computer science

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Application-based education. The course is not as theory heavy as at some other universities, and is heavily reliant on interactivity through lectures, seminars, workshops and labs, as well as learning through practical coursework assignments (the learning-by-doing approach). There are large group-based and individual projects integrated throughout the curriculum to allow you to build a range of relevant practical skills.

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Careers support. The Careers team at Lancaster are great, providing extensive 1-1 support with personal career goal setting, CV and interview practice, careers workshops, on-campus career fairs and events, mentorship programmes, and more. Lancaster is also great at involving students into its systems. Personally, I was able to complete two paid internships within the university alongside my studies: as an Innovations Developer working with a local charity and as a Full-Stack developer at the Innovations and Partnerships team. There are many technical and non-technical temporary and part-time opportunities advertised to students through Lancaster's Employment and Recruitment service, which allows you to build industry-relevant skills. Additionally, career and industry focus is embedded into the curriculum.

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Academic support. I have found the lecturers to be very accessible and approachable, and always had my queries answered quickly. In my experience, most of them are happy to stay after the lectures to respond to student questions and are eager to discuss their research. Furthermore, there is the Teaching Hub open usually at 9 am-5 pm for all the students to drop in to with any questions or for additional 1-1 academic support.

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Flexibility. There is a wide range of optional modules to choose from in years 2 and 3. In the first year, you can study a minor of your choice, allowing you to extend your knowledge beyond the course. For example, you could take a Maths minor (or even a Business or Finance minor) in your 1st year. There are multiple courses: Computer Science, Software engineering, Cyber Security, Data Science, Computer Science and Maths, and Management and IT. In most cases, you can switch between these courses up until your 2nd year of studies.

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Facilities. The new computer science labs have been just built last academic year, featuring new equipment, comfortable rooms, and cool things such as the Digital Wall, adjustable desks, Cyber Wall, etc. Most importantly, as a computer science student you have 24/7 hour access to the new labs in the InfoLab (CS building) and the recently refurbished labs in the Science and Technology building.

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The campus and the college community culture at Lancaster are its signature strengths,and should also be mentioned.