Computer Science and Mathematics

Computer science and mathematics is a combination that gives you two of the most powerful analytical frameworks available, and the ability to move between them. Mathematics is the language in which the foundations of computing are written: algorithms, data structures, computational complexity, cryptography, and the statistical underpinnings of machine learning are all mathematical at heart. Computer science gives you the tools to build systems, write software, design architectures, and implement the ideas that mathematical reasoning generates.

Together, the two disciplines develop graduates with both theoretical rigour and practical capability.

The University of York's three-year full-time Computer Science and Mathematics degree carries a typical entry tariff of 136 points. The programme includes a sandwich year option, a year abroad option, and work placement opportunities, meaning you can gain professional experience in the computing or mathematics sector before graduation and potentially study in a different country. As the course itself describes, the skills you gain from both disciplines will make you highly employable across a range of sectors.

You will study algorithms, programming, software engineering, operating systems, and computer architecture alongside pure and applied mathematics covering analysis, algebra, probability, and statistics, developing a genuinely dual competence that more specialised graduates may lack.

Graduates with a combination of computer science and mathematics are in strong demand in software engineering, data science, machine learning, cryptography, financial modelling, quantitative analysis, and technology consultancy. The mathematical rigour of the degree makes graduates particularly attractive to employers in finance, insurance, and the technology sector who need people capable of working at a high level of abstraction. Many also continue to postgraduate study in computer science, mathematics, statistics, or a specialised field such as artificial intelligence or mathematical finance.