Mathematics with Computer Science BSc Placement offered

On the Mathematics with Computer Science programme approximately two-thirds of the course is devoted to mathematical and statistical subjects and one third to computer science.

The mathematics element in these courses is wide‑ranging, and is concerned in particular with aspects of modern algebra that are related to computer science. Although theory is important, we place equal emphasis on best practice and real world applications.

• Transition to Independent Learning of Mathematics (see below for more)
• Fundamentals of Mathematics
• Introductory Programming
• Logic and Computation
• Calculus
• Linear Algebra
• Probability and Statistics I
• Algorithms and Numerical Methods.
  
  

  Find out more information about Level 1

• Multivariable Calculus
• Linear Methods
• Elements of Combinatorics
• Probability and Statistics II
• Operational Research
• Employability Skills
• Software Development and Management
• Algorithms and Their Applications

• Major Project (see below for more)
• Artificial Intelligence
• Software Engineering.

• Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations
• Encryption and Data Compression
• Statistics III
• Stochastic Models
• Risk and Optimisation for Financial Planning.

This is a very valuable feature of the Mathematics with Computer Science course – a substantial piece of individual, course-related work, personally supervised by a staff member. Project work accounts for about one third of your Level 3 study load, and will often be connected to staff research areas – it may also be in response to industry demands.

Students usually select from a list of projects offered by staff members. During 2014-15, over 150 project titles were available. These covered a wide range of mathematical areas and applications including, for example:

• The very famous ‘travelling salesman problem’ (also known as ‘the lazy waiter’!)
• Simulations of iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma and game theory
• The mathematics of complex networks such as the web or Facebook
• Applications of statistics to the Premier League, police complaints data and climate change
• Modern theories in quantitative finance – in particular, the highly influential financial derivatives (e.g. options) industry. (The ‘Black-Scholes theory’ is most famous for winning a Nobel Prize, and its misapplication is often blamed, rightly or wrongly, for the recent worldwide financial crisis.)

Students can work to their strengths and emphasise real applications or abstract theory, using theoretical and/or computational tools. Furthermore, students who have completed a work placement may choose to focus on a project associated with their work experience.

Most of our projects can be carried out in ways that suit the student's strengths and interests. For example, it is often possible to choose to emphasise concrete applications or abstract theory, and the project can be carried out using theoretical tools only, or computational tools only, or a mixture of both.

Read more about the structure of undergraduate degrees at Brunel and what you will learn on the course.