You may have unanswered questions about the admission process. This page attempts to answer questions which are specific to the Discrete Mathematics course offered by the Department of Computer Science at the University of Warwick. Answers to more general questions on other courses offered by the Department of Computer Science can be found on the DCS Admissions FAQ. The information here does not necessarily apply to any other University, nor to any other Department at the University of Warwick.

Frequently Asked Questions

I have been given an offer to join a course in Mathematics Department of the University of Warwick, but I would prefer to join the Discrete Mathematics course instead. What do I need to do to obtain an offer for Discrete Mathematics?

If you would like to replace your current Maths offer with an offer for the new BSc Discrete Mathematics Degree then you should email your request along with your UCAS ID number, your name, your original course choice, and your new course choice (Discrete Mathematics) to: ugadmissions@warwick.ac.uk.

 
What are the typical A-levels requirements for the Discrete Mathematics course?

A-level grades A*AA (or equivalent) including A* in either Mathematics or Further Mathematics.

Which Department is the new Degree based in?

Students on the new degree will be based in the Department of Computer Science (which also manages admissions for the degree), and will have a personal tutor in that department. Lecturers will be provided by both Mathematics and Computer Science departments. The buildings of Computer Science and Mathematics departments are conveniently located next to each other and are connected by a bridge.

 
What is the difference between the Discrete Mathematics degree and the degrees offered by the Mathematics Department?

Degrees offered by the Mathematics Department all have a common core that comprises 75% of their 1st year. Only half of the 1st year of the Discrete Mathematics degree course is from this core (by omitting Differential Equations and Mechanics, whose applications are more in the direction of applied mathematics). The other half is taught by the Department of Computer Science and this includes specialised modules in Discrete Mathematics and its Applications. Typically 30% of the core in the 2nd year and a smaller proportion of the core of the 3rd year is taught by the Mathematics Department.

 
What is the difference between the Discrete Mathematics degree and the Computer Science degree?

The degree in Discrete Mathematics concerns an important subject at the intersection between Mathematics and Computer Science: discrete mathematics and its applications in algorithms. The main Computer Science focus of the degree is on the theoretical and mathematical study of algorithms. Therefore, the main emphasis of the degree course is to provide tools for the mathematical understanding of algorithms, and significantly less emphasis is put on developing programming skills. The traditional Computer Science topics like software engineering, databases, programming verifications, etc., are not in the core of the degree (although they can be taken as options). Instead, about half of the 1st year core and 30% of the 2nd year core are taught by the Mathematics Department.

 
Why is the admissions offer for Discrete Mathematics different from the admissions offer for the Mathematics degrees?

Much of the advice offered to Mathematics applicants about the desirability of taking Further Mathematics, STEP or AEA examinations, etc., applies also to candidates for Discrete Mathematics. Discrete Mathematics is, however, a new degree, and this year we are not requiring candidates to take these examinations as part of their offer.

 
Will I be able to change to Mathematics when I arrive in Warwick if I discover that I would prefer that?

We cannot guarantee that. Transfers between Discrete Mathematics and Mathematics degrees will be subject to the usual rules for transfer between degrees at Warwick. Such a transfer would only be permitted if you had satisfied the usual offer for the degree you wanted to transfer to, and if there were free places on that degree course.

 
Is it possible to transfer from Discrete Mathematics to Mathematics at the end of the first year?

Transfers to Mathematics at the end of the first year would be at the discretion of the Mathematics Department, which will only accept students who have done enough Mathematics options in the first year to be able to tackle the second year of the Mathematics degree, and who have performed at a high level in mathematics modules in the first year examinations. If you already know that you will want to transfer to mathematics later in your degree, you would be better advised to apply for admission to mathematics and to take some of the discrete mathematics modules as options during your mathematics degree.

 
Do I need to know programming to perform well in Discrete Mathematics?

No. There are core modules "Programming for Computer Scientists" and "Design of Information Structures" in the 1st Year in which students will learn basic programming; this has been designed to provide the basics of programming needed to do well in Discrete Mathematics. There is very limited exposure to programming in other Discrete Mathematics core modules, but you may gain more exposure by taking modules in the Computer Science Department as options if you wish.