YOUR COMPUTER SCIENCE @ MANCHESTER
W
ithin these pages we hope to give you a flavour of what you can expect from your time here as an undergraduate student in the Kilburn Building. Whether or not you have already made the decision to come to Manchester, we hope this will help to prepare you for life as a Computer Science student at university; and if you still have any questions, don’t forget you can
email our friendly UG Admissions Team at ug-compsci@ manchester.ac.uk. Good luck in your preparations for university life and we hope to see you in September! Best wishes, Dr Paul Nutter Director of UG studies, Department of Computer Science
For a real insight into life here as a Computer Science student, why not visit our UG newsletter, the ‘Monday Mail’ sent by Paul each week with all the latest news and announcements.
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BECOME A PART OF OUR RICH PIONEERING HISTORY
M
anchester was the birthplace of modern computing and home of the world’s first stored-program computer, ‘The Baby’, which was built here in June 1948. We were also the first department of Computer Science (founded in 1964) and continue to be a world-leading pioneer in software and hardware research.
LEARN FROM THE BEST.... Students should leave here bursting with enthusiasm for the subject and with ideas that will transform the world over coming decades. Professor Steve Furber Lecturer on our Mobile Systems module and Principal Designer of the ARM 32-bit microprocessor, the staple of most modern mobile phone chips!
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YOUR FIRST YEAR
Y
Once yo u have foundat ions of c the ompute science r dow world at n you have the your fin gertips. Anna M cCa
our first year here in Manchester rt 2nd Yea r Compu ain is designed to provide you with the ter Scie nce foundations of all our fundamental computer science topics. As the majority of our students are undertaking the same modules in the first year, it means you are then free to switch between any of our single honours courses from the second year, allowing you to begin to specialise and theme your degree in a certain area.
WHAT DOES A WEEK IN FIRST YEAR LOOK LIKE?* SAMPLE TIMETABLE UG Timetable
Monday
Tuesday
09:00
Wednesday
Thursday
Fundamentals of Computer Engineering
Fundamentals of Computer Engineering
10:00
Fundamentals of Computer Architecture
11:00
12:00
Friday
Introduction to Programming Python & JAVA Maths Techniques for Computer Science
13:00
Maths Techniques for Computer Science Fundamentals of Computer Architecture
14:00
Introduction to Programming Python & JAVA
15:00
Fundamentals of Computer Architecture
16:00
Fundamentals of Computer Engineering
First Year Team Project
Introduction to Programming Python & JAVA Fundamentals of Computer Architecture
PASS First Year Team Project
Maths Techniques for Computer Science
Introduction to Programming Python & JAVA Introduction to Programming Python & JAVA
*Please note this is a sample timetable. Your actual timetable will be issued to you on arrival in Welcome Week.
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SERVICES AND FACILITIES • Over 300 computers exclusively for the use of our students;
• Collaborative working labs
complete with specialist computing and audio visual equipment to support group working;
• Specialist electronic system
• An online Blackboard teaching portal to support your virtual learning environment;
• Podcasted lectures; • Access to extensive hardware library for drones, oculus rifts and robots.
design and computer engineering tools;
SUPPORT FOR YOUR WELLBEING
H
ere at Manchester we are keen for students to find a good work-life balance whilst studying and to ensure you find time to enjoy other activities outside of the course. Our Computer Science student support office are here to help you through your degree, and our University Wellbeing team encourage these six ways to look after your wellbeing as a student.
Stay off your phone with friends and to connect to the conversation
Hold the door open for someone, or smile and say hi to a stranger
Take a moment Get out for a to appreciate lunchtime walk if our green spaces you can, or try as you go about some desk yoga! campus
Find a routine that gets you ready for sleep
Download a new podcast, or check out an exhibition at our museum or gallery
www.studentsupport.manchester.ac.uk/taking-care/wellbeing/six-ways-to-wellbeing
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BECOME A PART OF OUR KILBURN COMMUNITY
It’s not like school when you have the teachers and the students, everyone’s just your friend despite their age or job title. Everyone always says hello Our studentsto you or is eager to help and teaching-students see you, it really feels like Peer Assisted Study a close community. Sam Joynson 2nd Year Computer Science
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Scheme (PASS), has been awarded the best in the University for 2019.
Everyone will just chat to each other, even between years - because you’re all doing the same thing or you’ve been there before - which creates such a friendly atmosphere. Caitlin Fotheringham 2nd Year Computer Science
YOUR STUDENT SOCIETY
U
niCS is The University of Manchester’s tech society. We are a big community of people with a passion for technology and creating innovative solutions for everyone to enjoy. We’ve been busy with numerous social events, from the welcome week pub crawl to the staff vs students pub quiz. We have also been preparing for the annual May Ball, the highlight of our Kilburn family’s social calendar and a night of celebration as we look back at our achievements over the year.
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FIRST YEAR HIGHLIGHTS*
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AUG
SEP
Get ready to move to Manchester! Check out reading lists
Register and Welcome Week Meet your Personal Tutor Join societies Visit the Careers Fair
OCT
NOV
Lectures and labs start Begin team web project UniCS social Great Uni Hack
Reading Week – A week off lectures! ACM International Coding competition
DEC
JAN
Group Poster Show Xmas break!
Return to University Sit exams
FEB
MAR
Start of Semester 2 Continue 1st Year project work.
Easter break Think about your 2nd year course units Student Hack
APR
MAY
Start looking for Summer jobs Staff v Students Coding Competition 1st year project presentations.
Prepare for June Exams May Ball with CS students and staff
JUN
JUL/AUG
Sit exams Break for Summer Start your summer placement or internship
Enjoy your break from studies... ...then get ready for 2nd year!
*Based on normal academic year
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SUPPORTING YOUR FUTURE Here in Manchester you are on the doorstep of the second largest tech community in the UK, with over 50,000 developers working in the city. We encourage and support all our students to gain industrial experience during their study. This not only enables them to broaden and deepen their skills by combining academic knowledge with practical experience in the workplace, but also connects them to potential employers to help shape their future career.
Explore which companies our graduates and placement students go to with our interactive map!
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Dr Duncan Hull Employability Tutor, Department of Computer Science
277%
Manchester is Europe’s fastest-growing major tech cluster, with investment growing from £48m in 2018 to £181m in 2019 10
Times 100 most targeted UK university for employers, 2020
100+
students out on placement each year, from CERN in Switzerland to Google in Munich Department careers fairs, and guest lectures from industry
Wednesday Waggle Our weekly department news feature signposting industry opportunities
96%
of graduates from IE degrees are in a professional or managerial job
I’d definitely recommend taking a year in industry as you learn the value of what you’ve been taught in the first two years, and you get the experience that all employers are looking for to help you get a job in your final year. Ben Lister Computer Science Graduate Find out Ben’s story:
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YOUR STUDENT-INDUSTRY HACKATHONS
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ot only do students have opportunities to go on placement and meet with potential employers at events at the University, companies often sponsor and help support our students to run Hackathons in the local area and beyond.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Our regular hackathons are free for all accepted hackers. We will provide you with WiFi, meals, drinks, sleeping rooms, swag, workshops, great atmosphere and… FUN!
WHAT IS A HACKATHON?
I DON’T KNOW HOW TO CODE. CAN I STILL COME?
Hackathons are awesome events full of creativity, technology and passionate tech-related students collaborating and creating. Attendees work in teams to create apps, games, robots… literally anything you want to build and learn about!
Hackathons are for beginners. Networking with and seeing awesome hackers in action will expose you to a tremendous amount of knowledge. There will also be an amazing number of industry experts and mentors, that will set challenges and help you.
Watch our Hackathon video!
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20 THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT MANCHESTER Bonfire Night in Platt Fields Park
A Champions League match at Old Trafford
A Saturday night in the bars and clubs in the city centre
All day breakfasts in the cafés in Didsbury
Hopping over to Europe for the weekend on a budget airline
Doing the Manchester Midnight Walk on a warm June evening
Eid on the neon Curry Mile
Manchester Mardi Gras along Canal Street
Hot chocolate in the Contact Theatre Lounge
Catching a massive band at the MEN Arena
Petals scattered all over the campus in the spring
Cheering on the crews A Manchester United in the Manchester vs The Manchester Folk Festival vs Manchester City Salford Universities Boat Race at HOME derby match
Never having to wait more Snowboarding at Chinese New Year than 5 minutes for a bus, The Chill Factore in the celebrations in Chinatown even at midnight middle of summer
Shopping at the Trafford Centre just before Christmas
Travelling to Blackpool for the illuminations on a crisp November night
Sampling the café culture in the Northern Quarter
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ACCOMMODATION
O
ur accommodation is set across three main areas, all within easy reach of the campus, the city and amenities.
Manchester city centre
In my first year I lived in Fallowfield in a catered hall, where I had breakfast and dinner served Monday to Friday. If you love parties and socialising, then this is the right place for you to live! The area is buzzing with university students, so it is very easy to meet new people. What I liked the most about Fallowfield was the fact that I had the Armitage Sports Centre just two minutes away from my accommodation. Hassan Ishtiaq
Piccadilly Train Station
Oxford Rd Train Station
North Campus
City (six sites)
Kilburn Building
South Campus
Read my full story at:
You can travel around campus by: foot: all buildings are walking distance from one another
Victoria Park (six sites)
bus: take the free 147 service bike: cycle lanes run along Oxford Road
uom.link/upg-maps 14
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FallowďŹ eld
(seven sites) Each dot represents one of our halls of residence
STAY CONNECTED Follow us on Twitter: @csmcr Instagram: uomcompsci
What do our students say? SCAN ME
Our Women in Computer Science Series: SCAN ME
Our first year team projects: SCAN ME
Listen to our Podcast
Our latest episode features Amelia’s story from Singapore to Skyscanner! SCAN ME
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Fancy exploring some problems to help prepare you for life as a Computer Science student at university? Our undergraduate students recommend the following website:
‘Brilliant.org’
Department of Computer Science Kilburn Building The University of Manchester Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PL +44 (0)161 275 6124 ug-compsci@manchester.ac.uk www.cs.manchester.ac.uk
Royal Charter Number RC000797 KD547 04.20