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Second undergrad - Liv Uni / Carmel College

I am a recent graduate from the University of Liverpool and I hold a degree from a non-stem subject. I haven't taken maths or sciences for my A-Levels and I'm planning to go into Computer Science (Foundation Year) via Carmel College in a year or two. The good thing is I am working on my programming skills as well as going through A-Level math content (which I can grasp onto the topics and remember the formulas with ease).

As for the foundation year, you're required to pick maths + one of the following subjects: bio/chem/phys/IT/geo. I was wondering if all of the A-Level content gets covered or if its just specific ones that are related to CS (calc, discrete maths, stats, etc). If anyone has gone down through this route to get into CS/Engineering can you please tell me what it's like?
Original post by imjustagirll
I am a recent graduate from the University of Liverpool and I hold a degree from a non-stem subject. I haven't taken maths or sciences for my A-Levels and I'm planning to go into Computer Science (Foundation Year) via Carmel College in a year or two. The good thing is I am working on my programming skills as well as going through A-Level math content (which I can grasp onto the topics and remember the formulas with ease).
As for the foundation year, you're required to pick maths + one of the following subjects: bio/chem/phys/IT/geo. I was wondering if all of the A-Level content gets covered or if its just specific ones that are related to CS (calc, discrete maths, stats, etc). If anyone has gone down through this route to get into CS/Engineering can you please tell me what it's like?
Congrats on graduating.

I don't do courses at either institutions and I don't do CS.

However, I would like to point out that you can do a 1 year CS degree in postgrad that would give you the same achievements as a BSc in CS. These degrees can sometimes accept an undergrad in any subject so long you get the right grades. See the following for example:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught-degrees/computer-science-msc
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/taught/computer-science/computer-science
https://www.bath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-2024/taught-postgraduate-courses/msc-computer-science/
https://www.bcu.ac.uk/courses/computer-science-msc-2024-25#entry_requirements
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/degrees/5055f/#entry-requirements
https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/computer-science-msc
https://www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/maths-comp-sci/computer-science/msc-computer-science/#entry-requirements=is-expanded
https://online.liverpool.ac.uk/programmes/msc-computer-science/ (this is an online degree from Liverpool)

Typically, the maths in a CS undergrad is covered in the first year of the degree. If you pick a random undergrad degree and look at the maths modules, a lot of it would be core maths, statistics, and discrete maths. See the following as example:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/module-catalogue/modules/introductory-mathematics-for-computer-science-COMP0011
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/module-catalogue/modules/discrete-mathematics-for-computer-scientists-COMP0147

The contents from the above include:
Mathematics:

Trig, exp and log.

Polynomials.

Limits and continuity.

Differential calculus of one and two variables.

Integration.

Series summation and power series.

Complex numbers. (Further maths)

Vector spaces. (Further maths)

Matrices. (Further maths)

Linear Algebra. (Further maths)

Statistics:

Probability, descriptive statistics.

Discrete random variables.

Continuous random variables.

Statistical estimation.

Hypothesis testing.

The first part of the module will focus on foundational discrete mathematics, including but not necessarily limited to: functions and relations, permutations, group theory, set theory, cardinalities, diagonalisation, linear algebra and combinatorics. The module continues with mathematical reasoning, logical notation and proof by mathematical induction.

If you look at the maths modules for degrees that have foundation years (e.g. https://royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/computer-science/computer-science-with-integrated-foundation-year/):
"The main mathematical topics and concepts in the course are algebra (simplification, rearrangement), sequences and series, number bases, logic, functions, graphing of functions, exponential and logarithm, trigonometry, vectors/matrices, complex numbers differentiation, integration, first order ordinary differential equations, probability, and statistics (mean, variance, normal, binomial distributions)
...The main mathematical topics and concepts in the course are algebra (simplification, rearrangement), sequences and series, number bases, logic, functions, graphing of functions, exponential and logarithm, trigonometry, vectors/matrices, complex numbers differentiation, integration, first order ordinary differential equations, probability, and statistics (mean, variance, normal, binomial distributions)."
Vectors, matrices, complex numbers, ODE are typically Further Maths topics. You would use mostly statistics and core maths quite a bit. I am not entirely sure where number bases and logic comes into maths (I don't think it's covered, or at least I don't come across them as much in Maths or Further Maths). Discrete maths is something that is often used in CS though.
(edited 3 months ago)
Reply 2
Original post by MindMax2000
Congrats on graduating.
I don't do courses at either institutions and I don't do CS.
However, I would like to point out that you can do a 1 year CS degree in postgrad that would give you the same achievements as a BSc in CS. These degrees can sometimes accept an undergrad in any subject so long you get the right grades. See the following for example:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught-degrees/computer-science-msc
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/taught/computer-science/computer-science
https://www.bath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-2024/taught-postgraduate-courses/msc-computer-science/
https://www.bcu.ac.uk/courses/computer-science-msc-2024-25#entry_requirements
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/degrees/5055f/#entry-requirements
https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/computer-science-msc
https://www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/maths-comp-sci/computer-science/msc-computer-science/#entry-requirements=is-expanded
https://online.liverpool.ac.uk/programmes/msc-computer-science/ (this is an online degree from Liverpool)
Typically, the maths in a CS undergrad is covered in the first year of the degree. If you pick a random undergrad degree and look at the maths modules, a lot of it would be core maths, statistics, and discrete maths. See the following as example:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/module-catalogue/modules/introductory-mathematics-for-computer-science-COMP0011
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/module-catalogue/modules/discrete-mathematics-for-computer-scientists-COMP0147
The contents from the above include:
Mathematics:

Trig, exp and log.

Polynomials.

Limits and continuity.

Differential calculus of one and two variables.

Integration.

Series summation and power series.

Complex numbers. (Further maths)

Vector spaces. (Further maths)

Matrices. (Further maths)

Linear Algebra. (Further maths)

Statistics:

Probability, descriptive statistics.

Discrete random variables.

Continuous random variables.

Statistical estimation.

Hypothesis testing.

The first part of the module will focus on foundational discrete mathematics, including but not necessarily limited to: functions and relations, permutations, group theory, set theory, cardinalities, diagonalisation, linear algebra and combinatorics. The module continues with mathematical reasoning, logical notation and proof by mathematical induction.
If you look at the maths modules for degrees that have foundation years (e.g. https://royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/computer-science/computer-science-with-integrated-foundation-year/):
"The main mathematical topics and concepts in the course are algebra (simplification, rearrangement), sequences and series, number bases, logic, functions, graphing of functions, exponential and logarithm, trigonometry, vectors/matrices, complex numbers differentiation, integration, first order ordinary differential equations, probability, and statistics (mean, variance, normal, binomial distributions)
...The main mathematical topics and concepts in the course are algebra (simplification, rearrangement), sequences and series, number bases, logic, functions, graphing of functions, exponential and logarithm, trigonometry, vectors/matrices, complex numbers differentiation, integration, first order ordinary differential equations, probability, and statistics (mean, variance, normal, binomial distributions)."
Vectors, matrices, complex numbers, ODE are typically Further Maths topics. You would use mostly statistics and core maths quite a bit. I am not entirely sure where number bases and logic comes into maths (I don't think it's covered, or at least I don't come across them as much in Maths or Further Maths). Discrete maths is something that is often used in CS though.

Hiya, Ive tried to apply for masters in CS but they only allow engineering students and other STEM graduates to apply . Besides this, I'm not interested in other "conversion" courses, The undergraduate course offers AI related modules and some other things that I'm interested in the second and third year

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