University of Edinburgh
School of Informatics

The School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh is a world-class institution for teaching and research and delivers more world leading research (4*) for Computer Science than any other UK institute according to the globally recognised Research Assessment Exercise. Not only is the school considered excellent for teaching and research but it is also one of the largest computer science departments in Europe and the World.

Facilities and resources

The School has state-of-the-art computing facilities and student laboratories with 24-hour access. Our research community is based in the Informatics Forum, an award winning purpose-built research facility located in the city centre, on the University's main campus. The Forum sits alongside teaching, conference and technology transfer facilities in Appleton Tower.

Degrees offered

• 1-year taught Masters
• 2-year taught Masters
• 1-year research - Masters By Research
• 2-year research - MPhil
• 3-year research - Doctorate (PhD)
• Entry qualifications: first/upper second class degree or equivalent.

Taught masters

Taught Masters courses, modular in structure, are offered in: Artificial Intelligence; Cognitive Science; Computer Science, Informatics and Design Informatics. The breadth and depth of research in Informatics at Edinburgh gives access to more relevant courses than anywhere else, all taught by leading researchers. There are over 50 courses to choose from, grouped into the following specialist areas:

• Analytical and Scientific Databases
• Bioinformatics, Systems and Synthetic Biology
• Cognitive Science
• Computer Systems, Software Engineering and High Performance Computing
• Fundamentals of High Performance Computing Systems
• Intelligent Robotics
• Knowledge Management, Representation and Reasoning
• Learning from Data
• Music Informatics
• Natural Language Processing
• Neural Computation and Neuroinformatics
• Theoretical Computer Science

Masters in Design and Advanced Design Informatics

Introduced in 2013, our Design (1 year) and Advanced Design (2 year) Informatics Masters are offered in conjunction with Edinburgh College of Art. The courses offer an opportunity for students to work on case studies with companies to apply data-led design principles to real-world product and service challenges. Study topics including computer vision and robotics, computer graphics, databases and speech recognition.

For more information see www.designinformatics.org/about

Research degrees

The School's research portfolio is vast. We can accommodate a great number of student research projects in Computer Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science, Theoretical Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, Neuroinformatics, Software Engineering, Machine Learning, Hardware Architectures, Agent Systems, Planning and Logistics, Algorithms, Databases, Bioinformatics, Speech Technology, Robotics, Machine Vision, Concurrency, Distributed Systems, Formal Methods, to name but a few of the areas covered.

Applicants should visit our research topics information to identify a research area that is of interest to them and a potential supervisor. We also encourage our applicants to propose research topics, so if you have an idea, please approach us.

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships for Masters studies in Scotland are offered by the Scottish Executive and the University for overseas students. The School of Informatics also has Collaborative Training Account funding for some UK/EU students plus some quota awards from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland for Scottish and EU students. A number of research studentships are available for PhD study in the School for both UK/EU and students worldwide. Further information is at www.inf.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate/.

Student profile - Andreea Radulescu, PhD Student

"I joined the School of Informatics in 2010 when I came to Edinburgh to pursue an MSc in Intelligent Robotics. I was thrilled to be awarded The Informatics UK/EU Master's Scholarship 2010-2011, which helped me fund my studies and encouraged me to continue my studies with a research degree. Deciding to commit to a PhD was a tough decision, but after approaching my supervisor I decided it is the right course of action. Since I intend to continue working in research (either for a university or in industry) the pursuit of a PhD is not only beneficial, but often necessary.

I decided to remain in Edinburgh not just because of the research facilities offered and the university's prestige as a major educational and scientific development centre, but also because of the great atmosphere in the School of Informatics. Being in an environment that stimulates collaboration and encourages discussion is a great catalyst and a source of inspiration.

Edinburgh is a lovely city to live in, the social life is incredibly varied and no matter what your tastes and hobbies are, there's bound to be something suited to your needs. It also benefits from having a large student population, so you will be making friends from all over the world. As if that were not enough you also benefit from getting the full taste of the numerous summer festivals that take place right here (including the famous Fringe Festival)."

Contact details

Address
School of Informatics
University of Edinburgh
Appleton Tower
11 Crichton Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9LE

Contacts for research degrees

Tel: +44 (0)131 650 3091
Fax: +44 (0)131 650 2957
Email: phd-admissions@inf.ed.ac.uk

Contacts for taught Masters

Tel: +44 (0)131 650 5194
Fax: +44 (0)131 650 2957
Email: msc-admissions@inf.ed.ac.uk
Web site: www.inf.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate/