I have a BSc in Psychology, but I want to change subjects and study computing. In particular a Masters in Human-Computing Interaction, Robotics, or Informatics.

I was wondering if it is necessary for me to take a CS conversion course first?

I have noticed a lot of masters do not require a full undergraduate CS degree - just some background in computing and programming. I've already taught myself Python and javascript, and I have a full 16 months before I start a masters.

Would people who have studied computing recommend I take a conversion course, or keep self-studying and jump straight into a more advanced masters?

I don't think you'll really need a conversion course for any of them, especially if you've already got some experience in programming. But, if you're going down the Robotics route you'll want to brush up on your maths as well as programming - CS is about more than just code!

If you're looking for a good HCI course I can thoroughly recommend York's programme.

Hi There,

I'm just finishing a conversion course in CS, myself, and starting a PhD in Robotics come September. I had the option of going straight in to an advanced masters, but declined it in order to really ground myself in formal computer science and work my way up. In my case, I definitely made the right choice; however, I know many folk who have gone from a non-CS background in to an advanced MSc program and are flourishing.

It's great that you've done some Python and Javascript - the Python will come in handy if you move to robotics.

I can't speak so much for HCI or general Informatics; however, I would encourage you, as IntoTheSpiral has said, to brush up on your maths (mechanics particularly useful, I think). If you're looking to do an MSc in Robotics straight up, I would also suggest becoming familiar with C (ideally a bit of C++ as well), to learn pointers and data structures. There are a host of great books out there, but feel free to ping me a PM if you'd like some specific suggestions (I just don't think I'd be very popular if I posted a massive bibliography on here :) )

I personally would recommend a conversion course if you haven't read computer science formally and wanted to pursue further research; however, if your goal is to head in to industry or simply supplement your Psychology background, then going straight in to a specialist masters would be quite feasible (of course, this will be dependent on tenacity, mathematical knowledge, programming aptitude and a whole host of other things: but the same can be said of doing a conversion course, to some extent)

Robotics has a whole host of Experimental Psychologists involved in it, so please do not feel put off from jumping in the pool and joining the robotics world. :)

All Best