Cambridge Diploma in Computer Science facts for kids

The Diploma in Computer Science was a special course at the University of Cambridge in England. It was one of the first courses of its kind in the world!

This course taught students about computer science. It was like a master's degree today, even though it was called a "diploma." The name "diploma" was kept for historical reasons.

The Diploma started in 1953. It was the world's first full-year course focused on computers. Many students who loved math, science, and engineering came to study it. At one point, about 50 students were taking the course each year. The course ran for 55 years, ending in 2008.

History of the Computer Science Diploma

The idea for this one-year course came from a report at the University of Cambridge. People realized there was a big need for advanced teaching in how to use computers and solve problems with them. They worried that without this training, new machines wouldn't be used to their full potential in science.

The University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory was a leader in building and using early electronic computers. They had a short summer school in 1950. But the new Diploma course was much more in-depth. It taught both the theory and practical skills needed for computing. It also covered how different types of computers worked and how they were designed.

At first, only a few students joined, so no extra teachers were needed. Important people like Maurice Wilkes, who led the computer laboratory, helped teach the course.

What Students Learned

In its later years, the Diploma was a 10-month course. Students were graded based on exams (two-thirds of their score) and a project they wrote (one-third of their score).

Many of the lessons were shared with undergraduate students studying computer science. But Diploma students also had special lectures just for them.

Students could get three different results from the Diploma:

• Distinction: This was like getting top honors.
• Pass: This meant they successfully completed the course.
• Fail: This meant they did not pass the course.

Famous People Who Took the Course

Many talented people studied the Diploma in Computer Science. Here are some of them: