algebra Four exam papers
o Probability

YEAR 2

COURSES
• Core courses (50%):
o Algorithms
o Compilers
o Concurrent programming
o Models of computation
o Group design practical
• Current options (50%) include:
o Computer architecture
o Computer graphics
o Computer networks
o Databases ASSESSMENT
o Artificial intelligence Eight exam papers
o Logic and proof
UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND OUTREACH
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD

YEAR 3

COURSES
• Current options (67%) include:
o Computational complexity
o Machine learning
o Computer security
o Computer-aided formal
verification
o Geometric modelling
o Knowledge representation
and reasoning
o Lambda calculus and types ASSESSMENT
o Principles of programming Six exam papers plus
languages project report
• Project work (33%)

YEAR 4

COURSES
• Current options (62%) include:
o Advanced topics in machine
learning
o Automata, logic and games
o Advanced security
o Categories, proofs and
processes
o Computational game theory
o Computational learning theory
o Concurrent algorithms and data
structures
o Database systems
implementation
o Probabilistic model checking
o Probability and computing
o Quantum computer science
o Requirements ASSESSMENT
• Project work (38%) Five take-home
exams or written
The courses listed above are illustrative and may papers plus project
change. A full list of current options is available on report
the Computer Science website.

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out above.
However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make
UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND OUTREACH
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD

changes in course provision, either before or after registration. These may include significant
changes made necessary by a pandemic (including Covid-19), epidemic or local health emergency.
For further information, please see the University's Terms and Conditions. For the latest information
on the University’s Covid-19 response and how it affects students please go to the Oxford University
Covid-19 Response site.

Fees
These annual fees are for full-time students who begin this undergraduate course here in 2022.

Information about how much fees and other costs may increase is set out in the University’s Terms
and Conditions.

Please note that while the University sets out its annual fees as a single figure, this is a combined
figure for both your University and college fees. More information is provided in your Terms and
Conditions.

Fee status Annual Course fees

Home (UK, Republic of Ireland,
Channel Islands & Isle of Man) £9,250
Overseas (including most EU students– see Note below) £39,010

Please refer to the Undergraduate fee status and the Oxford and the EU pages for more
information.

Note: Following the UK’s departure from the EU, most EU students starting a course in 2022/23 will
pay fees at the ‘Overseas’ rate. Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, EU, other EEA, and Swiss
nationals who have been granted settled or pre-settled status in the UK under the EU settlement
scheme will be eligible for ‘Home fee’ status and student loan support, subject to meeting residency
requirements. We will contact you directly if we need further information from you to determine
your fee status.

Please refer to the Undergraduate fee status and the Oxford and the EU pages for more
information.

Living costs
Living costs for the academic year starting in 2022 are estimated to be between £1,215 and £1,755
for each month you are in Oxford. Our academic year is made up of three eight-week terms, so you
would not usually need to be in Oxford for much more than six months of the year but may wish to
budget over a nine-month period to ensure you also have sufficient funds during the holidays to
meet essential costs.

Living costs breakdown

Per month Total for 9 months
Lower range Upper range Lower range Upper range
Food £290 £410 £2,610 £3,690
UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND OUTREACH
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD

Per month Total for 9 months

Accommodation (including utilities) £680 £810 £6,120 £7,290
Personal items £135 £260 £1,215 £2,340
Social activities £45 £120 £405 £1,080
Study costs £45 £100 £405 £900
Other £20 £55 £180 £495
Total £1,215 £1,755 £10,935 £15,795

In order to provide these likely living costs, the University and the Oxford University Students’ Union
conducted a living costs survey to complement existing student expenditure data from a variety of
sources including the UK government's Student Income and Expenditure Survey and the National
Union of Students (NUS). The likely lower and upper ranges above are based on a single student with
no dependants living in college accommodation (including utility bills) and are provided for
information only. In addition to reviewing the information above, you should fully consider and
research your personal likely living costs.

When planning your finances for future years of study at Oxford beyond 2022-23, you should allow
for an estimated increase in living expenses of 3% each year.

Additional Fees and Charges Information for Computer Science

There are no compulsory costs for this course beyond the fees shown above and your living costs.