What you need to know about Studying Computer Science after Completing Secondary School Expert Advise & information on courses at Malaysia’s top private universities EduSpiral Consultant Services

Understand what the Computer Science Course is about before Choosing it after SPM or IGCSE/O-Levels

The study of computer science has become a popular choice for Malaysia’s students after secondary school due to the rise of technological advancements in the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0. Furthermore, a computer science degree will provide you with the skills and knowledge necessary to enter an interesting and rapidly evolving field with job security. Computer Science provides pathways to many lucrative careers be it locally or globally.

Computer science requires a strong mathematical and scientific background. Depending on which private university in Malaysia you study at, the courses may vary in teaching subjects. While some universities prefer teaching theoretical aspect of computer science, others focus on advanced programming

Graduating from a reputable private university in computer science will provide you with a deep understanding of theories and emerging technologies. This knowledge and experience will allow you to develop cutting-edge solutions that address today’s challenges.

Computer Science is a wide field and covers many areas. Some students may not understand and get confused. There are various specialisations within Computer Science offered at Malaysia’s private universities such as Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence (Ai), Data Science, etc. If you are considering to study Computer Science after completing your secondary school, this article will give you an understanding of what you will study in the undergraduate programme to prepare yourself .

Studying the Computer Science Degree

I secured a job with a high salary before I graduated and I am thankful for the guidance from EduSpiral in helping me to choose my course and university.
Teoh, Computer Science graduate from Asia Pacific University (APU)

A degree in computer science can be expected to concentrate on the scientific aspects of computing, while a degree in information technology can be expected to concentrate on the business and communication applications of computing

The computer science degree is primarily focused on subjects such as software, databases, and networking. In general computer science degrees tend to focus on the mathematical and theoretical foundations of computing rather than emphasizing specific technologies.

The Computer Science degree is awarded for completing a program of study in the field of software development, software testing, software engineering, web design, databases, programming, computer networking and computer systems.

Many employers require software developers or programmers to have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree; however, those seeking to hire for positions such as network administrators or database managers would require a Bachelors of Science in Information Technology or an equivalent degree.

Computer Science Undergraduate Programme Content

Since Computer Science is such a wide field, required Computer Science degree courses vary. A typical list of standard courses that most Computer Science degrees require includes topics such as:

Programming Principles
Programming Paradigms
Algorithms
Data Structures
Logic & Computation
Computer architecture

Some schools which place more emphasis on mathematics will also require such courses such as:

Linear Algebra
Calculus
Probability and Statistics
Combinatorics, Discrete Mathematics
Differential Equations

Beyond the basic set of Computer Science courses, students can typically choose additional courses from a variety of different fields, such as:

Theory of computation
Operating Systems
Numerical computation
Compilers
Real-time computing
Distributed system
Computer Networking
Data Communication
Computer graphics
Artificial Intelligence
Multimedia
Human-computer interaction
Information theory
Algorithm design & analysis
Software testing

List of Subjects

Other subjects in a computer science course in Malaysia could be:

Programming Fundamentals
Computer Architecture
Fundamentals of Relational Database
Discrete Mathematics
System Analysis and Design
Object-Oriented Programming
Foundation of Human Computer Interaction
Computer Networks
Data Structures & Algorithms
Program Design & Development
Principles of Programming Languages
Operating Systems and Concurrency
Artificial Intelligence.(AI)
Database Programming
Computer Graphics
Web Application Integration 1 (Web)/Image Processing(AI)
Software Engineering
Social and Current issues in Computing
Parallel Computing
Advanced Programming Language Concepts
Algorithmics
Real-Time Systems
Ubiquitous Computing
Emergent Technology
Cloud Infrastructure & Services
Information Storage & Management
Computer Systems Security
Multimedia Techniques for Animation, Games & Film Effects
Investigations in Computer Science
Engineering Software & Applications
Data Structures
Concurrent Programming
System & Network Administration
Computer Systems and Low Level Techniques
Ai Methods
Programming Concepts in C++
Mobile & Wireless Technology
Believable Models for Games & Virtual Reality

Some universities in Malaysia also offer concentrations in a certain area of computer science, such as:

What are the Main Areas Covered in Computer Science?

Major fields of computer science

Mathematical foundations	Mathematical logic Set theory Number theory Graph theory Type theory Category theory Numerical analysis Information theory Combinatorics Boolean algebra

Theory of computation	Automata theory Computability theory Computational complexity theory Quantum computing theory

Algorithms, data structures	Analysis of algorithms Algorithm design Computational geometry

Programming languages, compilers	Parsers Interpreters Procedural programming Object-oriented programming Functional programming Logic programming Programming paradigms

Concurrent, parallel, distributed systems	Multiprocessing Grid computing Concurrency control

Software engineering	Requirements analysis Software design Computer programming Formal methods Software testing Software development process

System architecture	Computer architecture Computer organization Operating systems

Telecommunication, networking	Computer audio Routing Network topology Cryptography

Databases	Database management systems Relational databases SQL Transactions Database indexes Data mining

Artificial intelligence	Automated reasoning Computational linguistics Computer vision Evolutionary computation Expert systems Machine learning Natural language processing Robotics

Computer graphics	Visualization Computer animation Image processing

Human–computer interaction	Computer accessibility User interfaces Wearable computing Ubiquitous computing Virtual reality

Scientific computing	Artificial life Bioinformatics Cognitive science Computational chemistry Computational neuroscience Computational physics Numerical algorithms Symbolic mathematics

Note: Computer science can also be divided into different topics or fields according to the ACM Computing Classification System.

Top 10 Reasons you Should Study Computer Science

The Association of Computing Machinery is an international organization for computer scientists. The ACM has developed the following list of top ten reasons to study computer science which we quote:

Computing is part of everything we do!
Expertise in computing enables you to solve complex, challenging problems.
Computing enables you to make a positive difference in the world.
Computing offers many types of lucrative careers.
Computing jobs are here to stay, regardless of where you are located.
Expertise in computing helps even if your primary career is something else.
Computing offers great opportunities for true creativity and innovativeness.
Computing has space for both collaborative work and individual effort.
Computing is an essential part of well-rounded academic preparation.
Future opportunities in computing are without boundaries.

Computer Science is the study of computer systems including algorithmic processes and the principles involved in the design of hardware and software.

EduSpiral picked me up from KL Sentral to tour the campus & provided counseling to help me make the right choice.
Qi Leem, Software Engineering Graduate from Asia Pacific University (APU)

Computer scientists are primarily concerned with the design of algorithms, languages, hardware architecture, systems software, applications software and tools.

Applications range from simple game playing to the control of space vehicles, power plants and factories, from banking machines to intelligent fault and medical diagnosis.

Computer professionals, in short, are concerned with the creation of computer and information systems for the benefit of society.

Computer science spans a wide range, from its theoretical and algorithmic foundations to cutting-edge
developments in robotics, computer vision, intelligent systems, bioinformatics, and other exciting areas.

We can think of the work of computer scientists as falling into three categories.

They design and implement software. Computer scientists take on challenging programming jobs. They also supervise other programmers, keeping them aware of new approaches.
They devise new ways to use computers. Progress in the CS areas of networking, database, and
human-computer-interface enabled the development of the World Wide Web. Now CS researchers are working with scientists from other fields to make robots become practical and intelligent aides, to use databases to create new knowledge, and to use computers to help decipher the secrets of our DNA.
They develop effective ways to solve computing problems. For example, computer scientists develop
the best possible ways to store information in databases, send data over networks, and display complex images. Their theoretical background allows them to determine the best performance possible, and their study of algorithms helps them to develop new approaches that provide better performance.

Computer science has more to do with theory of the computer and its computing abilities rather than hands-on applications. Computer science is basically the ability to solve a problem or getting the computer to do something without the help of a human.

This field of data is not directly affected by the humans. Computing can also be done by hand and is used by many fields that are not related to primarily developing computers.

Scientists focus on developing algorithms that can create, alter and change the data depending on what they would like. The commands that the computer follows are done by certain algorithm that tells it what to do. Computer science can also be divided into two specializations: theoretical computer science and applied computer sciences.

The theoretical science focuses on the classical theory of computation, along with other more abstract, logical, and mathematical aspects of computing.
The applied computer sciences cover topics such as artificial intelligence, computer architecture and engineering, graphic designing, computing science, etc. It deals with mainly applications or additional programs.

Computer science requires a strong mathematical and scientific background. Depending on which university, the courses may vary in teaching subjects. While some universities prefer teaching theoretical aspect of computer science, others focus on advanced programming.

It is important to look at the subjects offered at the private universities in Malaysia when choosing the right computer science course to study. You have to look at the subjects to see whether they fit your academic and career goals. For further advise and assistance in choosing the right course and university, you may contact us for a free consultation.