About the Department

The Department of Computer Science was founded in 1982 and is housed in the Regent Court building on Portobello Street, completed in 1993. The Department belongs to both the Faculties of Engineering and Pure Science. About 100 new undergraduate students join the Department each year.

The Department is housed in the Regent Court building on Portobello Street, opposite to the former St. George's church which has been converted into a modern lecture theatre. Regent Court is a pleasant purpose-built building, completed in 1993, and built around a grass courtyard. It contains the offices of our staff, most of our teaching laboratories, and seminar/tutorial rooms, many of which look out on the central courtyard.

Lecture theatres are situated nearby on the campus. Regent Court is a 10 minute walk from the city centre, and a similar distance from the Students Union Building. Much of the surrounding area has been developed by the University, and is made up of a successful blend of redeveloped 19th Century industrial buildings and modern constructions. It is difficult to see where the University ends and the city begins, and the area is particularly well furnished with eating places, pubs, bars and bookshops.

Teaching, Research and Student Satisfaction

The Department has an international reputation for the quality of its research and teaching. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), 65% of our research work was rated world leading or internationally excellent in terms of its originality, significance and rigour. According to the widely used "research power" measure (research quality multiplied by volume) the Department is ranked 15th out of 81 similar departments in the UK.

In the 2009 National Student Survey, the Department scored a maximum of 100% for student satisfaction - better than any other computer science department in the UK.