MSc Artificial Intelligence (2 years)
Key information
- Location
- Edinburgh
- Mode of delivery
- On-campus
- Delivery type
- Full-time
- Start date
- September
- Duration
- 2 years
- Qualification
- MSc
Contact
Contact our enquiries team
Contact usOverview
MSc Artificial Intelligence (2 years) is a two-year conversion programme. It has been created to provide the perfect stepping stone for students aiming for a career in artificial intelligence, who may not be coming directly from a computing background
This two year programme offers an opportunity for students looking to transition to a new career path in artificial intelligence (AI), who may be coming from a background outside computing. Whether your experience lies in psychology, linguistics, science, technology or the arts, this pathway programme is a rare opportunity to become well-versed in the advanced, challenging field of AI.
The programme aims to provide intensive and high-quality preparatory graduate and postgraduate education in artificial intelligence, all within just two years. The collective programme will be taught by a variety of traditional and innovative means, making use of applied topical material relevant to research and industry. This will create a supply of robustly prepared postgraduates with skills relevant to research and industrial applications of AI, in the UK and internationally. Computer Science at Heriot-Watt is ranked 6th in Scotland by The Complete University league tables (2021).
September 2024 entry
The deadline for applications from UK students is 30 August 2024. For EU and overseas applicants, we guarantee to consider applications submitted by 2 August 2024.
Postgraduate Masterclass Series
We’re running a series of free online masterclasses throughout July and early August to showcase our postgraduate taught study options. Take a look at the exciting topics our academic experts will be speaking about and book to attend.
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Course content
The two year MSc in Artificial Intelligence is a full-time postgraduate programme comprising two stages in two successive years.
Year 1
Four courses are taken in each of two semesters in Year 1 and normally include all core courses.
Semester 1
Core courses
- Software Engineering Foundations
- Introduction to Interaction Design
- Artificial intelligence and Intelligent Agents
Optional courses
- Databases and Information Systems
- Research Preparation in English I
- Statistical Modelling and Analysis
- Introduction to Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Semester 2
Core courses
- Advanced Software Engineering
Optional courses
- Project Management
- Operating Systems and Concurrency
- Advanced Interaction Design
- Research Preparation in English II
- Software Engineering Master Class
Year 2
Four courses are taken in each of two semesters in Year 2 and normally include all core courses.
Semester 1
Core courses
- Biologically Inspired Computation
- Data Mining and Machine Learning
Optional courses
- 3D Graphics and Animation
- Human Robot Interaction
- Industrial Programming
- Intelligent Robotics
Semester 2
Core courses
- Research Methods and Project Planning
Optional courses
- Big Data Management
- Computer Games Programming
- Conversational Agents and Spoken Language Processing
- Data Visualisation and Analytics
- e-Commerce Technology
After semester 2, students continue full-time on the MSc project from May until August. It is assessed by a 15000 word dissertation on a challenging practical problem in this subject area.
Go Global
Some of our Postgraduate Taught Masters Programmes are eligible for Inter-Campus Transfer. Please contact studywithus@hw.ac.uk for further information.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Year 1
| Status [footnote 1] | Full-time |
|---|---|
| UK | 10600 |
| Overseas [footnote 2] | 24496 |
Year 2
| Status [footnote 1] | Full-time |
|---|---|
| UK | 9152 |
| Overseas [footnote 2] | 19056 |
Additional fee information
Please note that fees are payable for each year of this two year MSc.
Scholarships and bursaries
We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.
View our full range of postgraduate scholarships.
Entry requirements
Entry
Admission requires a good honours degree at UK 2:2 level (minimum), with evidence of numeracy and familiarity with a programming language.
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 AI, 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)
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We are accredited by the following organisations
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BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
This degree is accredited by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT on behalf of the Engineering Council, fully meeting the academic requirement for Incorporated Engineer and partially meeting the academic requirement for a chartered engineer.