Entry requirements

Admission requires a good honours or ordinary degree of 3 years duration, numeracy and some prior ability at programming

This programme is designed for students with a non-Computer Science background who would benefit from a foundational year to help them to make a successful transition into Computing, and therefore students will only be recruited into Year 1 of this programme. There is no direct entry into Year 2 of this programme.

English language requirements

Important: If your first language is not English, or your first degree was not taught in English, we'll need to see evidence of your English language ability.

The minimum requirement for English language is IELTS 6.5 (with no component under 6.0).

We also offer a range of English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement prior to starting your master's programme:

20 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.0 with no skill lower than 4.5)
14 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.0 with minimum of 5.0 in writing and no skill lower than 4.5)
10 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.5 with no skill lower than 5.0)
6 weeks English (for IELTS 5.5 with no skill lower than 5.5)

Months of entry

September

Course content

The MSc in Computing is a two year postgraduate degree. The first year imparts the knowledge and skills needed to study the subject at masters level in the second.

This new degree is open to graduates coming from any discipline. They will start by learning the art of software engineering, study some key computing topics and develop relevant research and technical English skills that prepare them for advanced study of computer science in the following year. Computer Science at Heriot-Watt is ranked 6th in Scotland by The Complete University league tables (2021).

At the end of Year 1 students may progress to Year 2 or graduate instead with a Graduate Diploma in Computer Science.