Master of Design in Games Design and Development

at Heriot-Watt University - Edinburgh Campus United Kingdom

Our four year BSc Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) Honours degree is oriented to constructing robust and useable systems. We aim to teach people not just how to deploy cutting edge tools and techniques, but how to build the next generation of software tools that other system constructors will use. This course aims to give a well integrated balance of theoretical underpinnings and practical experience, strongly informed by the research expertise of our academic staff.

All Year 3 students take part in a year-long group project, where they co-operate in tackling a large, realistic problem. Year 4 students conduct a major, year-long, individual dissertation project.

The Artificial Intelligence specialism is gained through taking prescribed courses from the final year options (two of the following: Biologically Inspired Computation, Data Mining and Machine Learning, Intelligent Robotics) and having an approved AI topic for the final year project.

Our BSc Biological Sciences degree is a broad-based course with a diverse range of topics. In Levels three and four you’ll be able to select from courses ranging from molecular biology and genomics, to marine and environmental topics. Which means you can choose your courses based on your particular interests. Overall, this biology degree aims to provide a flexible package of knowledge and practical skills in the biological sciences. Giving you the chance to maximise your potential and enjoy a successful career – whether it’s in academia, industry or commerce.

Heriot-Watt Mechanical Engineering degrees are ranked 1st in Scotland and top 10 in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2020. An industrial panel are involved to ensure the course content reflects the changing needs of industry and that our graduates have the knowledge and practical skills required to successfully gain employment.

Student teaching benefits from our strong industrial links, in particular the involvement of the industrial panel in the assessment of 4th year design projects, providing a realistic client scenario.

Programme Structure:
The first two years of the degree provide a grounding in the core disciplines of mechanical engineering, which allows students to make an informed choice of the options in the following years. An individual project forms part of Year 4. Students can graduate at the end of year 4 with a BEng Mechanical Engineering, or progress to the MEng programme, if academic grades are suitable. The 5-year MEng degree is the standard route towards Chartered Engineering professional qualification.

The 2020 National Student Survey results placed chemical engineering at Heriot-Watt as 1st in Scotland and 5th in the UK, based on students’ overall satisfaction with our programmes.

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021 ranked Heriot-Watt University as 1st in Scotland and 4th in the UK for Chemical Engineering.

Our BEng in Chemical Engineering provides students with both the theory and practical application expected by industry. We have strong links with professional communities, allowing us to enhance the career prospects of our graduates.

Programme structure:

• Our BEng programme gives you a sound understanding of both the chemical and process engineering fundamentals that you need to become a professional engineer. In addition to a grounding in science, maths and engineering, our students acquire practical abilities that are highly sought after by industry.
• The BEng in Chemical Engineering is a four-year degree which can include an additional 5th year of study, resulting in the programme becoming a more advanced MEng degree. You will choose which route to follow at the end of your 4th year, giving you the flexibility to decide which degree best suits your career ambitions.
• Final year BEng students undertake a group-based design project that consolidates the subjects taught across the programme.

Robotic and autonomous systems are now used in areas such as autonomous vehicle guidance, healthcare, remote surgery, industrial manufacturing and domestic assistance. This multi-disciplined robotics degree brings together electronics, computer software, and mechanics. In the first three years, you’ll be given a background in all three disciplines, along with the opportunity to build integrated systems. In the final two years, you can either continue with a broad-based curriculum, or specialise in particular aspects of contemporary robotics.

The MEng Robotics degree shares a common first three years with the BEng and includes a six-month industry placement, during years 4 and 5. Advanced courses can also be chosen from the three departments: Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering.

Our teaching philosophy:
The philosophy behind all of our programmes is 'learning by doing'. Our programmes are designed to be practical and allow students to develop skills beyond traditional academic content.

Students work on both individual and group projects from the third year onwards, providing them with valuable hands-on experience. The projects challenge you to solve a 'real life' problem – such as the project in which our students helped design an electronic egg to monitor penguin incubation.

Our MSc International Business Management with Project Management programme is aimed graduates who have little or no business or management background in their first degree and who wish to gain a broad based business qualification to enhance their future career prospects, or at those looking to develop business management knowledge and skills to allow them to change or further their careers.

This is a Conversion MSc
MSc International Business Management with Project Management is a conversion degree programme led by academics from Edinburgh Business School. It introduces the study of business and management to graduates and professionals from non-management backgrounds who wish to enhance their careers.

This degree introduces vital business knowledge to those with limited academic experience in the subject and provides an opportunity to develop versatile management skills in just one year of study. Coupled with specialist learning in the area of project management, it develops modern management skills to complement existing knowledge and prepare graduates for a career shift or management role.

Modern civil engineering professionals often require an extensive understanding of construction management due to the strategic benefits it can bring to both individuals and project teams.

As the industry becomes more competitive, organisations and their clients are increasingly demanding the combined time, cost and quality assurances that good project management practice provides. Furthermore, the industry now recognises that there is a need for engineers to gain specialist technical knowledge which compliments their academic and professional background.

The course uses experience from our internationally recognised Construction Project Management course and combines it with our high-profile Civil Engineering postgraduate course to provide a broad and valuable education. As a result, our recent graduates have been employed by a range of both national and international employers.

he MSc in International Marketing with Consumer Psychology provides insight into consumer behaviour against a background of international marketing concepts.

There are eight taught courses, divided equally over two semesters, followed by an international marketing with consumer psychology dissertation in semester 3.  Part-time students register for two courses per semester and progress to the dissertation at the end of their second year. Assessment is specifically designed to develop professional career readiness and includes several collaborative projects with industry partners.

There are two sets of mandatory courses.  The first set provides the foundation in international marketing concepts (International Strategic Marketing, Contemporary Consumer Behaviour, Marketing Metrics, Branding and Communications, Research Philosophy and Practice). The second set delivers insights into the application of psychology to marketing decision making (Introduction to Human Factors and Psychology for Marketing).

In Semester 3 the International Marketing with Consumer Psychology dissertation is the capstone course where students “deep-dive” into their chosen area of research.  Students will demonstrate their mastery of the subject area by developing new insight from analysis of valuable primary research.

This programme aims to develop the knowledge and skills of a Bachelor’s-level graduate Mechanical Engineering to Masters level through advanced teaching, design work and research. It provides an opportunity for candidates from a different Engineering background to develop key Mechanical Engineering knowledge and skills required for their professional development. A key objective of the programme is to be an accredited route to becoming a Chartered Engineer.

This programme makes use of Masters-level courses in the Energy Sciences and Manufacture and Design complemented with specialist courses from relevant MSc courses offered by the Institute. There is a growing need for an advanced mechanical engineering programme from our industry partners and this programme has been specifically developed to meet this need and to encourage students into further learning.

Our BSc Computer Science degree focuses on constructing robust and usable systems. As well as looking at cutting edge tools and techniques, it’s designed to help you build the next generation of software tools that other system constructors will use. The course aims to give a well integrated balance of theoretical underpinnings and practical experience, strongly informed by the research expertise of our academic staff.

All Year 3 students take part in a year-long group project, where they co-operate in tackling a large, realistic problem. Year 4 students conduct a major, year-long, individual dissertation project.

You can take advantage of our international campuses by taking part in an Inter-Campus Transfer. This gives you the opportunity to study Computer Science at our Dubai campus for a semester or a year.