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MSC Computer Science (conversion) @ University of Bristol

Hi everyone,
I’ve received an offer for the MSc Computer Science (conversion) program starting in 2025, and I’d love to hear about your experiences with the course.
To give some context, I’m coming from a Biology BSc background and didn’t take any programming modules during my degree. However, I did study Computer Science in high school, achieving a grade 6 (mostly due to not putting much effort into it at the time).
I’m keen to hit the ground running, so I’m looking for advice on:

1.

Programming preparation: Are there any specific programming courses (other than Harvard CS50) or languages you’d recommend I learn before starting?

2.

Maths preparation: Given that I only studied maths up to GCSE level, are there particular topics or resources I should focus on to prepare for the mathematical aspects of the course?

Reply 1
Original post by Wolf49948848
Hi everyone,
I’ve received an offer for the MSc Computer Science (conversion) program starting in 2025, and I’d love to hear about your experiences with the course.
To give some context, I’m coming from a Biology BSc background and didn’t take any programming modules during my degree. However, I did study Computer Science in high school, achieving a grade 6 (mostly due to not putting much effort into it at the time).
I’m keen to hit the ground running, so I’m looking for advice on:

1.

Programming preparation: Are there any specific programming courses (other than Harvard CS50) or languages you’d recommend I learn before starting?

2.

Maths preparation: Given that I only studied maths up to GCSE level, are there particular topics or resources I should focus on to prepare for the mathematical aspects of the course?


According to https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/msc-computer-science-conversion/ :

"The main programming languages taught on the course are C and Java."

See also the programme structure:
https://www.bris.ac.uk/unit-programme-catalogue/RouteStructure.jsa?ayrCode=25%2F26&byCohort=N&programmeCode=4COSC005T

which shows that the module on C is taught in the first teaching block (weeks 1 to 12), and the module on Java is taught in the second teaching block (weeks 13 to 24).

(There's a lot of stuff that you learn in C that's equally applicable to Java.)

So certainly some familiarity with either/both of C and Java is likely to be helpful to get you off the blocks.
Original post by martin7
According to https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/msc-computer-science-conversion/ :
"The main programming languages taught on the course are C and Java."
See also the programme structure:
https://www.bris.ac.uk/unit-programme-catalogue/RouteStructure.jsa?ayrCode=25%2F26&byCohort=N&programmeCode=4COSC005T
which shows that the module on C is taught in the first teaching block (weeks 1 to 12), and the module on Java is taught in the second teaching block (weeks 13 to 24).
(There's a lot of stuff that you learn in C that's equally applicable to Java.)
So certainly some familiarity with either/both of C and Java is likely to be helpful to get you off the blocks.

Thanks! I appreciate the point about transferable concepts between the two languages. Have you taken this course yourself? Also, are there any maths modules you would recommend I do in preparation?
Reply 3
Original post by Wolf49948848
Thanks! I appreciate the point about transferable concepts between the two languages. Have you taken this course yourself? Also, are there any maths modules you would recommend I do in preparation?

I haven't taken the course myself -- and I've no idea about what maths modules would be helpful, sorry.

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