The differences between our programme types
CSE / IT | flavours | degrees | MEng / BEng | BEng / BSc | MEng / MMath |
MMath / BSc | Single / combined subject | BEng, BTech and BTEC |
You might also like to visit our page that describes the Master of Engineering (MEng) degree.
What is the difference between Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) and Information Technology (IT)?
Visit our page describing the differences between Computer Science and IT.
What flavours of Computer Science and Engineering do we offer?
Our list of available programmes includes
- Computer Systems and Software Engineering (CSSE)
- Computer Science (CSci)
- Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence (CSAI)
- Computer Science with Embedded Systems (CEmb)
You can see the differences between them by using these links to visit the various pages that give an overview of each programme. Or, for ease of comparison, see here for a panel of thumbnail sketches. Or, for separate pages describing each programme in full detail, navigate forward from each entry in our list of programmes.
We have a programme that covers both Computer Science and also the IT and business aspects of large organisations:
- Computer Science with Business Enterprise Systems (CEnt)
programmes that combine Computer Science and Philosophy:
and programmes that combine Computer Science and Mathematics:
What are the various degrees that we award for these programmes?
| degrees | with | without | programmes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a year in industry | ||||
| MEng | Master of Engineering | 5 years | 4 years | CSSE, CSAI, CEnt, CEmb, CSPh |
| BEng | Bachelor of Engineering | 4 years | 3 years | CEmb, CSci |
| MMath | Master of Mathematics | 5 years | 4 years | MaCS |
| BSc | Bachelor of Science | 4 years | 3 years | CSci, CSPh, CSMa |
What is the difference between MEng and BEng?
| degrees | with | without | programmes | accreditation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a year in industry | |||||
| MEng | Master of Engineering | 5 years | 4 years | CSSE | full
accreditation in force |
| CSAI, CEnt, CEmb | full
accreditation being applied for |
||||
| CSPh | no accreditation being applied for |
||||
| BEng | Bachelor of Engineering | 4 years | 3 years | CSci | partial
accreditation in force |
| CEmb | partial
accreditation being applied for |
||||
To see the differences in content, navigate forward from our list of programmes.
What is the difference between BEng and BSc?
| degrees | with | without | programmes | accreditation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a year in industry | |||||
| BEng | Bachelor of Engineering | 4 years | 3 years | CEmb | partial
accreditation being applied for |
| BEng | Bachelor of Engineering | 4 years | 3 years | CSci: see note* | partial
accreditation in force |
| BSc | Bachelor of Science | ||||
| BSc | Bachelor of Science | 4 years | 3 years | CSPh, CSMa | no accreditation, but see note** |
To see the differences in content, navigate forward from our list of programmes.
* The choice between a BEng and a BSc designation for our single-subject CSci programme is made by each student prior to graduation. There is no difference in the programme content. The advantage of choosing BEng is that it shows that the programme from which you have graduated has been partially accredited by a professional engineering institution.
** Our BSc programmes in Computer Science and Mathematics, and in Computer Science and Philosophy, do not carry any accreditation for CEng, nor any automatic exemption from any of the BCS professional examinations; but graduates from these programmes are encouraged (by the BCS) to apply for such exemption, as individuals, after graduation, specifying what options they took, and what finals project they carried out.
What is the difference between MEng and MMath?
| degrees | with | without | programmes | accreditation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a year in industry | |||||
| MEng | Master of Engineering | 5 years | 4 years | CSSE | full
accreditation in force |
| CSAI, CEnt, CEmb | full
accreditation being applied for |
||||
| MMath | Master of Mathematics | 5 years | 4 years | MaCS | no accreditation, but see note** |
** Our MMath programme in Mathematics and Computer Science does not carry any accreditation for CEng, nor any automatic exemption from any of the BCS professional examinations; but graduates from this programme are encouraged (by the BCS) to apply for such exemption, as individuals, after graduation, specifying what options they took, and what finals project they carried out.
To see the differences in content, navigate forward from our list of programmes.
What is the difference between MMath and BSc?
| degrees | with | without | programmes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a year in industry | |||||
| MMath | Master of Mathematics | 5 years | 4 years | MaCS | Mathematics and Computer Science in equal combination |
| BSc | Bachelor of Science | 4 years | 3 years | CSMa | Computer Science and Mathematics in equal combination |
| CSci | Computer Science as a single subject |
||||
To see the differences in content, navigate forward from our list of programmes.
Single-subject versus combined-subject programmes
-
CSSE, CSAI, CEnt, CEmb and CSci all count as single-subject programmes.
CSPh, CSMa and MaCS all count as combined-subject programmes.
In combined-subject programmes, both subjects are studied through all the three or four years - in equal proportion to start with, and then more flexibly in the later years.
-
Are combined programmes as well-regarded as single-subject?
The answer is, Yes.
Of course, in a combined-subject programme, you only have time to study less of each subject than in a single-subject programme. That is inevitable. The question is, Does it matter?
Since, at York, you study both of the two subjects in parallel through all the three or four years of the programme, you come across advanced ideas and topics in both subjects (just less of them).
That does not matter provided the two subjects form a coherent pair. Computer Science and Mathematics do indeed fit together well. They are like many other classic combinations: Maths/Physics, English/History, Economics/Politics. Although it might not seem obvious, Computer Science and Philosphy fit well together also: both in the theory and in the applications aspects of Computer Science.
Far from being unregarded by employers, some employers actually prefer applicants who can offer this breadth across subjects - provided that the coherence of the package enables the subjects to support each another when being studied in depth.
-
What would a combined-subject student miss out on?
In the first year, a CSMa or MaCS student would spend less time than a single-subject student in studying computer hardware (electronics). So, in the second year, such a student would not have access to certain modules for which that study was a pre-requisite.
Also, such a student would not take (and of course would not need to take) the Computer Science modules that deal with mathematics.
To see this in more detail, navigate forward from our list of programmes.
Parts of the Mathematics programme would be omitted, similarly.
Similar information about Computer Science and Philosophy will be includedhere when it is available.
-
What if you became more interested in one subject?
It is quite usual for students to develop more of an interest in one of the two subjects, at the expense of the other, late in the programme. You cannot, of course, predict that beforehand.
There is plenty of scope for you to lean one way or the other, in allocating your time: the number of options taken in each subject, the topics of projects that you undertake, and so on, during your third and fourth years. To see this in more detail, navigate forward from our list of programmes.
What are the differences between BEng, BTech and BTEC?
-
BEng is the designation of a partially-accredited three-year degree programme, as described in the early sections of this page.
-
BTech was the designation of some three- and four-year degree programmes at some British universities in the 1960s and 1970s, but it is no longer used.
-
BTEC stands for Business and Technical Education Council. In the 1980s, it took over a number of sub-degree part-time qualifications such as the former ONC (Ordinary National Certificate) and HNC (Higher National Certificate), and also the corresponding full-time diplomas (OND, HND). The result was rather confusing, and so, more recently, National awards and Higher National awards have been re-introduced. The advent of AGNVQs and AVCEs has unfortunately led to some further confusion.
BTEC awards (and their predecessors) can be used to contribute towards our admissions requirements.
How to contact us | Page author Bill Freeman | Page last updated 14 Oct 2011