Study Research

MSc Advanced Computer Science

The course

Delivery
Full-time, Part-time
Course type
Research
Location
Edinburgh
Entry date
September
Find out how to apply More about this subject area

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Overview

This one-year, full-time research Masters degree provides the opportunity to investigate the state-of-the-art in an advanced topic in Computer Science and develop an innovative solution to one of its challenges. Students are guided in this by their research supervisor.

Students will study 4 MSc course options, develop a Masters class, undertake a research project preparation course and then write a research project thesis of between 20,000 and 30,000 words.

Duration

  • Full time - 1 year
  • Part-time - 2 years

Research

Research projects

Semester 1 Software Engineering Master Class 15 credits
  lectured MSc course 15 credits
  lectured MSc course 15 credits
  supervised research 150 hours
Semester 2 Research Methods and Project Planning 15 credits
  lectured MSc course 15 credits
  lectured MSc course 15 credits
  supervised research 150 hours
Semester 3 Supervised Research in Computer Science 600 hours

Taught MSc options can be chosen from any course offered on any MSc programme.

Assessment

To qualify for an MSc by research, students must pass 4 lectured MSc courses, the 2 research preparation courses F21SM Software Engineering Master Class and F22RM Research Methods in Computer Science and write a research project thesis of 20,000 to 30,000 words

Additional information

Students must submit a 2 or 3 page research proposal together with their postgraduate application. It is used to assess a student's understanding of the nature of research and to match students with supervisors. Applicants are advised to look at the research interests of Computer Science department academic staff and the research themes of CS research groups before formulating their research proposal.

In semester 1 full-time students prepare for their thesis by doing supervised research and by developing a masterclass on an advanced topic related to it. In semester 2 they will do the Research Methods in Computer Science course and directly work on their research project.

After semester 2, students continue full time on their MSc research project until the programme ends in August. This part is equivalent to 600 student effort hours.

Entry requirements

Entry requires at least a 2.1 honours degree in Computer Science or an overall average of at least 60% on a taught MSc in Computer Science or IT.

Applicants must submit a 2 to 3 page research proposal together with their postgraduate application. This is used to assess a student's understanding of the nature of research and to match students with supervisors. Applicants are advised to look at the research interests of Computer Science department academic staff and the research themes of CS research groups before formulating their research proposal.

Visit our website to see what Computer Science thesis we are currently researching. Successful students at the end of the MSc may submit their thesis to graduate or ask to transfer to the second year of a PhD or MPhil.

English language requirements

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 6.0 or equivalent.

We offer a range of English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement prior to starting your masters 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)

Fees

Tuition fees for entry
Status Full-time Part-time
UK £ TBC £ TBC
Overseas £ 24496 £ 12248

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.

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 research scholarships.