Dr Christine Yuen

This course is compulsory on the BSc in Data Science, BSc in Mathematics with Data Science and BSc in Politics and Data Science. This course is available on the BSc in Accounting and Finance, BSc in Actuarial Science, BSc in Actuarial Science (with a Placement Year), BSc in Finance and BSc in Mathematics, Statistics and Business. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.

This course has a limited number of places (it is capped). Students who have this course as a compulsory course are guaranteed a place. 

Although not a formal requirement, it is preferable that students have some familiarity with the basic concepts of probability and statistics, to the level of ST102/ST107 first 2 chapters (Data visualisation and descriptive statistics and probability theory).

The primary focus of the course is to cover principles of computer programming with a focus on data science applications.

The topic covered will include variables, basic data types, data structures and sequences, control flow structures, modularisation, functions, variable and function scoping, testing and debugging, errors and exception handling, and data input-output operations using file systems and operating system standard input-output; principles of object-oriented programming including objects, classes, methods, encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism; principles of functional programming languages such as use of immutable data, flow control using functional calls and recursions; practical aspects of algorithmic concepts such as searching.

The course will primarily use Python programming language, but may also discuss and provide references to how the fundamental programming concepts are implemented in other programming languages, in particular, R.

20 hours of lectures and 20 hours of seminars in the AT.

This course does not include reading weeks.

Students are required to install Python on their own laptops and use their own laptops in the classes and lectures.

Students will be expected to produce 5 problem sets in the AT.

The problem sets will consist of computer programming exercises in Python programming language.

• J. V. Guttag, Introduction to Computation and Programming using Python, Second Edition, The MIT Press, 2017
• A. B. Downey, Think Python: How to Think like a Computer Scientist, 2nd Edition, O'Reilly Media, 2015
• P. Gries, J. Campbell, and J. Montojo, Practical programming: an introduction to computer science using Python 3.6, Pragmatic Bookshelf, 2017

Additional reading 

• W. Mckinney, Python for Data Analysis, 2nd Edition, O'Reilly, 2017
• J. Zelle, Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science, 3rd edition, Franklin, Beedle & Associates, 2016
• M. Lutz, Learning Python, 5th Edition, O'Reilly Media, 2013
• M. Dawson, Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, 3rd Edition, Course Technology, 2010

Exam (70%, duration: 2 hours, reading time: 15 minutes) in the January exam period.
Continuous assessment (30%) in the AT.

The exam will be an invigilated on-campus 'e-exam'.