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    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 us

    Overview

    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.

    Video

    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 goglobal@hw.ac.uk for further information.

    Fees and funding

    Tuition fees

    Year 1

    Tuition fees
    Status [footnote 1] Full-time
    UK 10600
    Overseas [footnote 2] 24496

    Year 2

    Tuition fees
    Status [footnote 1] Full-time
    UK 9152
    Overseas [footnote 2] 19056

    Footnotes

    1. Your residency 'status' is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course. Find out more about tuition fees.
    2. Overseas includes applications from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in the UK. Read more about the application process for EU nationals.

    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)

    Why Heriot-Watt?

    National Robotarium

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    Maths Gym

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    Edinburgh Campus facilities

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    Heriot-Watt Student Union

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    Living in Edinburgh

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    Sport facilities

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    Your career

    Employers around the world actively seek out our graduates because they are work-ready. All our degrees are career-focused and relevant to the needs of industry. Around 95% of our students are in employment or further study within six months of graduating.

    We are accredited by the following organisations

    At Heriot-Watt University we develop degrees that are relevant for the world of work. We work with Professional bodies and Institutes to gain appropriate Accreditations and Professional Memberships for your industry. Find out below how this degree aligns to industry.

    British Computer Society logo

    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.

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