Admissions

UCAS Course Code: IV15

Brief Course Outline

Duration of course: 3/4 years
Degree awarded: BA/MCompPhil
Intake: 8
Applications shortlisted for interview: 61.5%
Successful applications: 30.8%

Open days

20 September 2013. Please see the Computer Science website.

26 September: Lesser Spotted Science Day

Contact details

Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Wolfson Building, Parks Road, Oxford
OX1 3QD
+44 (0) 1865 273821 / 273833
Please email us at undergraduate.admissions@ cs.ox.ac.uk
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Computer Science and Philosophy

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Computer Science and Philosophy is a new degree, with its first students having started in 2012, the centenary of Alan Turing’s birth. It can be studied for three years (a BA), or four years (Master of Computer Science and Philosophy). You choose at the beginning of your third year whether to stay on for the additional fourth year.

The first year of the degree covers core material in both subjects, including a bridging course studying Turing’s pioneering work on computability and artificial intelligence. Later years include a wide range of options, with an emphasis on courses near the interface between the two subjects. The fourth year provides you with the opportunity to study advanced topics and to undertake a more in-depth research project.

A typical weekly timetable

For the first two years, your work is divided between lectures (about ten a week), tutorials in your college (two or three a week), and Computer Science practical classes (about one session a week). In your third and fourth years the Philosophy courses continue in a similar pattern, but most Computer Science courses are run as classes in the department rather than college tutorials.

1st year
Courses Courses Computer Science Functional programming Design and analysis of algorithms Imperative programming Discrete mathematics Probability Philosophy General Philosophy Elements of deductive logic Turing on computability and intelligence	Assessment Five written papers, plus Computer Science practicals
2nd year
Courses Computer Science (50%) Models of computation Options including: Advanced data structures and algorithms Compilers Concurrent programming Philosophy (50%) Many options including Knowledge and reality History of Philosophy from Descartes to Kant Philosophy of science Philosophy of mind Ethics	Assessment Two Computer Science papers, plus Computer Science practicals (including a group design practical)
3rd year
Courses Computer Science Options including: Intelligent systems Knowledge representation and reasoning Machine learning Computational complexity Computer-aided formal verification Computers in society Philosophy Options including: Formal logic Philosophy of Mathematics Philosophy of cognitive science Philosophy of logic and language and many others	Assessment Six three-hour written papers, including at least one in Computer Science and at least three in Philosophy, plus Computer Science practicals
4th year
Courses Computer Science Advanced options including: Computational linguistics Information retrieval Theory of data and knowledge bases Optional Computer Science project Philosophy Advanced options in: Philosophy Optional Philosophy thesis In the 3rd and 4th years, students can choose where to focus their studies, and the 4th year can be entirely Computer Science or entirely Philosophy.	Assessment For Computer Science options, written paper or take-home exam, plus practicals; for Philosophy options, three-hour written paper plus 5,000-word essay

Lists of options in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years are illustrative only, and may change from time to time.

Further information about all of our courses: www.cs.ox.ac.uk/computerscienceatoxford

See also

Computer Science and Philosophy

A typical weekly timetable