64% of UK students studying Computer Science did not study A-level Mathematics...

I want to do Computer Science... But I'm dropping Mathematics as I don't think I c3 and c4 are worth the hassle
Why do you hate me


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I know many people who do a Computer Science degree who haven't taken maths past GCSE levels and they do well. Yes knowing maths is very useful, but they teach what you need at 1st year of uni. Many of the people I know who can't do or didn't do the maths where just very good programmers already or were good at logic and just didn't want to do maths back then.

It's like saying you can't do a Computer Science degree without knowing how to code but again they teach it.

I did maths A level and i'm hoping to get into my firm.

But when i tell people my choice of of A levels, no one ever considers the maths. The usual question that gets asked is: " How come you didn't do computing?"

I'm astounded. Further Maths should be a requirement (as long as it is available in your school).

Why?

A lot of the maths in computing is not even hardcore mathematics, it's based around boolean logic and set theory. Basically discrete mathematics. You might do a bit of a statistics for data mining, but again you can just learn it as you do the modules on a need to know bases. If you can't do the maths, you simply won't pass the module. It's simple. So the poor candidates will get filtered out.

Writing algorithms (is important), especially in industry - unless you are in going into games dev, or scientific computing there is a very good chance you will not be using hardcore mathematics.

If you think mathematics is very important, there is nothing stopping students doing a joint honours with maths - or do minor modules in it. The point of Computing Science is to write algorithms and to get a good general grasp of the different disciplines before specializing; you are not doing a mathematics degree! Learning how to integrate or differentiate is not going to help you write regular expressions, manipulate json objects, arrays, model data properly using different software patterns, object oriented programming, event driven programming etc. You will use a small subset of the maths you learn during ALs.

I work in industry now , web and mobile developer with a 2.1 degree, just so you know.

Because doing a degree in computer science without ever having found the inverse of a matrix, or even necessarily knowing what a matrix is (or a hyperbola, for that matter) is a disgrace.

Again, need to know maths. Even though I knew what a matrix was before I did my degree, on my degree they went over it again in the module that required it. Further maths is overkill for a Computing Science degree and you are promoting academic snobbery by thinking that it is required. Besides the people who could not do the maths, flat out failed and got poor marks - it evens itself out.

Knowing how to program properly, by that knowing core concepts such as object oriented programming is far more important and relevant.

Comp sci at Uni of Nottingham with no maths A level here (or any A levels in fact - BTEC in software development), problem ?

Is it hard? Yes

Do I work hard?

Yes...


Well, harder than I've seen a lot of other people here work. I still have my fun

I admit, the maths side of things is a slight struggle at times. But then, some of my friends are bad at the programming, or not so good at report writing as I am. It's all just strengths and weaknesses.

Again, need to know maths. Even though I knew what a matrix was before I did my degree, on my degree they went over it again in the module that required it. Further maths is overkill for a Computing Science degree and you are promoting academic snobbery by thinking that it is required. Besides the people who could not do the maths, flat out failed and got poor marks - it evens itself out.

Knowing how to program properly, by that knowing core concepts such as object oriented programming is far more important and relevant.

Well admittedly you are the one who has experience of doing the degree, and I'm not, so you have more of a right to an opinion on the matter, but nevertheless I think a degree is about more than simply "can you get a job as a programmer at the end?". I suppose what I was really trying to say is that concepts like matrices and hyperbolic functions which are only included in further maths, should be included in the normal maths syllabus. It is not as if they are difficult concepts for somebody interested at all in maths.

Because doing a degree in computer science without ever having found the inverse of a matrix, or even necessarily knowing what a matrix is (or a hyperbola, for that matter) is a disgrace.

I have never argued that they were not useful, all I am telling you is that they can be introduced on a need to know bases.

A quick google search on matrices brings this simple tutorial up:

http://algebra.nipissingu.ca/tutorials/matrices.html

not particularly hard, and can be covered using practical examples in passing during 1 lecture, when it is relevant to know. This is how my university did things and benefits the student a lot more, as they can see how the maths links to computing.

There is maths in a computing science degree, in fields like AI, data mining etc. When you write searching algorithms you do use maths for example, but the level of maths required is not on the same level as a subject like physics or other sciences. That is why Universities like Nottingham do not require A level maths, they just teach you what you need to know as you go along. By it's very nature computing science is a very practical subject. I studied in Scotland, we had people from places like Edinburgh/St Andrews transfer from their course because the course was too theoretical leading them to develop poor programming skills.

Finally, given the sheer amount of unemployed graduates out there struggling to get a job, "getting a job after your degree" is extremely important. If I interviewed a graduate and he didn't know how the object oriented paradigm worked, or the model view controller software pattern, I would not hire him. Programmers/developers make a lot of money and are in massive demand, due to a shortage of people with programming skills.

Any serious IT professional would try and learn to be a competent programmer, you can't do anything useful in computing without being one.

Oh, I totally agree with that - I wasn't saying programming wasn't required for computer science! I think that the A level in computing should be made much more technical in order to prepare people for a degree in computer science (right now it is a bit of a joke, apparently).

I agree.

A huge reason why it hasn't taken off is because there are just not enough trained programmers out there who want to become a teachers.

Well...why would they? An average contractor that is a developer in IT, makes 500 pounds a day. They can make more money in industry. Or they can make money doing their own projects, mobile apps etc (I am doing this right now on the side)

So state schools in particular cannot introduce it as an option, let alone develop an Alevel course that is a fully fledged introductory CS AL.