These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.
The programme is designed to be accessible. We welcome applicants who meet the standard academic entrance requirements and those with relevant work experience.
A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent.
We will also consider a UK 2:2 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in Computer Science, Informatics, Software Engineering, Computational Physics, Mathematical Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, Computational Chemistry, Chemistry with Computer Science, Physics with Computer Science, or Computational Biology.
All applicants need to have some understanding of basic computer programming concepts. If your undergraduate degree discipline is not listed above, you must highlight on your application any relevant knowledge/experience.
We will also consider your application if you have relevant work experience. If you plan to apply on this basis, please include a detailed CV and outline how your professional background demonstrates your ability to undertake the programme in the Relevant Knowledge/Training section of your application. If you are unsure if you have relevant work experience, please email the Data Science team. You may be admitted to the Postgraduate Professional Development route in the first instance.
We strongly recommend that all applicants have SQA Higher or GCE A level Mathematics, or equivalent, and ideally some mathematics classes taken at undergraduate level. We also recommend that students have some experience of computer programming (e.g. C, Fortran, Java, Python, R).
Students from China
This degree is Band C.
International qualifications
Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:
English language requirements
Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.
English language tests
We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:
- IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
- TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
- C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
- Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
- PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
- Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 6 in each component.
Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Trinity ISE, or Oxford ELLT test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the programme begins, regardless of your nationality. (Revised 14 January 2025 to include Oxford ELLT.)
Degrees taught and assessed in English
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:
We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).
If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.
Find out more about our language requirements:
