University of St Andrews

Introduction

The University of St Andrews is the oldest University in Scotland and the 3rd oldest in the UK. Each of our academic departments is highly rated for teaching and research and we are consistently ranked amongst the top 10 institutions in the UK. Most recently we have been ranked inside the top 5 UK universities by both The Times and The Sunday Times newspapers.

St Andrews is a beautiful location in which to study and the close connection between, "town", and "gown", gives a strong sense of community. Our setting is slightly unusual because we do not have a definable campus. Most of our buildings are mixed in with residential housing, shops and bars/restaurants, and everything blends together in the bustling town centre. We encourage prospective students to visit us before confirming their place to make sure that they get a good feel for the town.

With a student population of just over 7,000 and a town population of 18,000 including students, St Andrews has a friendly and diverse community.  We have approximately 1,300 postgraduate students and approximately 60% are from overseas.

We are very proud to have one of the lowest non-completion rates in the country and a large proportion of our undergraduates complete their studies with a first or upper-second class honours degree. This is a reflection on both the high standard of teaching and the strong work ethic that exists amongst staff and students in each of our Schools, and of the support that students benefit from when they study in St Andrews.

What's on offer

The University consists of 4 faculties - Arts, Science, Divinity and Medicine. Our 21 Schools were highly rated in the last Research Assessment Exercise (Dec. 2008), at which time our teaching standards were also commended. Our 2008 results build directly on those results achieved in 2001 and place St Andrews at the forefront of Higher Education in Scotland.

Areas of expertise include International Relations, Economics, Philosophy, Management, English, Psychology and Physics. Literally every department at St Andrews contains internationally recognised academic members of staff. Despite their reputations as leading academics, our staff are very accessible to students as our Schools & Departments are fairly small and this is a definite strength as ideas can be shared amongst people who do not necessarily work closely together.

Our library is a modern, centrally located building which currently houses almost 1 million volumes. There are plans to add a new wing to the existing library and it is hoped that work on this exciting project will begin in the summer of 2011.

Location

St Andrews is approximately 50 miles north of Edinburgh, and 13 miles south of Dundee. The town is perched on the edge of the North Sea and there are 3 beaches just a short walk from the town centre. It really is a stunning location!

The nearest train station is in Leuchars, just 5 miles away. International students normally arrive at Edinburgh or Glasgow airport from where there are regular connections to St Andrews. It is possible for international students to reserve a place on university transport from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports to St Andrews at the start of semester.

Subject Strengths

Our taught Masters programmes each follow a similar route as they consist of 2 semesters of lectures and tutorials with exams at the end of each semester. Students then have the summer months to complete a dissertation of around 15,000 words. The majority of our Masters courses are one year in length although some are 2 years long due to the requirement that a longer dissertation be completed which is normally 40,000 words rather than 15,000.

All Schools are research active and almost 50% of our postgraduate students are working towards the completion of a PhD. Many of these students are fully funded by the University. For example, last year we were able to fund almost 50 PhD candidates in the faculties of Arts and Divinity alone.

Academic student life

The Postgraduate Student Handbook is given to all PG students at the start of each year. This publication provides guidance which is primarily aimed at new students who are unfamiliar with St Andrews. It provides detailed information on what is expected of our students, and what our students can expect of our staff.

Scholarships

The University of St Andrews has a designated postgraduate Postgraduate Scholarships Office and staff are happy to help you with questions relating to funding. Our awards are given to the most gifted students, and competition for these is fierce.

Tuition fees

A list of tuition fees for all our courses is available from our website.

Accommodation

Although we cannot guarantee accommodation for all postgraduate students, the majority of those who request a room in one of our 4 designated PG buildings do receive a place. We also have 3 further buildings where both undergraduates and postgraduates reside although they live in separate flats/apartments within these buildings. The rooms in all these buildings are for single students although we do have a small number of other properties where married students and families can be accommodated. Staff in our accommodation office will be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Recreation time

You might be relieved to hear that your social life doesn't necessarily need to revolve around golf in St Andrews! We have 52 sports clubs available and approximately 100 other student societies to choose from. Of course, golfers do get a good deal with access to 7 (yes, 7!) golf courses for £170 per year. Have a look at the University of St Andrews Athletic Union website for more information about what is available. We also have a huge number of student societies available and details of these is on or Students' Association website, specifically on the Societies Portal.

How to apply

We recently launched an online application form which can be used to apply for all postgraduate Masters programmes that we offer.  Applications for research opportunities are still to be submitted using a paper form.

When to Apply

We can normally accept applications up to one year in advance. Overseas applications should be submitted by 31 May, and UK/EU applications by 31 July. Please be aware that some departments have earlier deadlines than others, as do scholarships. You are advised to check our website carefully for details of early deadline dates - don't get caught out!

For a comprehensive overview of our application process, or how to apply please visit our website.

Facebook

You might also be interested to know that we have a relatively new Facebook group which all applicants are welcome to join. We find that many applicants would like to be in touch with other students throughout the application process and this group is a way for you to meet people and discuss your experiences and topics related to the University of St Andrews. If you'd like to search for and join the facebook group it is called "University of St Andrews Postgraduate Recruitment" or it is located here.