Best Universities for Comp Sci in Europe

#1

Post by Stonewall9093 » Tue, Apr 05, 2011, 6:09 PM UTC

I am looking to study abroad as a CS major in college and was looking for suggestions of universities in Europe that I should be checking out. Thanks in advance!

Re: Best Universities for Comp Sci in Europe

#2

Post by arethuza » Tue, Apr 05, 2011, 6:22 PM UTC

Edinburgh is pretty good and has nice new building in a central location in a wonderful city:

http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/informatics/

Re: Best Universities for Comp Sci in Europe

#3

Post by michh » Tue, Apr 05, 2011, 6:27 PM UTC

Any specific field?

CS is quite broad and it might be wise to choose a university that has a strong research tradition in the field(s) that you're interested in.

Re: Best Universities for Comp Sci in Europe

#4

Post by Stonewall9093 » Tue, Apr 05, 2011, 6:40 PM UTC

arethuza wrote: post #2

Edinburgh is pretty good and has nice new building in a central location in a wonderful city: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/informatics/

Part of me wants to go to a country where I am forced to speak another language and the culture is substantially different than here in the US, but I'm not sold on the idea. Thanks for this suggestion though, I've heard the name and it's now on my list. Thanks!

Re: Best Universities for Comp Sci in Europe

#5

Post by Stonewall9093 » Tue, Apr 05, 2011, 6:41 PM UTC

michh wrote: post #3

Any specific field? CS is quite broad and it might be wise to choose a university that has a strong research tradition in the field(s) that you're interested in.

I'm only a sophomore, so I'm just now starting to try to figure out what direction I want to go in within CS. So the abroad experience would really be to experience teachings of computer science in a different fashion than is custom here. Whether that will actually happen... No idea.

Re: Best Universities for Comp Sci in Europe

#6

Post by olegious » Tue, Apr 05, 2011, 7:07 PM UTC

Stonewall9093 wrote: post #4

arethuza wrote: post #2

Edinburgh is pretty good and has nice new building in a central location in a wonderful city: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/informatics/

Part of me wants to go to a country where I am forced to speak another language and the culture is substantially different than here in the US, but I'm not sold on the idea. Thanks for this suggestion though, I've heard the name and it's now on my list. Thanks!

Scotland is different enough from the US, you don't want things to be too different as you need to adjust to going to school ;). The University of Glasgow also has a good program (I got my masters there), out of the 2, Edinburgh has much nicer weather but Glasgow is more "real" city with great people (although it has a bad rep).

Re: Best Universities for Comp Sci in Europe

#7

Post by michh » Tue, Apr 05, 2011, 7:11 PM UTC

Stonewall9093 wrote: post #5

michh wrote: post #3

Any specific field? CS is quite broad and it might be wise to choose a university that has a strong research tradition in the field(s) that you're interested in.

I'm only a sophomore, so I'm just now starting to try to figure out what direction I want to go in within CS. So the abroad experience would really be to experience teachings of computer science in a different fashion than is custom here. Whether that will actually happen... No idea.

Well, I know from personal experience the universities in the Netherlands are pretty decent when it comes to CS. Added bonus is that practically everybody can speak English (and don't mind doing so).

Re: Best Universities for Comp Sci in Europe

#8

Post by cskau » Tue, Apr 05, 2011, 7:19 PM UTC

I'm very biased as this is my own home town university, but over the years I've heard good things about University of Aarhus' Comp. Sci. department. (http://cs.au.dk/)

Points worth noting include a local Google research/dev. office (does Chrome's V8), and the "birth university" of Bjarne Stroustrup of C++ fame.

The department has research groups in the following areas:

Algorithms and Data Structures, Bioinformatics, Mathematical Computer Science, Computer Graphics and Scientific Computing, Cryptography and Security, Data-Intensive Systems, Human Computer Interaction, Modelling and Validation of Distributed Systems, Object-Oriented Software Systems, and Programming Languages

Feel free to contact me if there's anything I can help you with :)

Re: Best Universities for Comp Sci in Europe

#9

Post by pdelgallego » Tue, Apr 05, 2011, 7:46 PM UTC

Are you going to do it as an Erasmus student?

Re: Best Universities for Comp Sci in Europe

#10

Post by ig1 » Tue, Apr 05, 2011, 8:49 PM UTC

arethuza wrote: post #2

Edinburgh is pretty good and has nice new building in a central location in a wonderful city: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/informatics/

I've never quite understood why so much focus is put on evaluating departments by the newness of their buildings (I've seen quite a lot of universities boast on that subject).