Postgraduate Students

Taught courses at postgraduate level are either Masters courses, Postgraduate Diploma courses or Postgraduate Certificate courses. The difference between these is mainly in the duration of the course and to a lesser extent, in the depth of study. Our Course Finder tool will enable you to search for courses of interest to you. You can filter the results by School or subject area. Alternatively, you can browse the course list alphabetically.

Research degrees are either at Masters level (MPhil) or at Doctorate level (PhD, EngD or DBA). All research degrees involve independent study under the direction of a supervisor. Students are expected to attend short courses of study in order to acquire study and other transferable skills. Requirements vary between Schools and applicants are advised to obtain further details from the relevant School or Institute. Although taught courses are associated with specific Schools, research may be undertaken collaboratively and Heriot-Watt welcomes interdisciplinary research. Use our A-Z list to find research areas of interest to you.

A range of scholarships are available to cover all or part of an applicant's fees and living expenses. The scholarships available depend upon the applicant's country of residence and the course or research they wish to undertake. You are advised to check funding availability within the appropriate School.

Advice on entry requirements for taught and research programmes, guidance for completing and submitting an online or printed application form, and the acknowledgement and responses you can expect are explained here. If you receive an offer from us, please respond promptly. Information on registering as a student will be sent to you.

To apply to our Postgraduate Admissions Office, complete the online form or print and post a paper form. You will be asked to supply various documents including a copy of your degree certificate and relevant transcripts, proof of your ability in the English language if this is not your mother tongue, proof of how your tuition fee and personal maintenance costs are to be met, and two academic references.

Heriot-Watt University offers a welcoming approach and a superb environment for postgraduate study and top-level research. Our web prospectus can guide you through our full taught course and research options with details of fees and financial support options and scholarships. You can complete your application online or print out a form to complete with the help of our guidance notes.

Heriot-Watt's £7m Postgraduate Centre, designed to provide a state of the art facility for postgraduates across the University is now complete. With a 1,500 strong community of postgraduate students from 100 countries at Heriot-Watt, opportunities exist for interdisciplinary and cross-cultural interaction. The Centre brings together postgraduates from all areas, encouraging a multi disciplinary approach key to the University's Focus on the Future strategy. The new Postgraduate Centre provides high tech video conferencing facilities to allow postgraduate students to take part in multi-site lectures, tutorials and research meetings, as well as enhancing communication between the Heriot-Watt campuses.

An on-campus student must complete the requirements for registration at the beginning of each academic year. Fees are payable at Registration. The full schedule of fees and a guide to likely living costs is available from Academic Registry. All fees are payable in advance.

The accommodation service allocates places on campus. There are approximately 4,500 students studying at Heriot-Watt's Edinburgh campus and just over 1800 residential places are available. The majority of these places are allocated to new students. This site holds information on our accommodation options and charges, our policy for allocating accommodation, and our procedures for applying. A useful guide on visitor accommodation is also accessible here.

You can request a printed Heriot-Watt Postgraduate Prospectus. Simply enter your contact details in the online form attached, indicating your areas of interest and one will be posted to you.