WHAT IS COMPUTER SCIENCE?
Computer science is the study of computers and computing as well as their theoretical and practical applications. Computer science applies the principles of mathematics, engineering, and logic to a plethora of functions, including algorithm formulation, software and hardware development, and artificial intelligence.
Computer science is the study of algorithmic processes, computational machines and computation itself. As a discipline, computer science spans a range of topics from theoretical studies of algorithms, computation and information to the practical issues of implementing computational systems in hardware and software.
BRANCHES OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
Here are some of the specializations that you can consider for your computer science degree.
Computer and Network Security
In this field, CS experts address software vulnerabilities and mitigate security risks. Coursework for this specialization typically includes topics such as database management, advanced operating systems, cryptography, and advanced encryption strategies.
Mobile and Web Computing
Academic programs in this field may focus on broad, theory-based applications of networking protocols and other aspects of systems design. Other programs will focus on the creation of websites or mobile applications with an emphasis on interface design.
Human-Computer Interaction
This concentration prepares students to design and create the next generation of computers and technology. This might include moving beyond the traditional model of a keyboard and monitor to any number of other interfaces. Programs in this concentration often include coursework on design thinking and user studies.
Software Engineering
Programs in software engineering or software theory generally place a heavy emphasis on programming languages for a variety of uses. These programs typically highlight collaborative teamwork and software security. Students in this concentration will take courses on computer systems, compilers, and databases. (We cover software engineering as its own discipline.
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics focuses on the intersection of computer science and biological science. Programs in bioinformatics will prepare students to mine and interpret biological data. This specialization often includes applications of technology in medical contexts, such as genome sequencing and computational biology.
Information Management and Data Analytics
In this field, students will learn techniques and strategies to store, organize, and analyze massive data sets. Topics for coursework in this field generally include algorithms for data mining, database architecture, and distributed systems and networking. While data analytics is a subtopic of computer science, there are also degree programs specifically for big data
Artificial Intelligence
The field of artificial intelligence incorporates topics such as probability and modeling, robotics, logical reasoning, natural language processing, and machine learning. Applications of AI include autonomous cars, data mining and analysis, and intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) for teaching students.
TOP RANKED COMPUTER SCIENCE UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD
Stanford University’s acclaimed College of Engineering provides a more detailed description of these specializations and numerous others.
The spectrum of specializations within computer science offers plenty of choices for students and professionals alike. It’s never too early to start honing in on the specialization where you’d most like to work.
- Stanford UniversityUnited States|Stanford
- #1inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #3inBest Global Universities READ MORE SUBJECT SCORE100.0GLOBAL SCORE 95.3ENROLLMENT 16,223
- Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States|Cambridge (U.S.)
- #2inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #2inBest Global Universities READ MORE SUBJECT SCORE96.7GLOBAL SCORE 97.9ENROLLMENT 11,276
- Carnegie Mellon UniversityUnited States |Pittsburgh
- #3inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #94inBest Global Universities READ MORE SUBJECT SCORE 96.5GLOBAL SCORE70.7ENROLLMENT N/A
- Tsinghua UniversityChina|Beijing
- #4inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #28inBest Global Universities READ MORE SUBJECT SCORE 95.3 GLOBAL SCORE 78.5 ENROLLMENT 37,484
- University of California–BerkeleyUnited States|Berkeley
- #5inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #4inBest Global Universities READ MORE SUBJECT SCORE 94.7 GLOBAL SCORE 89.8 ENROLLMENT 39,918
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ZurichSwitzerland|Zurich
- #6inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #26inBest Global Universities READ MORE SUBJECT SCORE 90.5 GLOBAL SCORE 79.5 ENROLLMENT 19,043
- Nanyang Technological University
- #7inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #38inBest Global Universities (tie) READ MORE SUBJECT SCORE 89.7 GLOBAL SCORE 76.6 ENROLLMENT 23,902
- National University of SingaporeSingapore|Singapore
- #8inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #32inBest Global UniversitiesREAD MORESUBJECT SCORE89.1GLOBAL SCORE77.5ENROLLMENT30,943
- University of WashingtonUnited States|Seattle
- #9inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #8inBest Global Universities READ MORE SUBJECT SCORE 85.7 GLOBAL SCORE 86.0 ENROLLMENT 46,258
- University of Michigan–Ann ArborUnited States|Ann Arbor
- #10inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #17inBest Global Universities (tie) READ MORE SUBJECT SCORE 84.9 GLOBAL SCORE 83.5 ENROLLMENT 43,873
- Chinese University Hong KongHong Kong|Shatin
- #11inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #95inBest Global Universities READ MORE SUBJECT SCORE 84.0 GLOBAL SCORE 70.6 ENROLLMENT18,675
- University of OxfordUnited Kingdom|Oxford
- #12inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #5inBest Global Universities READ MORE SUBJECT SCORE 83.6 GLOBAL SCORE 87.0 ENROLLMENT N/A
- University of Illinois–Urbana-ChampaignUnited States|Champaign
- #13inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #60inBest Global Universities (tie)READ MORESUBJECT SCORE83.0GLOBAL SCORE74.1ENROLLMENTN/A
- Cornell UniversityUnited States|Ithaca
- #14inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #22inBest Global UniversitiesREAD MORESUBJECT SCORE82.8GLOBAL SCORE81.9ENROLLMENT23,016
- Peking UniversityChina|Beijing
- #15inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #51inBest Global Universities (tie)READ MORESUBJECT SCORE82.1GLOBAL SCORE74.9ENROLLMENT38,583
- Harvard UniversityUnited States|Cambridge (U.S.)
- #16inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #1inBest Global UniversitiesREAD MORESUBJECT SCORE81.9GLOBAL SCORE100.0ENROLLMENT21,261
- University College LondonUnited Kingdom|London (U.K.)
- #17inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #19inBest Global UniversitiesREAD MORESUBJECT SCORE81.2GLOBAL SCORE83.4ENROLLMENT34,785
- Georgia Institute of TechnologyUnited States|Atlanta
- #18inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #66inBest Global Universities (tie)READ MORESUBJECT SCORE80.1GLOBAL SCORE73.7ENROLLMENT24,695
- Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina|Shanghai
- #19inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #122inBest Global Universities (tie)READ MORESUBJECT SCORE79.8GLOBAL SCORE68.2ENROLLMENT38,556
- University of Technology SydneyAustralia|Ultimo
- #20inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #162inBest Global Universities (tie)READ MORESUBJECT SCORE79.7GLOBAL SCORE65.3ENROLLMENTN/A
- University of California–San DiegoUnited States|La Jolla
- #21inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #21inBest Global UniversitiesREAD MORESUBJECT SCORE79.6GLOBAL SCORE83.1ENROLLMENTN/A
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- Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyHong Kong|Hong Kong
- #22inBest Universities for Computer Science (tie)
- #109inBest Global Universities (tie)READ MORESUBJECT SCORE78.9GLOBAL SCORE69.1ENROLLMENT9,976
- University of Maryland–College ParkUnited States|College Park
- #22inBest Universities for Computer Science (tie)
- #60inBest Global Universities (tie)READ MORESUBJECT SCORE78.9GLOBAL SCORE74.1ENROLLMENT33,671
- Columbia UniversityUnited States|New York City
- #24inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #6inBest Global UniversitiesREAD MORESUBJECT SCORE77.6GLOBAL SCORE86.7ENROLLMENT27,384
- https://ddf613de3b48ec0def2c088b140861d0.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
- Imperial College LondonUnited Kingdom|London (U.K.)
- #25inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #20inBest Global UniversitiesREAD MORESUBJECT SCORE77.3GLOBAL SCORE83.3ENROLLMENT17,050
- Zhejiang UniversityChina|Hangzhou
- #26inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #135inBest Global Universities (tie)READ MORESUBJECT SCORE77.1GLOBAL SCORE66.9ENROLLMENT36,825
- University of California–Los AngelesUnited States|Los Angeles
- #27inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #13inBest Global UniversitiesREAD MORESUBJECT SCORE76.7GLOBAL SCORE84.3ENROLLMENT42,509
- École Polytechnique Federale of LausanneSwitzerland|Lausanne
- #28inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #58inBest Global UniversitiesREAD MORESUBJECT SCORE76.5GLOBAL SCORE74.4ENROLLMENT10,942
- Technical University of MunichGermany|Munich
- #29inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #76inBest Global Universities (tie)READ MORESUBJECT SCORE76.4GLOBAL SCORE72.4ENROLLMENT32,377
- King Abdulaziz UniversitySaudi Arabia|Jeddah
- #30inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #42inBest Global UniversitiesREAD MORESUBJECT SCORE75.9GLOBAL SCORE76.0ENROLLMENT31,869
- University of TorontoCanada|Toronto
- #31inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #17inBest Global Universities (tie)READ MORESUBJECT SCORE75.7GLOBAL SCORE83.5ENROLLMENT74,502
- University of Southern CaliforniaUnited States|Los Angeles
- #32inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #70inBest Global UniversitiesREAD MORESUBJECT SCORE75.6GLOBAL SCORE73.4ENROLLMENTN/A
- Princeton UniversityUnited States|Princeton
- #33inBest Universities for Computer Science
- #11inBest Global Universities (tie)READ MORESUBJECT SCORE75.5GLOBAL SCORE85.0ENROLLMENT8,09
Computer Science is one of the most popular academic disciplines in the world. On our portals alone, you can find over 6,000 Bachelor’s and 5,400 Master’s degrees in Computer Science and IT.
If your heart is set on becoming a professional computer scientist, you probably want to know which are the best computer science schools where you can study abroad. We’ve done our research and listed below the top universities and colleges offering Computer Science and IT degrees based on prestigious international rankings created by:
- Times Higher Education
- TopUniversities
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University
- CSRankings
- Academic Influence
1. Best computer science schools in the Times Higher Education 2021 Rankings
- University of Oxford, UK
- Stanford University, US
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US
- ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal institute of Technology, Switzerland
- Carnegie Mellon University, US
- University of Cambridge, UK
- Harvard University, US
- National University of Singapore, Singapore
- University of California, Berkeley (UCB), US
- Imperial College London, UK
Check out the full ranking on the official Times Higher Education website.
2. Top computer science schools in the QS Subject Rankings 2021 by TopUniversities
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US
- Stanford University, US
- Carnegie Mellon University, US
- National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
- University of California, Berkeley (UCB), US
- University of Oxford, UK
- Harvard University, US
- University of Cambridge, UK
- EPFL – Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne, Switzerland
- ETH Zurich, Switzerland
See the complete ranking on the TopUniversities official page.
3. Best computer science schools in the Academic Subjects Rankings 2020 by Shanghai University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US
- Stanford University, US
- University of California, Berkeley, US
- Carnegie Mellon University, US
- ETH Zurich, Switzerland
- Harvard University, US
- Tsinghua University, China
- Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- University of Toronto, Canada
- University of Oxford, UK
Discover all the ranked universities on the official Shanghai Ranking website.
4. Top computer science schools in the CSRankings
The CSRankings is an entirely transparent system which lists universities based entirely on metrics. It identifies universities and colleges which are engaged in research and have publications at relevant Computer Science conferences.
- Carnegie Mellon University, US
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US
- Stanford University, US
- Tsinghua University, China
- University of Washington, US
- Cornell University, US
- University of California, Berkeley, US
- University of Michigan, US
- ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Check out the other ranked computer science schools on the official CSRankings webpage.
5. Best computer science schools in the Academic Influence rankings
The Academic Influence team ranks universities based on the number and influence of famous professors, students, and other people who attended or worked/are working for each university.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US
- Stanford University, US
- Harvard University, US
- University of California, Berkeley, US
- Princeton University, US
- University of Cambridge, UK
- Carnegie Mellon University, US
- University of Michigan, US
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US
- California Institute of Technology, US
Explore the complete ranking on the Academic Influence official website.
Student reviews of top computer science schools
Although rankings are a great resource to identify top universities and colleges worldwide, they don’t always tell the full story. That’s why the opinions of students who graduated or are on their way to graduation are often more relevant.
They have hands-on experience with the academic environment, the university staff, the courses, and allow you to understand better what you can expect from studying at that institution. Check out a few reviews from students who took courses at some of the best computer science schools in the world:
ETH Zurich
“Teaching methods were solid enough; the library and assistance from the staff in study matters were also great. All this sums up to deliver ETH’s world ranking. As long as academic excellence is considered, it would be one of my top choices.”
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
“Studying at UCLA was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The academics are rigorous and challenging without the pretentiousness of an ivy league or private school. I always had quality professors, many of which are making great advances in their respective fields. As the leading research institute in the country, there are many opportunities to get involved with those kinds of opportunities. The social life is also great. It’s the largest UC school in terms of population. There are many social/academic clubs and societies. Definitely a great school.”
Imperial College London
“There is definitely a big difference in the British way of teaching, with regard to the Swiss way, and it was a very good opportunity for me to compare both. You have everything you want at Imperial College and in London.”
Conclusions about the Computer Science rankings
- The United States is the country with the most universities listed in the top Computer Science rankings.
- In 4 out of 5 rankings, the first place is occupied by an American university.
- The United Kingdom only has 3 universities among the best computer science schools.
- China has only one ranked institution, the Tsinghua University.
- Popular study destinations like Canada, Australia, and Germany are not present in the rankings.
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