Concise Undergraduate Prospectus 2015 entry The Edinburgh Experience CHRIS HOY KATHERINE GRAINGER JK ROWLING IAN RANKIN PIERS SELLERS KIRSTY WARK GORDON BROWN STELLA RIMINGTON ELIZABETH BLACKADDER PETER HIGGS CHRYSTAL MACMILLAN ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE JAMES CLERK MAXWELL CHARLES DARWIN WALTER SCOTT BENJAMIN RUSH JOSEPH BLACK DAVID HUME Infl uencing the world since 1583 www.ed.ac.uk “ Edinburgh is one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, draped across a series of rocky hills overlooking the sea.” Lonely Planet The University The University of Edinburgh Concise Undergraduate Prospectus 2015 entry 01 03 Influencing the world since 1583 04 Inspiring teaching WELCOME TO 05 World-leading research 06 The Edinburgh degree 08 Your learning and support 10 Helping shape your career THE UNIVERSITY 12 Building your employability 14 Life 16 Make yourself at home OF EDINBURGH 18 Your place in Edinburgh 19 Your sporting chance 20 Go abroad 21 Finance made simple 22 Financial support 24 The application process 25 Visit us 26 A–Z of degrees 29 Useful contacts twitter.com/applyedinburgh facebook.com/applyedinburgh youtube.com/edinburghuniversity A57668 UOE Concise UG Prospectus 2015.indd 1 14/02/2014 11:45 www.ed.ac.uk ‘ Imagine what you could do’ animation www.ed.ac.uk/ undergraduate/imagine A57668 UOE Concise UG Prospectus 2015.indd 2 14/02/2014 11:45 The University of Edinburgh Concise Undergraduate Prospectus 2015 entry 03 Influencing the world since 1583 TOP 50 For more than four centuries the University of We’re consistently ranked Edinburgh has been changing the world. Today, we continue to make our mark, with world-leading as one of the best 50 experts educating the pioneers of tomorrow. universities in the world. By choosing to study at Edinburgh, you’ll be th We’re 17 i n t h e 2013/14 investing in an education that will help you QS World University Rankings. build a successful future. You’ll experience the very best in teaching and research. Through our hands-on and innovative approach, we’ll help you become a successful 97% learner-practitioner or researcher and equip you 97% of our academic with the skills, insights and perspectives to enhance departments produce your employability and career prospects. world-leading research.* Our flexible degree programmes, world-class facilities and award-winning support services TH combine to ensure your experience at Edinburgh 1 5 is exceptional and unique. th You’ll also be living in a vibrant and historic capital We’re ranked 15 in the city with world-famous cultural festivals, where world for the employability the mountains and beaches of Scotland are on of our graduates.** your doorstep. Come and join us. 80% Eight out of 10 students graduate with either a 1st or 2:1 degree. “ You are now in a place where the best courses NATIONALITIES upon earth are within 1 3 7 your reach … such an Students from two-thirds of the opportunity you will world’s countries study here. never again have.” Thomas Jefferson, American Founding Father and President (speaking to his * Latest UK Research Assessment Exercise son-in-law, Thomas Mann Randolph, ** Latest Emerging Global Employability University Ranking as he began his studies in 1786) A57668 UOE Concise UG Prospectus 2015.indd 3 14/02/2014 11:45 www.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/teaching Inspiring teaching High-quality, innovative teaching New ways of learning is at the heart of our mission. We’re always keen to develop innovative approaches to teaching in order to We’re proud that 80 per cent of our discover the methods that work best graduates leave the University with a 1st for students. Examples of our innovation or 2:1 award in their degree – testament include e-learning techniques, peer- to the combination of dedicated students assisted learning, and ‘clicker’ technology and effective teaching. that allows anonymous voting to assess understanding in lectures. We’re investing £4 million over three years to maintain and enhance the experience We also host an annual Innovative of all students across the University, Learning Week, which allows staff as our population becomes larger and and students to explore new learning more diverse. The resulting initiatives – activities. Past activities have ranged including information points, pre-arrival from a ‘Maths and Magic Workshop’ to and induction support, and regular online a tour of Edinburgh’s Central Mosque and and email student news updates – are a week-long project to create a museum aimed at ensuring that our support and exhibition of musical instruments. guidance are second to none. Lectures, tutorials and practicals We conduct internal reviews of our Lectures provide a guide to your subject teaching, in order to optimise both our matter and set out the foundations upon teaching methods and your experience which you can build your knowledge. as a student. For some first-year courses, there can be as many as 300 students in lectures. EUSA Teaching Awards Edinburgh University Students’ Association Tutorials and practicals help develop (EUSA) created the first teaching award themes or discuss problems, usually on scheme of its kind in the UK – run entirely the basis of written work. Much smaller by students. Acknowledging the teachers, than lectures, tutorials typically have about support staff and students who have an 10 students, with the tutor providing a key enormous positive impact on students’ link between you and the coursework. learning experience, the scheme has more than a dozen categories, from The number of hours spent in lectures, Best Personal Tutor to Best Course. tutorials or practicals varies between Since its launch in 2008, it has become subject areas. Visit our Degree Finder a model for similar schemes across the UK. for more detailed information about www.eusa.ed.ac.uk our different degree programmes. www.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees Your learning and support See pages 08–09 A57668 UOE Concise UG Prospectus 2015.indd 4 14/02/2014 11:45 The University of Edinburgh Concise Undergraduate Prospectus 2015 entry 05 World-leading research Our academic staff are leaders Today we’re working towards many in their fi elds and their research more historic fi rsts, including fi nding new treatments for major diseases such directly informs their teaching. as multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease and breast cancer. Learning from the best Edinburgh is one of the UK’s top fi ve Our pioneering work on tackling climate universities for research.* You’ll work change involves our researchers across alongside world-class academics and science, engineering, the humanities learn about the very latest developments and social sciences. in your subject. Global collaborations You’ll join a vibrant community of like- As an internationally renowned centre minded intellectuals, with the chance of academic excellence, Edinburgh of one day working on life-changing is involved in many world-class research yourself. collaborations. We take pride in our partnerships with institutions such as the International impact California Institute of Technology, Stanford Our academics’ research achievements University, the University of Melbourne, have global implications. Peking University, the University of Delhi and South Africa’s University of KwaZulu- • Nobel Prize winner Emeritus Professor Natal – to name but a few. Peter Higgs was a lecturer at Edinburgh when he proposed the Higgs boson. All our students benefi t from the strong • We devised technology used in research environment that informs our today’s smartphones. academic programmes. • Our scientists created Dolly the Sheep, the fi rst mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell. • We developed the fi rst genetically Go abroad engineered hepatitis B vaccine. See page • We pioneered the fi rst automated industrial assembly robot. 20 • We have infl uenced thinking across the humanities over four centuries, from our central role in the European Enlightenment and the launch of the fi rst English Literature department 250 years ago, to our continuing record of publishing era-defi ning works. * Latest UK Research Assessment Exercise A57668 UOE Concise UG Prospectus 2015.indd 5 14/02/2014 11:45 www.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/degree-structure The Edinburgh degree Our flexible degree structures • Nurturing: you have more time to Three years contribute to our high graduation grow intellectually; In many of our science and engineering subjects it is possible to apply for rate, and our broadly educated • Breadth: wider learning is enriching, and attractive to employers. direct entry into the second year of the graduates are highly sought degree programme, making it possible after by employers. If you opt to study abroad for a semester to graduate with a BSc after three or year, your degree length won’t be years of study. Direct-entry eligibility Four years extended. See Go abroad, page 20. is based on high attainment in A Levels, Scottish degrees traditionally take four years Highers or their equivalent. of study. This differs from elsewhere in the Five years www.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/ UK, but is a long-established European Our Medicine MBChB and Veterinary advanced-entry model emulated by nations throughout Medicine BVM&S degrees, our MA Fine the world, including the US. Art degree and our BA/MSc Landscape Architecture degree all take five years. In the arts, languages, engineering, sciences and social sciences you will In science and engineering, in addition typically take a broad range of subjects to four-year BSc degrees, we offer “ I had the opportunity in your first two years before going on five-year MChem, MChemPhys, MEarthSci, in my first and second to specialise in your final two years. MEng, MInf, MMath and MPhys degrees. (Well-qualified applicants may opt for years to get a much better Advantages: ‘direct entry’ into the second year of grounding in my subject • Flexibility: experience new subjects these programmes.) These ‘masters’ without committing long term; degrees entail in-depth study often area than I would have • Good results: discover which subjects with a research focus – but are are best suited to you and tailor your undergraduate degrees and are not done anywhere else.” degree accordingly; equivalent to a postgraduate masters.