Computer Science at Bristol Professor Seth Bullock

Head of Computer Science

Why Study Computer Science?

Solve Deep Problems

+

Shape the World

Solve Deep Problems

Computation

Ethics

Thought

RobotsSecurity

Connectedness

Shape The World

The world’s most valuable brands (Forbes, 2019)

1. Apple

2. Google

3. Microsoft

4. Amazon

5. Facebook

Computer Science Is Moving Fast

20202016 2024

Now! One CS

degree into

the Future! !

One CS

Degree into

the Past!

Valued at ~£5 Billion!

10+ Million Self-Driven Miles! What

comes

next?8.5 Billion Pwned!

!

Great careers for our students

▪ The Computer Science sector continues to expand

▪ Computer Science skills are in strong demand

▪ Our Computer Science graduates are

sought-after by leading companies

▪ Many go on to start their own companies

What will you study at Bristol?

Our Degree Courses

Single Honours Degrees:

▪ BSc Computer Science (3 years)

▪ MEng Computer Science (4 years)

▪ MEng CS with Study Abroad (4 years)

Joint Honours Degrees:

▪ BSc/MEng Computer Science & Electronics

▪ BSc/MEng Maths & Computer Science

▪ MEng Computer Science with Innovation

Our Approach

▪ Project Work and Problem Solving

▪ A Balance of Theory and Practice

▪ Rigour and Hands-On-Experience

▪ Innovation and Enterprise

▪ World-leading Academics

▪ Working with Industry

▪ Discovery and Exploration

▪ Creativity and Choice

A Degree Like A Tree

▪ In Years 1 and 2:

– We introduce the Roots and the Trunk

– A secure platform for taking on all of CS

▪ In Years 3 and 4:

– We reach the Branches and Leaves

– A diverse menu of options, choices and projects

▪ Throughout the degree:

▪ Transferable Skills: group work, design, creativity

▪ Opportunities to engage with industry

disquiet.in

Year 1: The Roots + Trunk

▪ Imperative Programming

▪ Object-Oriented Programming

▪ Functional Programming

▪ Algorithms

▪ Mathematics and Statistics

▪ Architecture

▪ Web Technologies

▪ Data and the Cloud

Year 2: The Roots + Trunk

▪ Theory of Computation & Languages

▪ Algorithms & Data Structures

▪ Networks, Concurrency

▪ Cybersecurity

▪ Data-Driven Computer Science

▪ Interaction & Society

▪ 2nd Year Group Project

Years 3 & 4: Leaves + Branches

▪ Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

▪ Robotics & Computer Vision

▪ Computational Neuroscience

▪ Deep Learning

▪ High Performance Computing

▪ Animation & Graphics

▪ Cryptology and Cybersecurity

▪ Topics in Programming Languages

Years 3 & 4: Leaves + Branches

▪ Computational Finance & Algorithmic Trading

▪ Types & Lambda Calculus

▪ Design Verification

▪ Cloud Computing

▪ Interactive Devices

▪ Data Science

▪ Individual Project

▪ MEng Group Project

Interconnecting Everything

Projects

Second-Year Group Project

▪ Work in teams

▪ Real-world clients

▪ Tackling real-world problems

▪ Industrial mentors

▪ Teams pitch for projects

▪ Serious software development

▪ “Code in the City”

Individual Research Projects

Biometrics

HelpBuddy

HelpBuddy

“I can see huge positives with this app for communication between my child and myself.”

“I feel very hopeful that this application will have positive impact on my child’s life.”

Third-Year Games Project

▪ Teams work to develop a piece of software

▪ Often takes the form of an interactive game

▪ Interdisciplinary collaboration +

▪ Industrial mentors

▪ Algorithms, hardware, code, sensors, etc.

▪ On average 25,000 lines of code

▪ Students and visitors test them at

the annual Games Day

New People, New Ideas

Always Evolving…

Space!

Dedicated student spaces

▪ Flexible teaching spaces

▪ Breakout spaces and cafés

▪ Bookable student study rooms

▪ Computer labs

▪ Hackspace

▪ Library

▪ Careers service

▪ Wellbeing support

Hackspace

▪ 103 m2 co-working space

▪ A student-designed space for hacking, making and crafting

▪ Experimentation and collaboration

▪ Laser Cutting, 3D Printing, Composite Cutting, CNC Mills

New Linux Lab Space!

▪ New state-of-the-art computer labs

▪ £2.6m investment

▪ 200-seat and 76-seat spaces

for teaching and studying

▪ Collaborative desk clusters with

hideaway computers

Get involved

Student Societies

▪ Computer Science Society

▪ Student Robotics

▪ Bristol University Drones Society

▪ Robogoals

▪ Women in Engineering

▪ Women in Tech

▪ Innovation Design

▪ Outreach, Mentorship, Internships

Our External Advisory Board

Alan Turing Institute, Amazon, BlueBear Systems

Calvium, Cognizant, DEFRA, Goldman Sachs

Ghyston, Knowle West Media Centre, Intel

LiveRamp, LV, Met Office, Microsoft, Mubaloo

Morgan Stanley, NAG, SET Squared, SnapTech

Office for National Statistics, Thales, Ultraleap

TVS, Welsh Assembly, Women’s Tech Jobs

What Comes Next?

Fantastic Links With Industry

95% in professional or

managerial job within

6 months of graduationUNISTATSMEng in Computer Science

What Next? Your Own Business…

▪Jenny Griffiths, MBE 2015, MEng 2009, developed SnapFashion as 4th year project:

–“Visual search (…) teaches a computer how to see. It comes naturally to humans but to computers it’s just a bunch of pixels (..).”

▪Mubaloo, Opposable Games, by Ben Trewhella, BSc 2001

–“The skills gained at Bristol, and its entrepreneurial focus have been invaluable to start companies and initiatives ever since.”

Ethan, Dan,

Ellie, Catalin,

Gianluca & Nick

joined the Silicon

Valley Internship

Programme (SVIP)

catering specifically

for UK CS graduates.

“Bristol is by far the

most represented

University out of all

the 17 SVIP-ers,

and that’s not by

coincidence.

I have gained so

much knowledge

and confidence

from the course.”

What Next? Silicon Valley

Plans…

Programming & Algorithms Projects CS OptionsMathematicsComputer Systems Foundations

Imperative &

Functional Programming

TB1 Year 1 TB2 TB1 Year 2 TB2

Mathematics for

Computer

Science A

Mathematics for Computer

Science B

Software ToolsComputer

Architecture

Computer

Systems B

Computer Systems A

Data-Driven

Computer

Science

Software Engineering Team Project

Algorithms II

MEng & MSci

students:

40-Credit

Individual

Project with

Innovation Case

(MEng students

may complete as

a team project)

Pick 5 × Year 4

Options

Choose 3 of these

options to be

Exam Assessed

and

Choose 2 of these

options to be

Coursework

Assessed

BSc students:

40-Credit

Individual

Project

_____________

MEng students:

40-Credit

Team Project

_____________

MSci students:

Pick 2×20-Credit

Mini-Project

Options

Pick 5 × Year 3

Options

Choose 3 of these

options to be

Exam Assessed

and

Choose 2 of these

options to be

Coursework

Assessed

TB1 Year 3 TB2 TB1 Year 4 TB2

Pick 1×20-Credit

Mini-Project

Option

Programming

Languages &

Computation

Interaction &

Society

Object-Oriented

Programming &

Algorithms I

Pick 1×20-Credit

Mini-Project

Option

Current Year 3 Options List:

Advanced Algorithms

Artificial Intelligence

Computational Neuroscience

Computer Graphics, Cryptology

Design Verification

Human-Computer Interaction

Image Processing & Computer Vision

Machine Learning

Security Behaviours

Types & Lambda Calculus

Current Year 4 Options List:

Advanced Artificial Intelligence

Advanced Computer Vision

Advanced Cryptology

Advanced Machine Learning

Advanced Topics in Prog. Languages

Advanced Topics in Theoretical CS

Applied Deep Learning

Cloud Computing & Big Data

Information Processing & The Brain

Internet Economics & FinTech.

Systems & Software Security

Current Mini-Project Options List:

Advanced Computer Architecture

Applied Cryptology, Applied Data Sci.

CGI, High-Performance Computing Interactive Devices, Robotics

Computer Science BSc/MEng

Distinctive Features: Structure

▪ A few significant units at first

▪ Many options in later years

▪ A balance of exams and coursework

▪ Choose which units are exam assessed

▪ Dedicated wellbeing support in the building

▪ Capstone projects at the end of your degree

▪ Decouple UG and MSc teaching

▪ MEng Group Project is now optional

Distinctive Features: Projects

▪ Supported in learning to work as a team

▪ Work for a real-world client in year 2

▪ Work on a big software dev project in year 3

▪ Final year projects:

– TB1 to organise and plan; TB2 to deliver

– Your project doesn’t clash with lots of other units

– Your most important piece of work takes place

when you are most skilled and most mature

– Create an Innovation Case alongside your project

Distinctive Features: Content

▪ Functional, Imperative and OOP in Year 1

▪ Code building tools: web tech, git, databases

▪ Computer systems from hardware to software

▪ Security & social responsibility baked in

▪ All the Maths & Statistics you need

▪ Exciting CS options:

Data Science

Cloud Computing

Deep Learning

Graphics & Animation

Machine Learning

Interactive Devices

FinTech

HPC

AI

Thankyou!

Welcome to Bristol!

“Creativity and technology have converged,

collided, got mashed up and there is no

going back. To develop and exploit the

opportunities opening up in this new, rapidly

changing environment we need more lateral

thinkers, more people willing to straddle the

disciplines, willing to broker and break down

the arts versus science and technology

relationships and excite the emerging

generation.”

David Sproxton CBE,

Aardman Animations

• Four-Year Integrated Masters Degrees

• In-depth subject specialism

• Entrepreneurship

• Real world challenges

• Interdisciplinary teamwork

• Design & Creativity

• Venture creation

• Industry mentors