The Cambridge Advantage

The Computer Laboratory

Cambridge’s links to Computing stretch back to the first part of the Twentieth Century, when the famous logician Alan Turing developed the theoretical foundations for computation. In 1937, the University of Cambridge established The Mathematical Laboratory, as it was known then, to further research in this field. That makes the department the oldest in the world, having just celebrated it's 75th anniversary in 2012.

What we think of as computers appeared shortly after World War II and the laboratory was renamed The Computer Laboratory in 1970 to reflect its growing focus on automatic computation. We’re proud to say that the Computer Lab has been at the forefront of research in Computer Science ever since its inception.

As a Computer Science student at Cambridge, you are taught by the pioneers and leading researchers in the field. But that’s not all: in 2002 the Computer Laboratory moved to a new, purpose-built building on the West Cambridge site that offers a fantastic environment for both study and relaxation. The new building looks out on green fields and is kitted out with sofas, a pool table, table football, a large library stocked with the latest CS publications, big (comfortable!) lecture theatres and a great café.

Be in Demand

We fully understand the pressures on today’s students: there’s pressure to get a degree that guarantees a good job but also involves doing something that interests you. Thankfully, getting a well paid, interesting job is not a problem many of our graduates have. The skills we teach are so far-reaching and transferable that employers are falling over themselves to employ them. In our anual recruitment fairs, 50 + companies pay for the privilege of meeting our graduates—more companies always want to attend (we have plenty more industrial supporters) but we have only finite space to accommodate them. Our graduates are spoilt for choice in the job market.