Studying abroad: how to choose the right IT course?
The digital revolution now concerns all companies, whatever their sector of activity. Studying computer science will enable you to master the codes of programming and algorithms, develop strong analytical skills and apply them in every conceivable field. There are many careers in computer science: project manager, data scientist, developer, engineer, IT technician, cybersecurity expert – so you’ll have plenty of career options and specializations to choose from afterwards.The United Kingdom offers renowned computer science courses. However, given the growing number of applicants, selection for these courses has become particularly tough. At Imperial College, for example, there are no fewer than 17 applicants for each place. For Imperial and UCL, you’ll need an average of 17 in your A-levels and 17 in maths and physics, while for universities like King’s College, Manchester or Bristol, 15 in your A-levels and between 14 and 17 in maths could be enough. Finally, universities such as Queen Mary or Royal Holloway may admit you if you manage to achieve a Baccalaureate average of 12 or 13.
Zhuo Ying, a computer science student at King’s College London (KCL), describes her experience on this course: « I really like my experience at KCL! The university offers high-quality laboratories and IT facilities. The knowledge and skills you develop during the course are highly relevant to working in industry: relational databases, data structures and algorithms, hardware, discrete mathematics and practical programming in Java. Mastering these skills even enables you to contribute to open source platforms like GitHub, which is very motivating! I think you’ll enjoy your studies here if you’re really passionate about the subject, enjoy doing practical work and take the initiative to make the most of the many opportunities available in London and within King’s! The curriculum has a very practical dimension, but we’re also asked to report on our code, discuss its design and think intelligently about its implementation. As for the quantitative part of the course, we have a compulsory module on discrete mathematics every year, which proves relatively difficult for some students. In the first year, we can also choose an optional module on mathematical methods, which allows students to familiarize themselves with Matlab software, a very useful skill for mathematicians. »Sumeet, a student on the same course, adds : « The university has close links with major companies like Microsoft. As most companies have their headquarters and events in London, it’s the best place for me to network and gain experience. There are also a lot of foreign students on the course, which is very enriching, as it allows us to exchange different points of view! »
The U.S. also offers a host of first-class computer science programs, including Carnegie Mellon University, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign, Cornell, University of Washington, Georgia Institute of Technology, Princeton and University of Texas – Austin.
In the Netherlands, the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) offers a bachelor’s degree in English in computer science and engineering, while the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU Eindhoven) offers several courses in English in computer engineering and dedata science.
Finally, in Montreal, Canada, McGill and Concordia universities offer computer engineering programs, while Polytechnique Montréal offers computer engineering and software engineering programs in French.
Find all the answers to your questions about studying abroad. our book “Etudier à l’étranger après le Bac” (Studyrama Editions).
Would you like more personalized support to make your plans to study abroad a reality? Don’t hesitate to contact the Your Dream School team!