University of York Reviews 20

Terrible.

The exams are inconsistent with the majority of the learning material, and the feedback given is unhelpful, short, and vague. Ask them about it and you get a rude, unhelpful response that merely reiterates that 'you got it wrong' failing to explain why or how, for some pretentious reason.

The 'learning process' centres around pre-recorded short-minute videos and walls-of-text reading material. The lecturers and 'support tutors' are unavailable for face-to-face interaction and will typically give you an evasive, delayed response if you try, almost as if they don't have time for you and it's just a money spinner on the side to them.

Even if you persist, make it through the reading material, and get to the exam - chances are you're still stuffed - because what's in the exam, and what should have been prioritized throughout the course was insufficiently taught. The mocks and 'formative assessments' are a poor and misrepresented form of the real exam, which turns out to be 2-3x more difficult. All this despite the full independence and complete lack of support throughout. Not to mention the awkward and poorly thought-out 'assessment questions' like parsing addresses written in Russian and Armenian into a normalized database schema.

The MSc in Computer Science online regardless of the focus (since many modules are the same) is horrendous. This course is so badly run in so many levels, you have to wonder if it is a money-grabbing scam. The course is advertised for full-time working professionals with no prior IT experience. This is not true. From day 1 you are expected to know Java, Python, Networking etc simply because there is 0 support from them and 0 time for you to catch up with the materials provided and the assignments. They do not care about your learning needs or any potential disabilities. Yes it is a Master level study, but in this course you are required to basically teach yourself since most of the content is irrelevant with the assignments they provide you. Due to the bad teaching quality, and outdated content, students organise studying sessions and share youtube and udemy content in order to match the University's requirements for the exams and assignments. Speaking of which, the exams are structured in a way that even if you have learned and prepared perfectly for the questions, you don't have time to answer them all. While the assignments have vague requirements, are not in par with the taught content and are not marked explicitly based on the shared marking criteria or assignment requirements. They do their best to limit as many students as possible from reaching distinction even if it means marking them unfairly. Even if you raise it no one will care and no one will look into it. In one module they did "scaling" simply because all students achieved good grades so they deducted points from all students with some cases deducting over 15 marks. So if someone initially scored 80 their final mark went to 65. You could see in their feedback that you answered all questions correctly, within the timeframe provided, with minimum losses but still they deemed it fair to deduct 15 marks as everyone achieved good marks. If after reading all this you think this is a quality university or program, go for it. I on the other hand, suffered every minute of it and wish I could turn back the time.

I contacted this University late 2024 as I was considering my options for a Masters degree starting September 2025. I am currently doing a distance learning undergraduate degree, and so far I have scored distinctions in 4 out of 5 modules over the past 2 years. I wanted to firstly, know if the university offered distance learning (due to my disability) and secondly, how often would I need to attend lectures in person per week to figure out the cost of travel, as it will take 2hrs to travel to the university. I didn’t get to my second question as the person I spoke to was so rude, didn’t even ask which subject I was interested in and put the phone down after telling me they didn’t do distance learning. In fact when I asked the question I got a flat ‘NO’ and the call was terminated. I am in line for a BSc 1st class honours this summer, and I will not be applying to this University for a postgrad and I do not recommend it. If you are a student wanting to do a postgrad, who is likely to get a 1st class honours in your undergrad, consider applying to other reputable universities over this one, even Oxbridge, because you are already proving you are capable.

Horrible online msc in cs. Just all around, bad tutors, cryptic assigments, random grading. Glad i switched to another uni prety early on.

2024/2025 Advanced Programming Brief

Each module £750 (Now increased!)

Each module walls and walls and walls of text and "read this chapter in this book!"

Group tutors absolutely useless, mine did not speak English. Some of them mark our work.

lol

As others mentioned before, the online Msc in Computer Science course is falsly advertised as suitable for people coming from different disciplines.
Although, it is advertised as part-time, for someone without good working knowledge of the different programming languages, it is becoming a full-time course.
The expectation is the ability to write working programs after 7 weeks of study per module. The study material mostly consists written text, some slides with screenshots from books and a massive amount of reading requirement (since the notes do not provide sufficient information or explanation and they constantly request you to read the relevant chapters of the books). On Python, you are pretty much expected to read the whole book alongside the lack of explanation. This is very low quality teaching(?) for people’s hard earned money.
Coming from a different (technical) discipline, I have spent 40+ hours reading / studying the materials alongside my full-time job, just to sit on an exam that I miserably failed by not having enough time(!) to fill the answers to enough questions to pass as the number of questions was ridiculously high. Exam marks are provided very late - this is how I ended up staying for another module, hoping that at least I pass the first one. But I assume this is part of their strategy to keep those students for another module who hope to get a pass as a result of their efforts. Feedback on exam is poor and pointless. Couldn’t even verify my mistakes against it, as it only consisted question numbers with very short comments. Ridiculous course quality for the price.
If you are a CS graduate or have several years of experience in programming and want a shiny paper as proof of higher education, go for it. But if you are from another discipline, do yourself (and your purse) a favour and avoid.

The way Univesity has marketed this program and the way it is delivered are two opposite experiences. I must give full marks to their marketing team and the systems they have put in place for this course.

However, the way this course was delivered is extremely low in quality, no online discussion with their professors, only high-level introductory videos and the expectation is to become an expert in Java in 2 weeks.

The professors running the program only communicate via online forums, they don't teach anything and the entire focus is on reading books and figuring it out on your own how to do it.

The professors are PhDs and they assume everyone have the same level of knowledge and expertise.

This program is NOT meant for working professionals and NOT for those who want to enter into a technology domain. Unfortunately, it is how it is marketed. At best, the program is meant for already those who have a Bachelor in Computer Science and want a Masters degree through an online course.

I had HUGE expectations and did my best with coursework but at the end of the first module I realised they are just wasting our time and making us do this study by ourselves that anyone can do using YouTube or Udemy.

It was a complete waste of my time and hard earned money - £790, 8 weeks and 4 weekends gone down the drain.

Please think twice before taking up this program.

My worst experience with a distance learning university degree so far. 100% do not recommend this course.

The modules you receive are small online readings which provide only superficial information. The online material is full of misspellings and layout errors. When you point out errors in the content to the dedicated departments they ignore it or are not willing to check and correct it. Most of the answers read as if the responding person did not even know the module content. There were mistakes in the weekly exercises you can do to check your understanding of the content. The tutors refused to acknowledge the errors and replied to stick to the provided solutions.

Besides that the students are obliged to read academical books to gain knowledge. The sheer amount of reading in each week is simply not bearable. There are weeks where you should read around 150 pages in addition to the online readings. But simply reading is not enough as it is afterwards mandatory to know everything you read when it comes to the module assessments.

When there are embedded videos in the online courses these mainly contain poorly written powerpoint slides where a person reads out a script. They did not even bother if there were spelling mistakes in the slides or if the reader did not manage to read out the scripts properly. One take of each video seemed to be enough no matter of the quality.

There are zero tutorials available which would explain any of the programming techniques. Students would regularly recommend alternative sources on youtube or programming bootcamps to learn the content. Imagine how ridiculous this is: You enroll in a distance learning master course at an university and are then forced to learn the content they told to provide you in alternative sources.

Another downside are the assessments. In each module there is a so called formative assessment which did (in my courses) not count towards the final assessment. These formative assessments allow you to test your understanding of the content and will provide some feedback on your progress. One feedback I received was "you only used beginner techniques in your code, please try to use more advanced ones in the future". Guess what: It was my third week in programming, how the fk should I already be able to use advanced programming techniques. When it came to the summative assessment, techniques where needed which were not part of the module at all.

The sheer amount of time needed to cover all all the mandatory reading and additional resources you need to consider is simply not bearable when you are working on a full time basis. Even if you go the extra mile and cut down your sleeping to stick with the weekly content it seems impossible to achieve good results or even pass the final assessments. In addition the staff is so limited in resources that they stopped feedback for content of recent weeks. So in case you lack behind the schedule you will not receive feedback on answers you provide in the forum.

The only thing you can rely on are the e-mails reminding you on a regular basis not to forget to pay your next module weeks in advance.

If you are thinking about an online degree which is related with informatics, computing or analytics look out for another university. Do not even think about University of York!

Wish I could give a negative rating. The teaching style was absolutely ridiculous, staff were unsure about everything. Decided to withdraw half way through as it wasn't working for me. They advised that I still owe the full years fees (eventhough a friend of mine who withdrew later than me only had to pay half!). I spoke to them regarding my financial situation and agreed to pay £100 a month which they agreed to. A couple months later I recieved a debt collection letter through the door! Absolutely ridiculous. I didn't recieve full funding from the government, how do you expect an individual to pay a lump sum in a single payment!! Absolutely furious with them. I wouldn't waste my time at this uni if I were you. I wish I never applied to this uni

I enrolled in the University of York MSc Computer Science learning journey, all online. The brief and marketing are ok - they put up a fight to make you want the place. Then they accept you. The course is fully online with video recordings of course material. Unfortunately every video was this - a man from China, speaking broken English through clenched teeth. What he says is just repeating text from the recommended reading list, but no explanation, no context, nothing extra from a tutor. I quit the course, after looking ahead I realised my mistake - the units are so poorly put together. You are encouraged to help each other in forums, effectively do the teaching. I wrote a Java Application that was hundreds of lines long, and I embedded a few bugs due to this not being a mark that went towards the overall degree. The three tutors marking the interim Java subject coding exercises left the most pathetic few sentences, no feedback, no tips, nothing - just all fine. They failed to notice a few fundamental issues with the code which I had put in place to see who these tutors really are. Not qualified for the job, no real industry experience. With over 25 years experience in IT, I can honestly tell you this course will not give you a career in IT, it is a money grabber. The amount you have to learn in a small amount of time is phenomenal for a part time MSc - it is not worth your spare time. I asked for a refund of the modular payment I made - and due to the online portal "recording activity" of me looking ahead to see whether I really wanted to quit, apparently this was evidence of me "working on the modules" and they would not be able to refund thousands of pounds. What a waste of time, a complete misleading supposed academic institute, and very poor university service to the people of the UK and international students. You will notice that their over all ranking has plummeted. Get lost and good riddance York University.

Trying to find out general information about library opening times on sites.

Rang their information office.
2 staff members were totally unprofessional, complete lack of knowledge/training or willing to help. The second staff member fobbed me off, saying he had to go, mumbling something about a security call...Pathetic!

For anyone considering the online MSc in Computer Science, in my opinion STAY AWAY! Started this master and it feels like a scam, they advertise it for people with no IT background but the way it is structured, the resources and the exams are clearly meant for people with considerable experience. The advertised studying hours are completely outlandish and have 0 touch with reality. I had to change job and study at least 8 hours per day just to meet the standards. Forget your weekends. The teaching assistants, lecturers do not support you, instructions are vague and you are left on your own drowning and stressing. I'd suggest looking at other courses and universities.

I'd recommend the article written by nouse.

I'd slap a negative rating on this dumpster fire if it were an option. Save yourself the headache and steer clear of this place. The resources are laughably subpar, the admin and support staff are MIA for weeks on end, and don't even get me started on the absolute lack of support.

The cherry on top of this trainwreck is the University's brilliant idea to always demand fees a week before student finance kicks in. So, naturally, students are forced into taking out payday loans just to cover their dues until the loan finally arrives. And if you have the audacity to ask for an extension until your finance comes through? Well, tough luck, mate, they'll just tell you to re-sit next time the course rolls around. Oh, and let's not forget about the quality of the education – or lack thereof. It's appalling. I'm genuinely flabbergasted that this place even claims to be part of the Russell Group!

They should have their Russell Group membership revoked, pronto. The lecturers couldn't articulate a coherent sentence if their lives depended on it. And don't even get me started on the exams – they're a circus. Constant recalls and re-markings because the teachers can't even formulate basic English questions. I've lost count of the number of marks I've sacrificed on the altar of their incompetence. Save your sanity and your bank balance – go elsewhere. This excuse for a university is enough to drive anyone to the brink of despair. If I had the cash, I'd drag them through the courts for the sheer audacity of wasting my time and peddling this sorry excuse for a course.

I have known a young lady really, really well from being a small child. She attended a large mainstream secondary school (but had reasonable adjustments made as the differences ARE OBVIOUS) and she got really excellent A level results. She enrolled at York, couldn’t get into halls of residence, didn’t really manage to form any friendship groups (was invited to pubs a couple of times, planned topics for conversation in advance with mum and ordered water because that’s what she drank at home). She failed year 1. No needs assessment was done….nothing. Year 1 was repeated and things began going downhill quickly… and again this young lady didn’t pass and had to leave. The outcome for this young person: ongoing high levels of mental health treatment, a part time job or hobbies engagement are not an option now, indeed they probably won’t be likely for another year or 2 I suspect. I would never normally comment on another family’s circumstances but as a SENCo the failings were surely avoidable.
Any learner with excellent A level results, who is withdrawn in lectures and isn’t able to do the work, or engage with other learners must surely be on the welfare staff’s radar.
This was a vulnerable young adult who is now very poorly… and the family aren’t even thinking about the student debt at this juncture.

I enrolled in one of their 100% online MSc IT courses, specifically in Computer Science with Data Analytics. The initial unit was manageable, catering to those who thrive in independent, isolated study environments with somewhat challenging materials. However, the experience took a nosedive in the second module, focusing on Computer Architecture and Operating Systems. The learning materials contained errors, and crucial exam topics were omitted from the curriculum. The actual exam seemed more like a test of speed typing, Google searching, and copying and pasting.

The course is marketed as a "MSc Computer Science program aimed at working professionals and graduates from other disciplines seeking to transition into a computer science career." However, having had a successful career as an IT Architect with a prominent global IT company, I found myself struggling with specific technical details of IP6 addresses, which formed a good proportion of the exam. Personally, I would prefer crafting comprehensive responses using a pen and paper rather than honing my non-existent speed typing skills.

And this from a “World-class Russell Group member”

The saving grace, for me, was that this was only my second unit, so in the end I lost a small amount of money and time. I also have an appreciation of what a “World-class Russell Group member” can offer.

One positive aspect was the support from fellow students on the course through platforms like Discord. However, echoing the sentiments of a previous poster, Bilal Ashraf, I wholeheartedly recommend steering clear of this program.

Good luck trying to get your money back if you withdraw... even if you follow their rules and stipulations your told to just wait an indefinite amount of time to receive back and nobody gives a toss on the phone and just ignores your emails. Gave me a deadline to get paid in time to start but no deadline in returning, just WAIT!

Did my undergrad in physics and maths here. Could not recommend Mikhail enough, best tutor ever! However the rest of the department was inadequate and requires serious improvement. If it wasn’t for Mikhail I would’ve dropped out. Mikhail is the backbone of this university.

My UG experience was great - I loved every moment and the Lang/Ling department is fantastic!

However I also chose to do my Masters Degree here in the Business department during the pandemic, and they could not make it more obvious how they do not care about you after you finish your course! They made no effort to congratulate us on finishing our degree, just moved to emailing the new starters and forgot about us (but left us on the mailing list to see...) and I have no news about my delayed UG graduation OR my postgraduate graduation. Such a shame the PG experience put a small tarnish on my wonderful UG experience.

Stayed in halls whilst working locally. Customer service is second to none. All staff, without exception, were extremely helpful, friendly and courteous

Their modules are mostly a list of topics and references to books. It feels like they are charging for exams and a piece of paper in the end that says the "University of York". The teaching is really bad. I have completed about 6 modules of MSc Comp Sci with Data Analytics and now thinking to drop out. I regret investing money and time in this program.