MSc Computing - Imperial College London

Received a formal offer for MSc Computing (conversion) today. I had also received an email to inform me of the offer three days ago.

I applied at the beginning of May to the MSc in Computing Science and received an offer within a couple weeks of my letters being submitted. I also have an offer from Edinburgh (MSc Computer Science), and I am waiting on UCL (MSc Computer Science). As an overseas student, Imperial is significantly more expensive - £24,610 for UCL, £29,500 for Imperial, and £27,400 for Edinburgh. If I get into UCL, which of the three would you choose and why? I prefer the elective and research options at Imperial, but the core coursework in C++/Prolog seems less practical than UCL's Java programming/design classes. Edinburgh would allow me to specialize earlier, as I have already taken classes on Java and C++, but I would likely miss out on foundational operating systems, computer architecture, and algorithms courses. I plan to eventually move back to the United States for work and/or a PhD program, if that makes any difference.

I can share my experience with you and I hope it can help you when making your decision. I found myself in a similar situation as I received an offer from Imperial for the MSc Computing Science and from King's for the MSc Data Science. I chose Imperial because of the Department of Computing's research groups and the course's broad coverage of theoretical foundations of computer science. As a non-CS graduate aiming for a PhD in the field, these factors were very important to me.

Based on what you told us, I think you should also choose Imperial since you are considering a PhD and therefore the thought process I used for my decision may also be applicable to you. As for the the more practical courses offered by other schools, you can always take Imperial's extracurricular modules to compensate.

Hope that helps!

Did either of you phone into the office to check on the status of your application?

I can share my experience with you and I hope it can help you when making your decision. I found myself in a similar situation as I received an offer from Imperial for the MSc Computing Science and from King's for the MSc Data Science. I chose Imperial because of the Department of Computing's research groups and the course's broad coverage of theoretical foundations of computer science. As a non-CS graduate aiming for a PhD in the field, these factors were very important to me.

Based on what you told us, I think you should also choose Imperial since you are considering a PhD and therefore the thought process I used for my decision may also be applicable to you. As for the the more practical courses offered by other schools, you can always take Imperial's extracurricular modules to compensate.

Hope that helps!

Thank you, TimeFlow - that certainly helps! I am definitely leaning towards accepting the offer at Imperial, though I am still waiting for them to clear the conditions of my offer based on a mailed copy my official transcript.

The only other (small) concern I have about the program is having "Computing Science" rather than "Computer Science" on my resume. Do you think this will read strange to American employers, or are the terms generally considered synonymous?

Also, could I ask if you think that the Prolog programming coursework will be useful? I have an interest in AI as a data science tool, so I'm interested, but it seems most professionals these days use OOP languages like Python for things like machine learning.

Sg23, I never called the office. I got an email requesting some past course syllabi, then an email with an unofficial offer (and an official one a week later).

Also, could I ask if you think that the Prolog programming coursework will be useful? I have an interest in AI as a data science tool, so I'm interested, but it seems most professionals these days use OOP languages like Python for things like machine learning.

hi guys, anyone mind sharing grades you've applied the msc computing science (conversion/specialist) with please, whether you got a offer or not, really need this to decide if its worth applying. thanks

Hey there! So I sent my application away to Imperial 2 weeks ago, along with Bath, St Andrews (Computing and Information Technology) and Edinburgh.

I'm a 2.1 law grad, AAAAB in my Scottish Highers, and I've had unconditional offers from Bath and St Andrews. While it's not a relevant degree I've also got a lot of practical experience from work placements.

Still waiting to hear back from Edinburgh and Imperial. Here's hoping!

Heyy unaybee,

Thank you for your info, definitely helps! Best of luck on your application!

Also, can I assume you are graduating from a top 10 university maybe since you are getting unconditionals, well done on these btw. Just wondering if that makes any difference if I were to apply. Cheers

Heyy unaybee,

Thank you for your info, definitely helps! Best of luck on your application!

Also, can I assume you are graduating from a top 10 university maybe since you are getting unconditionals, well done on these btw. Just wondering if that makes any difference if I were to apply. Cheers