Computer Science and Philosophy & Ethics

Computer science and philosophy and ethics is a combination whose importance has grown sharply as the social, ethical, and political dimensions of digital technology have become impossible to ignore. Computer science provides the technical foundations: algorithms, programming, networks, robotics, and the cutting-edge topics of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality. Philosophy and ethics asks the hard questions that technology raises: what are we responsible for as designers and engineers, how should AI systems be governed, what does the widespread use of algorithmic decision-making mean for justice and human dignity, and how do we reason clearly about situations where values conflict.

The three-year full-time Computer Science and Philosophy and Ethics programme at Liverpool Hope University covers a wide range of topics in computing, including networks, robotics, the internet, mobile and embedded computing, and technologies including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality, reflecting the discipline's versatility and its impact on every aspect of society. The philosophy and ethics component develops your capacity for rigorous moral and analytical reasoning, giving you conceptual tools that are directly relevant to the ethical challenges that computing professionals face. A sandwich year, year abroad, and work placement options provide substantial professional and international experience within the degree structure.

With a typical entry tariff of 88 points, the programme is accessible and welcomes students who want to engage with both the technical and the humanistic dimensions of computing. Graduates are well placed for careers in technology, data science, AI development, technology ethics, policy, and research, as well as in traditional computing roles where the ability to reason carefully about ethical dimensions is increasingly required by employers.