Outside Course List for Informatics Students 2024/25
This page provides a list of popular outside courses for first and second year Informatics students. If you’re unsure what to do, there is a separate page with rules and advice.
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Common compulsory Year 1 courses
For reference, most Informatics students must take these courses. If these are your only compulsory courses (see rules and advice), pick one more course for each Semester. (Cognitive Science students don't take Calculus; Computer Science and Physics students take other maths courses.)
Outside courses only for Year 1
This course is recommended for students without an A or B in Advanced Higher Mathematics (or equivalent). See “Is FAC suitable for me?” on the Year 1 guide from maths.
Semester 1
Year 1 courses on an Informatics programme (also for Year 2)
If these courses aren't already on your degree, you may take them as options in Year 1 or 2. However, you are unlikely to get a place on the Psychology or Linguistics courses below unless you are a Cognitive Science student. The Engineering courses are part of Engineering’s Electronics and Computer Science degree.
Semester 1
Miscellaneous Outside Courses for Year 1 or 2
This is just a selection of what’s available. Every year some Informatics students find other Level 7 and 8 courses that interest them from the rest of the course catalogue.
Language courses for Year 1 and 2
Language courses are popular and fill up quickly. Read more about Open Language courses.
Semester 2
Either Semester
- Foundation Business Chinese 1
- Foundation Chinese Language 1
- Foundation English-Chinese Translation
- Foundation French Language 1
- Foundation French Language 2
- Foundation French Language 3
- Foundation German Language 1
- Foundation German Language 2
- Foundation Italian Language 1
- Foundation Japanese Language 1
- Foundation Korean Language 1
- Foundation Spanish Language 1
- Foundation Spanish Language 2
- Foundation Spanish Language 3
- Foundation Spanish Language 4
- Introduction to Gaelic Language and Culture
- Introductory Arabic Language
Common compulsory Year 2 courses
If you take all of these, they fill your 120 credits. Not all degrees require all of them.
Semester 2
Other outside course choices for Year 2
You are allowed to take any Level 7 or 8 course in Year 1 if you have the pre-requisites. However, the following courses are intended for second years, and many of them have pre-requisites.
Semester 1
Full Year
10 credit courses
Most students should choose 20 credit courses, and should ignore this section. Occasionally students need to make up 10 credits, or consider overloading with a 10 credit course. Some of these courses are intended for second years and have pre-requisites.