Why should I do a Computer Science degree at UCL?

New ideas in Computer Science are having a profound influence over today's society. Computer scientists have brought the world MP3 players, iPods, iPhones, Face book, MySpace, Second Life, computer games, BLOGS, Wikis and free international phone calls over Skype. A single smart idea in computer science, such as the clever algorithm behind Google, can bring international fame and millions of dollars within a few years.

Doing a degree in Computer Science will give you the potential for having a huge impact on society and your own life. But what if that million dollar idea doesn't come to you within the next 3 years? A degree in Computer Science provides a very solid foundation for an interesting and diverse future career that provides above average graduate salaries.

Why UCL? Graduates from UCL are keenly sought by the worlds leading organisations and the University has recently received a rise in world rankings. The Computer Science Department at UCL is a top-rated department with a friendly atmosphere and our graduates are valued by international companies. They secure careers in a wide variety or organisations; for example with global IT consultancies, as IT analysts with City banks, or as IT specialists within manufacturing industries. Our degrees are accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS) - essential for graduates to make an impact within the IT profession.

But what about the recent 'credit crunch' and 'offshoring' (outsourcing software development to overseas). The current 'credit crunch' will affect all graduate recruitment as employers try to optimize their profits. But companies will generally cut back on non-essential roles rather than IT roles that are often critical within industry. A recent publication from the BCS finds that IT staff saw their pay rise at above inflation rates even with the current gloomy economy of the last 12 months ("IT and computer staff pay defies economic downturn", BCS). Offshoring is having an affect on graduate employment but companies are unlikely to outsource the development of cutting-edge technologies, often the most interesting and well paid, and those involving security and defence. The BCS has a number of web pages about offshoring and how the UK will remain competitive with the increasing globalization of software development.

So become part of this bright future with one of our BCS accredited degrees.