Your Computer Science Student Toolkit

Professional / Certification • Windows

Programming, version control, databases, networking and more for computer science students.

Who this toolkit is for

For computer science students from GCSE to postgraduate. Courses use different languages, so start with the essentials and add modules for what you're studying now.

What level are you studying?Secondary / GCSE A-Level / College Undergraduate Postgraduate Professional / Certification Other

What computer do you use?Windows macOS Linux Chromebook Not sure

What are you studying right now? (optional)Programming Web Development Databases Networking Operating Systems Cybersecurity Algorithms AI / Machine Learning Cloud Computing Software Engineering

Choose any modules to see the tools for them. Without a module, module tools appear under Specialist / Optional.

Essential (5)

Core tools that are broadly useful.

Code Editor / IDE

Visual Studio Code
Free
Why you may need this: A flexible code editor for programming assignments, scripting and web modules.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Microsoft.VisualStudioCode --exact --source winget
```
Details

Programming Languages

Python
Open Source
Why you may need this: A common first language, used across programming, data and AI modules.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Python.Python.3.13 --exact --source winget
```
Details

Version Control

Git
Open Source
Why you may need this: Track changes to your code and submit work through Git-based workflows.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Git.Git --exact --source winget
```
Details

Office / Documents

LibreOffice
Open Source
Why you may need this: A free office suite for essays, spreadsheets and presentations.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id TheDocumentFoundation.LibreOffice --exact --source winget
```
Details

Research / Citation

Zotero
Open SourceAlso on iPhone/iPad
Why you may need this: Organise research sources and generate citations for coursework and dissertations.
Visit Official Website
Details

Recommended (6)

Useful for particular parts of the work or course.

Terminal

Windows Terminal
Open Source
Why you may need this: A modern terminal for running programs and scripts on Windows.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Microsoft.WindowsTerminal --exact --source winget
```
Details

Office / Documents

Microsoft 365
PaidAlso on Android, iPhone/iPad, Web
Why you may need this: Word, Excel and PowerPoint are common for coursework; many institutions provide it free.
Check your university access
Your university or college may provide this software or a student licence. Check before purchasing.
Prefer a free option? LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop · Compare alternatives
Visit Official Website
Details Web app

PDF

Adobe Acrobat Reader
FreemiumAlso on Android, iPhone/iPad
Why you may need this: Read and annotate lecture slides, papers and forms.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Adobe.Acrobat.Reader.64-bit --exact --source winget
```
Details See alternatives

Web Development

Node.js
Open Source
Why you may need this: Run JavaScript tooling for web development coursework. Also useful for Programming.
For the Web Development module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS --exact --source winget
```
Details
Mozilla Firefox
Open SourceAlso on Android, iPhone/iPad
Why you may need this: Test and debug your web pages with developer tools.
For the Web Development module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Mozilla.Firefox --exact --source winget
```
Details See alternatives