About Us

The InfoLab

Welcome to the School

Professor Nigel Davies, the Head of Department, welcomes you to Lancaster University.

At no point in history has Computing and Communications been more central to innovation. Tiny sensor-rich devices, the Internet, data and computation are revolutionising science, healthcare, business and society. Life is increasingly digitally mediated, so having the skills to shape this is essential! Computing at Lancaster University places you at the centre of these revolutions.

Imagine being able to possess the computing skills to bring your creative ideas into a reality. A computing degree will push your ability to solve complex problems and develop your understanding of how to create software that provides new, genuinely valuable technologies to society.

We are passionate about helping you discover the fascinating and wide-ranging skills and knowledge computing can provide to help you unlock your potential and open up the gateway to an incredible range of careers. Our courses take you from programming, analysis and computational thinking, through system architecture, internetworking, graphics, human interface and interaction design, artificial intelligence and cyber-security, and beyond, to creating robust, secure and useable software to meet real needs.

We are proud of our heritage of offering a balanced programme which combines deeper theory with plenty of hands-on practical experience. This blend equips you for a highly dynamic workplace and ensures immediate value to you and employers upon graduation, as well as a lasting foundation for the future.

We work hard to go beyond the curriculum to offer opportunities to enrich your studies. Dedicated Knowledge Business Centre staff match you with businesses for placements and internships, or even help you start your own business! Our student-led Computer Science Society’s activities bring in speakers from industry, giving you the latest commercial perspectives. Our world-leading research offers you the chance to push the subject to its absolute limits, and get you involved in exciting projects: for example, one of our students wrote code for the BBC micro:bit, recently distributed to one million Year 7 children throughout the UK (and beyond)!

I strongly recommend you come and discover what we can offer for yourself—Lancaster is a great place to study!

Professor Nigel Davies

Head of Department, School of Computing and Communications

Professor Nigel Davies, Head of Department
Professor Nigel Davies, Head of Department

Our Research and Ethos

  • Our research

    Our research is recognised for its exceptional quality and international reputation and is supported by RCUK, EU and industry funding. As a result, our work crosscuts traditional research fields, is strongly multidisciplinary and focuses on achieving high impact. We have contributed substantially to a wide range of application domains including energy, transport, cyber-crime and social computing, and achieving impact is facilitated by our Knowledge Business Centre (KBC), the School's integrated business services and incubator unit. This comprises around 5 dedicated staff, maintains extensive contacts with local and national businesses, and houses a number of high-tech SMEs.

  • Our ethos

    The School has developed a fantastic reputation with its students and has been praised for its ambition, positivity and friendly atmosphere. By providing a number of support methods, accessible at any stage of the degree, we strive to give our students the best opportunity to fulfil their potential, in order to attract the very best opportunities for a successful career. Our academics are welcoming and helpful; you’ll be assigned an academic advisor who can offer advice and recommended reading, and our open-door policy has been a popular feature amongst our students. We believe in encouraging and inspiring our computer and communications scientists of the future.