Masterclasses in Computer Science

The Masterclasses are a series of workshops designed to inspire and engage young people in Computer Science. Each session is led by enthusiastic speakers from industry, academia and education and introduce aspects not usually covered in the school curriculum.

Topics we have run previously have included:

• History of Computer Science
• Turtle graphics
• Solving logic problems
• Programming robots
• Enigma Machines

The Oxford Masterclasses in Computer Science are supported by Morgan Stanley and Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford.

Subject to funding the students will be invited to return for another series of Masterclass sessions in year 10 and year 11.

Who is it for?

To take part in this programme students need to meet all of the criteria below:

• Attend a state funded school in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Swindon, Gloucestershire and Buckinghamshire
• Schools may nominate up to two students (at least one of which should be female if the school accepts female students)
• The students need to be enthusiastic about mathematics and computer science
• The students must be academically strong, in the top 20% of their year

Each year we usually accept between 25-30 students for the programme, and aim for at least half of the cohort to identify as female. In the event that we are oversubscribed we will take into account student's socioeconomic background when selecting participants.

The 2027 Programme

The 2027 programme is running in-person at the University of Oxford's Department of Computer Science, Wolfson Building, Park's Road, OX1 3QD. There will be six sessions for year 9 students. The programme will run from 9:30am to 12:00pm on the following dates:

• Saturday 6th March
• Saturday 13th March
• Saturday 20th March
• Saturday 8th May
• Saturday 15th May
• Saturday 22nd May

How do I apply?

Nominations for the 2027 Masterclasses in Computer Science are now open. Teachers are asked to complete the nomination form with the number of year 9 students they will be nominating from their school.

The deadline for all nominations via the form is Friday 23rd October 2026. Upon receipt of a nomination form, teachers will be contacted with further details (and a parent/carer consent form) to pass on to the parents/carers of the relevant students.

Parents/students will be notified in early December 2026 on the outcome of their application.

For any questions or queries, please contact: masterclasses@cs.ox.ac.uk