Computer Science & joint degrees
Course overview
BA Computer Science (3 years) MCompSci Computer Science (4 years) BA Mathematics & Computer Science (3 years) MMathCompSci Mathematics & Computer Science (4 years)
Typical intake: 5
Worcester was one of the three first Oxford colleges to appoint a Fellow and Tutor in Computer Science, and has a history of excellence in the teaching of this discipline.
At present we admit up to 5 students a year to read Computer Science and Mathematics & Computer Science for the three- and four- year degree courses. We do not take students for the Computer Science & Philosophy degree.
The technology of computing has advanced extremely rapidly over the last thirty years, and this has been reflected in large changes in the academic discipline of Computer Science. Widespread use of computers in safety-critical and mission-critical applications has led the community at large to realise that the methods used in designing computer-based systems and programs must be just as intellectually rigorous as those employed in other scientific and engineering disciplines. Moreover, the increasing dependence on computing of non-experts has led to a realisation that human factors can be as important as technical factors in the design of usable computing systems. A good computer scientist has both the mathematician’s enthusiasm for rigorous and abstract reasoning, and the engineer’s enthusiasm for making things work.
Computer Science provides training in logical thought and expression which can lead to employment in many different fields, but a remarkably high proportion of Worcester computing students have gone on to pursue research and development at the leading edge of the science. Worcester computing alumni have also won international recognition for work in computational statistics.
The College has its own computing facilities, and is less than ten minutes’ walk from the Science area, in which the Department of Computer Science and the Computing Service are located. These provide extensive computing facilities, which can also be accessed from the College via the University network. All student rooms have Wi-Fi, which may be used to connect students’ machines to the University network and beyond.
The Computer Science tutors at Worcester have extensive theoretical and practical research interests, and share the goal of creatively deploying advanced theory in the development of useful computer-based systems. We encourage our students to keep up with the latest advances in both theory and technology, and to this end we supplement the usual tutorial sessions with informal College seminars from time to time.
Tutors
Bernard Sufrin Fellow & Tutor in Computer Science
Professor Andrzej Murawski
Professor Andrzej Murawski
Bernard Sufrin Fellow & Tutor in Computer Science
Associate Professor of Programming Languages
Education
MSc (Nicolaus Copernicus), DPhil (Oxford)
My research concerns the semantics of programing languages and its applications in software verification. I am interested in a broad spectrum of programming paradigms. Some recent examples include higher-order recursion, probabilistic computation, first- and higher-order state, concurrency, exceptions and objects.
Much of my work is based on game semantics, a modelling theory that uses games to model computation (a brief introduction to the area can be found here).
I like to blend research in semantics with automata theory. The latest examples are collapsible pushdown automata, automata over infinite alphabets and tree-stack automata. I am also interested in probabilistic systems in the context of differential privacy and machine learning. For more details, please see my publications page.
I’m involved in the activities of SIGLOG and currently serve as its Vice-Chair. Between 2014 and 2022 I was the Editor of SIGLOG News, which features highly readable surveys of research relevant to SIGLOG. I am also on the Steering Committee of FoSSaCS.
Senior Research Fellow
Professor Michael Goldsmith
Professor Michael Goldsmith
Senior Research Fellow
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Co-Director, Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre
Education
MA DPhil (Oxford)
Professor Goldsmith’s research concerns establishing the robustness and security of systems, especially in ad-hoc and pervasive computing environments, from underpinning theory through ethical and psychological issues to practical application. With a background in Formal Methods and Concurrency Theory, Michael was one of the pioneers of automated cryptoprotocol analysis. His research work has investigated a range of Technology Strategy Board and industrial or government-funded projects ranging from highly mathematical semantic models to multidisciplinary research at the social-technical interface. He was Co-Director of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Cybersecurity and is currently an Associate Director of Oxford’s Cyber Security Centre, and active in the IAAC Academic Liaison Panel.
Applying
Formal qualifications in computing are not necessary, but our students are expected to take A-level Mathematics and to be confident and competent in mathematics. Many have studied double Mathematics at A-level, but we actively encourage people who haven’t studied quite as much mathematics to apply to the College, and such students have an excellent record.
Read more on the university website Department of Computer Science
