Mathematical Computation or Computer Science at UCL

Not sure which one to apply to. I plan to apply for Joint Maths and Computing degrees at all Universities that offer them, but UCL doesn't. Most of the time MathComp degrees differ from JMC degrees in that they are mostly Department of Mathematics based degrees with some computing modules. How does UCL's MathComp program compare to this? Does it have a good amount of CS content like a JMC degree, or is it almost entire a Maths degree?

Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Mathematical computation at UCL is a joint honours in CS and maths, it just has a different name. It actually skews slightly more to the CS side than anything (your options on the maths side are somewhat more constrained compared to other CS and maths joint honours I gather, due to the structure of the programme).

All joint honours degrees also have a single "home" department at UCL from what I am aware (natsci and arts and sciences being the main exceptions as they have their own "departments" to house the degrees as I understand it) and you can see which this is from the webpage for the course based on the contact information: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/degrees/mathematical-computation-meng - it is CS for this course. So not only that, your admin, pastoral support etc would presumably be primarily provided by the CS department.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 2

Labradoodle1

19

I applied for Mathematical Computation at UCL (and got rejected) haha, it is basically the same as a joint maths and cs degree. It is 'owned' by the CS department but you get a lot of choice from both subjects in later years, so it is somewhat balanced. One thing you should be aware of is it has no 3 year option, you can only do it as a 4 year integrated masters.

Reply 3

Aadhavan

1

I am studying Mathematical Computation at UCL. It is a joint maths and cs degree and in the first 2 years there is an equal balance of both maths and cs modules, but in second year you can choose to study 4 cs + 4 math or 5 cs + 3 math modules). In 3rd year (as of now) there is only one compulsory CS module, the other 7 are up to you to choose and can be either maths or cs modules. This change was introduced recently as before in 3rd year, 2 cs modules were compulsory. And in 4th year nothing is compulsory apart from the dissertation, which is worth 2 modules. So overall, the degree is ever so slightly towards the CS side but you are more than welcome to go into the maths side in later years. I guess this makes sense as the course is under the CS department, not the maths one. This unlike all of the other joint maths degrees at UCL, which are under the maths department. Hope that clears everything up.

Reply 4

amk1804

8

I had this course at UCL as my insurance and just made my offer conditions today. If I don't make the STEP grade at Imperial this is what I'll be doing and glad I chose this instead of just CS.

What has your experience been like? Is it very stressful or manageable? Do you find the time to do other extra curricular stuff, social life? What is the reputation of this course amongst employers? Job offers, job fairs, etc.? Can one look into both CS and finance/banking related careers with this?

Reply 5

Anonymous #1

Original post by amk1804

I had this course at UCL as my insurance and just made my offer conditions today. If I don't make the STEP grade at Imperial this is what I'll be doing and glad I chose this instead of just CS.

What has your experience been like? Is it very stressful or manageable? Do you find the time to do other extra curricular stuff, social life? What is the reputation of this course amongst employers? Job offers, job fairs, etc.? Can one look into both CS and finance/banking related careers with this?

If I may ask what kind of things did you talk about super curricular wise on your PS, any tips for applying to this course?

Reply 6

Anonymous #1

Original post by Aadhavan

I am studying Mathematical Computation at UCL. It is a joint maths and cs degree and in the first 2 years there is an equal balance of both maths and cs modules, but in second year you can choose to study 4 cs + 4 math or 5 cs + 3 math modules). In 3rd year (as of now) there is only one compulsory CS module, the other 7 are up to you to choose and can be either maths or cs modules. This change was introduced recently as before in 3rd year, 2 cs modules were compulsory. And in 4th year nothing is compulsory apart from the dissertation, which is worth 2 modules. So overall, the degree is ever so slightly towards the CS side but you are more than welcome to go into the maths side in later years. I guess this makes sense as the course is under the CS department, not the maths one. This unlike all of the other joint maths degrees at UCL, which are under the maths department. Hope that clears everything up.

what kind of things did u write about on ur personal statement? do u have any tips?

Mathematical Computation or Computer Science at UCL

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