Computer science and informatics

Why study with us

Range of degrees

We offer a range of specialist and conversion degree programmes to suit a variety of backgrounds, whether you have knowledge of the subject or are switching from another discipline.

Assisting your study

All MSc students will be provided with a laptop during induction week that will remain with you throughout the duration of your course.

Paid work placement

Gain valuable work experience on professional work placements and projects with leading industrial practitioners.

I originally gained employment after graduating with an undergraduate degree from Oxford University, but I soon realised I was on a career trajectory that I hadn’t actively chosen. I decided to do a conversion course so that I could start afresh with more options open to me. I chose Cardiff because the course modules seemed more relevant to the skills I would need in the job market than other conversion courses I looked at. Cardiff also had really good support for postgraduates. This MSc has definitely opened up job opportunities that were just not available to me at all before taking the course.

Matilda Rhode, MSc Computing graduate

Our talks

School overview and welcome

Professor Stuart Allen provides an overview of Computer Science and Informatics at Cardiff, including how we support our students and some of the inspiring ways they contribute to the wider community.

Artificial Intelligence: Computers vs People?

Join Professor Alun Preece as he takes you through a fascinating taster lecture exploring how artificial intelligence can work alongside people.

Software Engineering (MSc)

Find out more about MSc in Software Engineering taught at the National Software Academy.

Advanced Computer Science (MSc)

Manoj from India talks about studying an MSc in Advanced Computer Science at Cardiff University, and what it's like being a student in Cardiff.

Computing (MSc)

Computing with Placement (MSc) student, Teresa Bryant, gives an insight into how she has gone from having little knowledge of programming at the start of the conversion course, to being taught everything she needs to know.

Advanced Computer Science (MSc)

Kruthi Rajashekar, studying Advanced Computer Science (MSc), gives an insight into the course and what additional support you can expect to receive, as well as the fantastic facilities and opportunities available to students.

I chose to study in Cardiff because of the open day. The atmosphere at Cardiff was friendly and inviting, the students showing us the university were enthusiastic about Cardiff, the facilities for my course were modern, and the labs were brightly lit, providing a good environment for study. Cardiff offers many career fairs to assist in getting a career, provides personal tutors to help with any course related issues and the high-quality teaching on offer by the professors.

Ian Cox, MSc Advanced Computer Science graduate

Advanced Computer Science (MSc)

Full time, Full time, Part time

Designed for computing graduates who wish to differentiate themselves further through an advanced mastery of the discipline, this flagship programme offers exposure to contemporary topics that are driving key technological developments and trends.

Advanced Computer Science with a Professional Placement Year (MSc)

Full time with sandwich year

The ‘with a Professional Placement Year’ programme provides the opportunity to undertake a 7-12 month experience for students who successfully find a suitable placement.

Artificial Intelligence (MSc)

Full time

Explore the techniques and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and develop your practical skills through exposure to real-world problems and datasets.

Artificial Intelligence with a Professional Placement Year (MSc)

Full time with sandwich year

Explore the techniques and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and develop your practical skills through exposure to real-world problems and datasets.

Business Administration with Artificial Intelligence (MBA)

Full time

This programme is designed for people like you; people with relevant work or technical experience, who have the ambition to accelerate their progression to senior leadership roles through a period of focused study and personal development.

Computational and Data Journalism (MSc)

Full time

An innovative degree focusing on the development of knowledge and skills through research-informed practical learning in journalism, data science, computer coding and digital development.

Computing and IT Management (MSc)

Full time, Part time

Designed for graduates who want to move into computing from another discipline, this one year programme provides broad technical knowledge and a sound business context for managing IT systems.

Computing and IT Management with Placement (MSc)

Full time with sandwich year

The placement programme provides the opportunity to undertake a 7-12 month experience for students who successfully find a suitable placement.

Computing (MSc)

Full time, Part time

Designed for graduates who want to move into computing from another discipline, this one-year programme attracts students who wish to be introduced to the skills required for a career in software development.

Computing with Placement (MSc)

Full time with sandwich year

The placement programme provides the opportunity to undertake a 7-12 month experience for students who successfully find a suitable placement.

Cyber Security and Technology (MSc)

Full time

An advanced cyber security programme developed by Cardiff University in partnership with PwC and supported by funding from the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal, to prepare high-class, employment ready cyber security professionals sought after by organisations worldwide.

Cyber Security (MSc)

Full time, Part time

Address the key security issues that are faced by global communications and information systems and develop your practical skills through exposure to real-world problems and datasets.

Data Science and Analytics (MSc)

Full time, Full time, Part time

Acquire a range of in-demand skills for extracting and handling ‘big data’ and develop your practical skills through exposure to real-world problems and datasets.

Natural Language Processing (MSc)

Full time

This programme aims to develop your technical capabilities as well as a critical understanding of the ethical and social impacts of dealing with text data, covering technical aspects of the most recent and cutting-edge Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies.

Software Engineering (MSc)

Full time

On this one-year programme students will undertake practical development using current leading edge commercial tools and techniques and be exposed to direct industrial involvement in a dynamic commercial-like environment.

Software Engineering with a Professional Placement Year (MSc)

Full time with sandwich year

The MSc Software Engineering degree presents students from a diverse background in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects with the opportunity to acquire the skills, knowledge and hands-on experience required to be effective as a commercial software engineer.

Computer Science and Informatics (PhD)

Full-time, part-time

Studying for a PhD or MPhil at the Cardiff School of Computer Science and Informatics offers you the opportunity to become part of a strong, dynamic and internationally successful research school.

Data privacy and cybersecurity (PhD)

Full-time, part-time

Examples of our research in cybersecurity include the machine classification of malware in various forms (eg binary executables and web links), mathematical models for the quantification and forecasting of network security risk, security of industrial control systems (eg SCADA systems), and Cloud security.

Distributed and parallel systems (PhD)

Full-time, part-time

This priority area is interested in compute-intensive and data-intensive multidisciplinary applications spanning traditional computational science and the emerging area of big data science.

Human factors technology (PhD)

Full-time, part-time

Human factors technology is dedicated to understanding and improving the way people use technology in information environment. It focuses on automated mining, structuring and integration of digital information (including text, voice, music and images), facilitating human-computer communication, and studying human behaviour by utilising sensor informatics.

Knowledge representation and reasoning (PhD)

Full-time, part-time

The field of knowledge representation and reasoning is concerned with systems for automated reasoning in the context of artificial intelligence. Our focus in particular is on: defeasible and inductive reasoning, argumentation, qualitative spatial reasoning, epistemic reasoning and knowledge acquisition.

Quantum technologies and engineering (PhD)

Full-time, part-time

Quantum technologies and engineering (QuTeE) focuses on modelling and control techniques to engineer quantum devices and processes. We work on techniques to design, control and optimise the behaviour of quantum processes based on methods to model and simulate quantum systems, characterise their behaviour by parameter and model learning, and visualise and analyse measurement signals.

Social computing (PhD)

Full-time, part-time

This priority area is underpinned by activities of the Social Data Science Lab and the Mobile and Social Computing Lab.

Text and data mining (PhD)

Full-time, part-time

In this priority area, we are especially interested in applying text and data mining in the areas of healthcare, policing, life sciences and social sciences.

Visual Computing (PhD)

Full-time, part-time

Our research in visual computing spans a wide range of topics in the fields of computer vision, computer graphics, geometric computing and both image and video processing. A significant theme in our work considers the input, description and editing of solids, surfaces and curves. These are represented analytically, as CAD models and as meshes. Other aspects of our work include the analysis, use and generation of static data such as images, surface meshes and 3D depth scans, as well as time-varying data such as video and 4D scans of moving objects. Our expertise in this area has been applied to problems from a range of disciplines including engineering, earth sciences, psychology, biology, medicine and even quantum control.

Studying with us

Considering a conversion course?

Hear one student's experience of undertaking a conversion MSc with us in this blog, and discover other experiences from our postgraduate students.

Our research

Discover how our longstanding, strong and dynamic research culture has given rise to our international reputation for world-class research.

Image of the proposed new Computer Science and Mathematics building

New building for School of Computer Science and Informatics

Our brand new purpose-built facility shared with the School of Mathematics will be finished this Autumn.

Exterior shot of Abacws, the new building which will be home to the School of Computer Science and Informatics, and the School of Mathematics.

Feature staircase of Abacws, which is due to open September of this year.

There will be multiple pc labs in the new building with some being able to accommodate as many as 100 students.

Abacws has been designed in collaboration with students and academic staff to create interdisciplinary, flexible and creative workspaces,

Abacws features flexible lecture theatres and seminar rooms with innovative layouts to encourage interaction.

The new £39m building will pioneer a way of working for Cardiff University which embodies collaboration and shared vision.

The single six-storey building is situated on Senghennydd Road next to Cathays railway station.

Data Science Academy

A number of our MSc degrees are taught at the Data Science Academy which was established to respond to the demand for highly-skilled and employable graduates in areas including data science.

By working together with industry, we aim to expose students to a broad range of techniques for understanding data and use these to apply cutting-edge analytical methodologies to a range of real-world problems.