Computer Science joint degrees with these A Levels?

I got 10 grade 9s at GCSE, doing A-Levels in physics, maths, bio and chemistry. I was thinking of applying to Durham to do natural sciences (chemistry and computer science), will not having A-Level further maths or computer science put me at a disadvantage?

Reply 1

Lancaster Student Ambassador

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Original post by hqnr

Hi there!

Congratulations on your GCSE results! I have just graduated with a Natural Sciences BSc from Lancaster University so I can offer my insight into Natural Sciences but it does vary by university so it might differ from Durham. I can say that if a course doesn't require certain subjects, then you should not be at a disadvantage by not doing them. I specialised in Maths, Mechanical Engineering, and Physical Geography as part of my Natural Sciences degree. I also studied Further Maths at A-Level. Although I wasn't "ahead" of everyone else, it did make my first year maths content slightly easier because I had already covered more of the concepts then my friends who had just studied Maths at A-Level.

I also think that different universities teach different coding languages at university in computer science. Again, you wouldn't necessarily be at a disadvantage by not studying it at A-Level but some of your peers might have gone through the stages of learning a coding language. All of the course content should be aimed at beginners though.

Best of luck with all of your choices and let me know if you have any more questions about Natural Sciences!

-Bethan (Lancaster University Natural Sciences Student Ambassador)

Reply 2

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by hqnr

Hello! I'm a Final-Year Computer Science student at Lancaster University. I think it really depends on which university you want to apply to. At my university, A-level maths is not a requirement, as the university and the department want to emphasize that Computer Science is a very broad topic and that not all of the aspects require Maths. For example, if you are interested in machine learning and AI, then advanced maths would be very helpful, but in other topics, it may not be a prerequisite.
Here is a link to my university's Computer Science degree:
https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/computer-science-bsc-hons-g400/
In our first year, we can choose a minor degree that might not be related to CS to study for a year to explore our interest and knowledge in other aspects, and for the rest of the year, we would be studying modules about Computing. For example, I chose Linguistics in my first year.

I hope these help and don't worry too much, there's always a way out! All the best to you!

- Miyuki (Lancaster University FST Student Ambassador)